At Industrial Color, we’ve spent years honing traditional e-commerce production workflows. With the recent launch of the company’s dedicated AI department, we are now applying that expertise to transform how brands create product content using AI, and the results are reshaping how we approach content creation.

Our new AI e-commerce department combines our proven production experience with AI tools, representing a fundamental shift in how brands can approach their visual strategy. The early adopters are already seeing the advantages as AI opens up creative possibilities, allowing teams to do more with less and do it more efficiently. When applied to e-commerce, this means meaningful cost savings, a wider range of premium content produced at scale, and accelerated production cycles.

where ai fits today

Every week, more brands ask us what they can do with AI. Currently, about 25% of our new e-commerce project requests involve AI, and the number is climbing steadily as the industry moves past curiosity into active testing.

As anyone in this space knows, e-commerce is all about consistency, cost efficiency, and volume. Teams are exploring how AI can be used for different parts of a traditional shot list – detail shots, ghost photography, detail on-model, model in environment – and the use cases gaining the most traction are those that save money while delivering more content. We’ve found that today’s AI capabilities can be effectively leveraged for over half of a traditional shot list, while some shots still benefit from traditional methods.

A few particularly approachable entry points for brands starting out are PDP to video, environment placement, and accessory try-on. These use cases are accessible because they enhance something that already exists, whether making a static image move, placing a figure in a different setting, or layering an accessory onto a model shot, as opposed to building something from scratch with AI. This approach gives brands an entry point to start utilizing AI and begin realizing the significant cost savings that come with the technology.

Let’s dig into these use cases a little more.

on-model still to video

AI has become super effective at transforming existing on-model product photography into motion content for your PDP pages and additional marketing placements. In this workflow, your current product shots become the foundation for video assets, bringing existing stills to life. With the ability to automatically create fresh video content, brands not only increase their ability to engage customers on product pages, but also gain assets to use across social, email, and other site placements.

The AI production process is straightfroward and starts with research to identify the right AI tools and sequence for your specific project. We follow up with creative alignment sessions and creating a client account in Globaledit, our AI workflow platform. During production, we ingest your PDP files, prep the images, and organize them for AI processing. The images are input into our AI tools along with specific prompts, and then the resulting video outputs are edited together to create a full effect. After sharing content for client review, we handle any revisions, resizing, upscaling, or reformatting needed before final approval and delivery.

Additionally, we are able to offer full-service production capabilities by shooting your samples on-site to create ghost, flat lay, or on model images that feed into the AI workflow. With our background in traditional production, Industrial Color is uniquely equipped to support brands at any stage as they enter AI e-commerce production, and can tailor end-to-end production workflows that leverage AI wherever applicable. 

Editorial Environment Placement

Another way to get more out of your existing PDP shots is to use AI to create new environments and then place existing model shots in an editorial setting. This capability gives brands the ability to tell a story by showcasing products in lifestyle contexts or an elevated environment without the significant costs and timelines of location shoots. These assets can be both still or video, and like still to video AI content, we’ve seen brands utilize them across a variety of platforms, from e-commerce PDP pages to external marketing channels.

The process is very similar to the one outlined above, but begins with creative alignment and environment building to establish your brand’s aesthetic direction. From there we ingest your existing PDP images and create editorial views using a sequence of AI tools. These outputs can be transformed into videos of various lengths and in multiple environments at once. After client review, we handle all post production and upscaling needed to perfect the final assets and produce all formats needed for different placements.

accessory Try-On

AI can be especially useful for brand accessories, expanding the volume of content produced with minimal additional cost and production time. Using AI, we can generate realistic try-on images for accessories like sunglasses, jewelry, bags, and watches. We can work with virtual models, real model likenesses, or digital twins depending on your brand’s comfort level and aesthetic requirements.

The process begins with collecting your accessory assets and finalizing outfits while organizing product information. We have found the best outcomes come when we have the physical product on hand to train with. We curate models to match your product aesthetic, then storyboard the collection and define product-model pairings and poses. During AI production, we run virtual try-on rounds, generate and refine prompts for realism and editorial tone, then create hero views and alternate angles. Post-production involves retouching to clean up lighting, skin, fabric, and realism details, followed by final quality control across all views to ensure product accuracy and aesthetic consistency.

A New Production Model

To produce AI ecommerce content effectively and achieve consistent results, the teams and tools that drive the process inevitably change.

