Change the material, keep the product
Swap matte for gloss, cotton for leather or brushed steel for brass, in a photo you already have. You write the change as an instruction in the image editor.
Start freeMaterial swap in the image editor
A material swap changes the surface of a product in a photo you already have. You do it in the DesignerBox image editor, and there is no separate material swap screen. You write an instruction that names the new material. Matte becomes gloss, cotton becomes leather, brushed steel becomes brass. FLUX 2 Flex is the model DesignerBox describes as handling retexturing. Nano Banana Pro and Nano Banana 2 also offer Style Transfer and Product Image edit modes. The shape of the product stays the same. The surface changes.
Material changes the editor handles
The four swaps a product page needs most.
Matte to gloss
Turn a flat surface into a reflective one. Gloss needs a small, hard highlight and a soft reflection of the room around it.
Fabric to leather
Change a woven texture into a smooth hide, or the reverse. Grain size and weave direction decide whether it looks real.
Metal finishes
Move between brushed steel, polished chrome, brass and matte black. Each finish reflects light in a different way.
Colourway variants
Build the same product in several colours and finishes for a product page, from one source photo.
Edit modes for a material change
Where each mode fits, inside the same image editor.
Default edit
You describe the new material in plain words. Most material changes start here, with one surface per pass.
Style Transfer
Nano Banana Pro and Nano Banana 2 apply the look of a reference image to your product.
Product Image
A named edit mode for product shots. Pick it when the subject is a packshot rather than a scene.
Multi-reference edit
Kontext Multi takes up to 10 reference images, so one finish can stay the same across a range.
Steps for one material change
Small passes, each one checked against the real product.
One test image
Change the finish on a single photo. Compare it against the real product before you run a batch.
Craft notes for a convincing finish
A material change fails when the lighting does not follow the new surface. Every surface reflects light in its own way. Matte plastic spreads a highlight into a wide, soft patch. Polished chrome shows a small, hard highlight and a picture of the room. You swap matte for gloss but keep the original soft highlight. The result then looks like a colour change on a matte object. Name the light in the same instruction as the material. Ask for a sharper highlight, a visible reflection, or a darker shadow under the edge.
Reflective finishes need something to reflect. A mirror surface with an empty scene around it renders as flat grey. Before you ask for chrome or glass, describe the room. A soft window on one side, a dark wall behind, a pale floor below. Matte finishes want the opposite. They need a plain, even light so the texture stays readable. This is why one prompt gives a convincing matte leather and an unconvincing polished brass. Two finishes, two lighting briefs.
DesignerBox describes FLUX 2 Flex as strong on typography, retexturing and multi-reference editing. That makes it the first model to try for a finish change. It costs 7 credits per image and takes up to 10 reference images. Nano Banana Pro costs 14 credits and Nano Banana 2 costs 7, and both carry the Style Transfer and Product Image edit modes on up to 5 references. Kontext Multi costs 5 credits and takes up to 10 references, which helps when one finish has to stay the same across a range. Seedream 5 costs 4 credits and is a low-cost way to test an idea before you commit.
Details that decide the result
Six checks between a first swap and a publishable image.
Highlight shape
A gloss highlight is small and hard. A matte highlight is wide and soft. Ask for the right one by name.
Reflection content
A shiny surface shows the room. Describe what should appear in it, or the new finish looks flat.
Grain and weave
Leather has grain. Linen has weave. Name the scale, because the wrong scale makes fabric look printed.
Colour shift
A finish change moves the colour as well. Compare the new swatch against the original after every pass.
Check against the product
Put the edited image beside the physical item in daylight. A screen hides small differences in finish.
Credit cost per pass
Each edited image costs credits. Seedream 5 is 4 credits per image and GPT Image 2 is 22 credits.
Tools in this workflow
Each one handles a step around the material change.
Design editor
Layout, text and layers, for when a change needs exact placement rather than a description.
Image generation
Make a new product image when a swap needs a fresh starting photo.
Image upscale
Raise the finished image so the new finish stays sharp when a buyer zooms.
Virtual try-on
See a garment on a model after you change the fabric, so you can judge the new material on a person.
Styled scene generator
Build the setting a reflective finish needs, so the surface has something to reflect.
Spotlight relight
Change the light in a finished photo when the new surface needs a different highlight.
Image and video models available in DesignerBox
Compare each model and pick the one that fits the shot.
Questions about material swaps
What people ask before changing a finish on a product photo.
How do I change the material of a product in a photo?
Which model works best for a finish change?
Why does my gloss finish look flat?
Can I build colourway variants for a product page?
Will the shape of my product change?
How do I check the result before I publish it?
Your first material swap
Open one product photo in the image editor and change the finish. Compare the result against the real item.
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