An AI production team operates fundamentally differently from traditional shoots. The workflow resembles specialized post-production more than traditional photography. Our teams typically consist of 5-10 specialized producers processing content in focused batches. They oversee assets moving through AI tools systematically, inputting source content, prompts, and references, monitoring outputs, refining early iterations to train models for consistent output, coordinating QC and content reviews, and handling post-production refinement. The process becomes methodical, repeatable, and scalable without being contingent upon external or physical logistics.

The other non-negotiable component of any AI workflow is a robust content management infrastructure. AI production teams need a platform that can host all the content iterations produced by generative tools, maintain prompt, reference, and style metadata, support the post-production and review lifecycle, and facilitate smooth sharing with distribution platforms – whether it be to your website, internal libraries, or outside teams. Without an infrastructure backbone, AI production becomes chaotic and often counterproductive.

We use Globaledit as our central platform because it handles the complexity of AI workflows and scales as we grow. The platform supports our complete end-to-end workflow, beginning with reference and source content ingestion. It integrates directly with different generative tools at each stage, allowing content to pass seamlessly between our central library and transformation rounds. The platform then supports traditional post-production and distribution stages. Globaledit’s ability to keep everything organized, versioned, and accessible throughout the entire process is critical to our effectiveness and efficiency.

how to start

For e-commerce teams considering AI, determining where to start can be the biggest step. My advice is to start small and learn. My team and I regularly partner with brands to identify the right use cases for their specific needs and goals. Our hands-on experience with the technology, combined with our knowledge of what succeeds in different situations, helps us guide teams that are just getting started. The reality is that technology will continue evolving, supply chains will become more streamlined, and consumer behavior will keep shifting. Starting now means you’ll be ready.

In a significant move that bridges the gap between elevated creative production and cutting-edge technology, Industrial Color is proud to announce the launch of our dedicated AI department. Driven by a team of production, creative, and technology experts, this strategic expansion builds upon our decades of experience delivering high production value content for the world’s most recognizable brands.

A new era of creative production

The creative landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. As generative AI reshapes production processes, the differentiator isn’t simply having access to AI tools—it’s having the expertise to elevate AI-generated content to the standards that luxury and premium brands demand.

“We’re not just adopting AI; we’re redefining what’s possible when decades of proven production expertise meet advanced AI capabilities,” said Steve Kalalian, Industrial Color’s Founder and CEO. “The shift in the creative landscape is not just about layering AI into existing production capabilities to automate redundant tasks; it is an entirely reimagined process, built upon generative AI’s ability to support human creativity and enable new workflows that are dynamic, immediately iterative, and break out of the traditionally linear production structure.”

As brands increasingly explore how AI can improve their content production process and bottom line, Industrial Color sits at the forefront of the adoption curve, already working with global brands to produce and manage AI content at scale. The use cases span everything from concepting to full scale content production across all formats and channels, including campaign, social, and ecommerce in still and video. Ultimately, applying AI to creative production enables Industrial Color to:

• Generate premium, market-ready assets with creative control and brand consistency at scale
• Accelerate production cycles with real-time iteration and faster approvals
• Globalize content effortlessly, maintaining brand integrity across regions and languages
• Reduce production costs without compromising on quality or creativity

A new production paradigm

The key to using AI effectively is knowing when, where, why, and how to apply it, while strategically incorporating traditional production methods along the way. By redesigning our production processes, we have been able to reengineer how we collaborate with our customers, putting their ideas and their needs at the center of the production workflow. This combination of AI fluency and custom-built workflows, coupled with our archive of industry-defining creative content and decades of historical data, gives Industrial Color the ability to explore endlessly, achieve better outcomes, and do so at unprecedented speed.

We become subject matter experts for our clients, tailoring each AI workflow to best approach their use case and using the optimal mix of AI products, traditional production methods, and expert oversight to achieve their creative objectives.

THE FUTURE OF CONTENT PRODUCTION

In virtually every client brief, we’ve found that AI can optimize, accelerate, and expand content creation. As brands navigate this rapidly evolving landscape, Industrial Color partners with those seeking to remain at the forefront of tech-enabled transformation. We understand that effective AI implementation isn’t just about using the technology—it’s about integrating that technology within your unique infrastructure and objectives.

The brands that will thrive tomorrow are those that can adapt and iterate fastest. “Industrial Color is leveraging industry expertise and cutting-edge technology to redefine what’s possible in content creation,” says Kalalian. “We are advising clients on where and how to begin, partnering to produce exceptional content at scale, and continually investing in transformative technology that expands human creative capabilities.”

Throughout history, tech has been a game-changer, completely disrupting how we work and create value. Right now, AI is the biggest breakthrough we’ve seen in generations, and it’s turning traditional methods upside down while industries try to figure out how to use it. McKinsey’s State of Fashion underscores this, reporting that 73% of fashion executives consider generative AI a priority, but only 5% think they actually know how to use it effectively. This shows that real innovation happens each time we figure out new ways of working that were previously prohibitive, or better yet, unimaginable.

Traditionally, creativity has been defined as the ability to produce ideas that are both original and useful.  AI’s role in this is obviously evolving and while it can produce limitless interpretations and variations of an idea, the idea itself still comes from a creative mind. In addition to the idea, AI output still requires the correct blend of AI applications (that change almost daily), the correct development workflow, and a range of post-production services to polish and finesse content to a place that really works. The ability to do that takes human experience and expertise. What we’re seeing now is this powerful combination of human creativity, traditional craftsmanship, and commercial strategy being applied to AI outputs, enabling creative to take something novel that’s been generated by AI and bring it to the level that brands actually need.

As AI opens up this universe of possibilities, the content that delivers commercial value—creating viral moments, converting on social, and showing up in global campaigns—still needs that translation from “AI prototype” to “high-impact real-world content.” This blend of artificial and real worlds is one of the most exciting developments I’ve seen in my career and has become a major focus for my teams at Industrial Color and Globaledit. We’re using AI with our clients every day and finding endless ways to apply it to creative production. That said, while I believe in the disruptive nature of technology, I’m also highly attuned to what our clients want and the bar we set for everything we produce. With the rules and technology evolving daily, having the right partners and expertise has become crucial to navigating this new landscape.

Throughout our history, Industrial Color has thrived at that sweet spot where innovation meets real-world application. Just in the past month, our teams have used AI in some way for dozens of client projects and the range is incredible. Some examples include:

• E-commerce PDP & videos for women’s sportswear brands
• Product launch content for a global beauty brand
• Campaign content for an outerwear brand
• AI models and digital twins for different beauty brands
• Natural-sounding AI voiceovers for an electronics brand
• R&D projects for a home goods brand and major food chain

Because AI production is so new, and the tech is evolving at such an insane pace, our work in AI-enabled production spans beyond traditional categories. We now get involved earlier, providing guidance on tech applications and doing targeted R&D to determine where AI can be most successfully applied and outline the best workflows. On the other end of development, we also step in to style and perfect AI-enabled assets, taking them to quality levels you just can’t get with AI alone. In every project, we pull from our decades of experience in almost all forms of creative production to take great ideas, enhance them with technology, and polish the content until it delivers real commercial value.

These programs succeed because they capture that elusive sense of excellence and taste that’s essential for great content, while also leveraging AI’s ability to multiply creative possibilities. In my experience, new tech catches on when it delivers clear benefits. With AI-based creative production, the value comes from strong creative output, accelerated speed to market, and significant cost savings. McKinsey points out that effective curation is still crucial; human skill and creativity remain the foundation for brand differentiation. Rather than replacing these human elements, technology amplifies them, expanding capabilities while retaining artistic skills and knowledge.

For brands today, getting AI right, and figuring it out rapidly is critical. Both waiting too long for the perfect solution or diving in without guidance carry big risks, but AI clearly gives early adopters a competitive edge. When I think about what makes Industrial Color different, I boil it down to our experience producing content for global brands, our range of production capabilities, our consistent embrace of emerging tech, and our eye on future possibilities. This combination seems to consistently put us right at the intersection of artificial innovation and real-world application – I’ve lived it before but could not be more excited about what I see in front of our industry today.

We’re excited to keep exploring new creative territory, delighting our customers, and producing content that drives brand growth in an increasingly AI-enhanced industry.

In 1984, the Mac made it possible for people to easily work with digital images. From desktop publishing to the internet, digital photography, CGI, and now AI, technology has continuously reshaped creative production. As someone leading a creative production company, I’ve learned that tech adoption isn’t just important—it’s critical to survival. 

Early on, I noticed a pattern that I later learned is called the Gartner Hype Cycle. Roughly every seven years, there’s a significant technological advancement that plays out in creative production, just like everywhere else. What’s notable is that the signals and reactions remain largely the same, the only thing that changes is the speed of adoption. 

The cycle unfolds in four phases. The initial phase is when a new technology is released and the hype skyrockets. That’s usually when everyone thinks they will be replaced because the promise is endless and the tech seemingly works perfectly. Phase 1 is pretty quickly followed by Phase 2, the “Trough of Disillusionment,” which is where everyone says, “wait, this tech sucks and is not viable. What was I worried about?, this will never catch on.” Then, just when we’re sure it’s all hype, the tech improves a lot (Phase 3 – The Slope of Enlightenment) and suddenly people are finding real value and searching for more ways to use it. Then we settle into Phase 4 where the tech fully matures and is part of our everyday lives.
 
A client recently asked me, “Where are we on the curve now, and what does it mean for the industry?” For many use cases, I believe we’re in the beginning of Phase 3, where the technology is advancing rapidly and becoming really good, really fast. Even in areas where the technology is still emerging, the rate of innovation is still incredible.

At Industrial Color, we’re actively using AI for numerous clients, constantly iterating on new ways to expand our production capabilities, develop our own products, and improve our internal processes. 
 
It’s evident that AI applied to creative production creates a compounding effect. For instance, we can now apply AI to stills and photogrammetry to rapidly generate poseable 3D content, providing marketers with hyper-optimized content at a fraction of the traditional cost. Similar applications are emerging across various formats—still images, video, music, copywriting, design, layout, 3D modeling, and beyond— fundamentally expanding what production and downstream teams can achieve.

Beyond generating entirely new content, AI creates numerous production efficiencies, informing content awareness and decision-making. A few weeks ago, OpenAI just released OpenAI o1 that “thinks” before acting. This self-check process will make things very interesting and I have no doubt that another advancement is imminent. 

2024 was a transformative year for Industrial Color, largely driven by the integration of AI into almost every aspect of the company. The tangible impact of this evolution can be seen in three key areas: improving internal processes, enhancing our tech platform, and – most significantly – expanding the content we create for our clients.

Internal processes

AI tool adoption has enabled us to discover efficiencies and implement incremental changes that cumulatively make a substantial difference. It has also opened the door for our teams to approach projects in a more comprehensive way by leveraging generative tools, historical data, and refined workflows. 

One example is creative ideation, concepting, and storyboarding. Our teams can explore different ideas using tools like Midjourney, Runway ML, and now Sora, modeling layouts in both 2D and 3D, still and motion. It’s pretty remarkable—we can push ideas in countless directions, iterate on concepts within minutes, and expand our capacity to conceptualize and communicate singular ideas to our clients. We’re also leveraging AI through data. Like any company, we have troves of data and are finding insights into optimal practices, content formats, and workflow sequences by exploring that data with different models. 

Content for clients

While the technology remains nascent in some areas, we are consistently discovering ways to leverage leading and emerging tools to produce production-quality AI-generated content, from product packaging to motion campaigns. Lately, we’re producing more AI castings for clients and developing campaign content that feels like a traditional high-production shoot but contains elements that are incredibly hard or cost-prohibitive to capture—like hundreds of exotic flowers actively blooming or scenic shots in inaccessible locations.

What I find most exciting are the storytelling abilities this technology unlocks. Creatives and brands can stretch their imaginations to the limit, play with new styles, explore different compositions, and create narratives that were not previously possible or practical before. I think we’re just scratching the surface of technology’s potential.

There’s also a huge opportunity to breathe new life into existing assets. By training AI models on brand archive content, we can create new content with the same production value as traditional methods while maintaining the brand’s singular aesthetic style.

The critical element when creating high-quality content is defining the correct order of operations, pairing the right techniques, and identifying where to apply traditional processes and where to leverage AI. We’ve found that our decades of collective experience make the crucial difference between producing something exceptional and something that feels artificial. We are also using platforms like ComfyUI to combine different AI tools and create custom workflows optimized for specific content.

Building new technology

Since launching Globaledit in 2003, we’ve been developing in-house technology. Today, we’re reimagining what it means to be a production software company. This year, we developed our first set of AI tools, starting with object and facial recognition technologies that can train on specific faces or broad datasets, making items and talent instantly searchable within entire libraries. These features are a game changer for almost any brand, but particularly the entertainment, sports and live event markets. 

Looking forward, there are clear use cases for post production, marketing, PR, and social teams, where AI can not only automate manual processes, but aid in curation, recommendations, and other time consuming tasks. We see pure production and content management platforms converging like never before and are actively developing a suite of AI enabled products that will deliver totally new capabilities and vastly improve time to market for our brand clients. 

Importantly, AI doesn’t replace creativity—it amplifies it. Like the early Macintosh democratizing design tools, AI provides creative minds with unprecedented capabilities to explore and iterate rapidly. We’re not diminishing original thought; we’re accelerating it.

Our teams are using these tools to propel ideas further, deliver content faster, and transform initial concepts into unexpected, powerful experiences. It’s not about AI replacing human creativity, but about giving creatives more powerful tools to express their vision.

We’re standing at the threshold of another technological revolution. And just like the “1984” commercial promised—we’re here to break through the status quo and do things differently.

It’s a brave new world, again.