Inpainting: change only what you select
Paint a mask over the area to change and describe what should be there instead. Include a little of the surroundings in the mask so the new content can blend into the existing light and texture, but no more than needed. Typical uses: a seasonal prop, a different colourway of a garment, a removed third-party logo, a corrected hand or a cleaner background behind a product. Review the result at full size along the mask edge, where mismatched grain, soft halos and lighting that points the wrong way give an edit away.
Outpainting: extend the frame
Outpainting adds new image beyond the original edges, which makes it the natural tool for format changes: a 16:9 hero image becomes 9:16 or 4:5 without cropping the subject. The new areas must continue the perspective lines, horizon, light and textures of the original. Simple surroundings, such as sky, sea, floor, walls and foliage, extend well. Extending people, crowds, text or detailed architecture is riskier, and repeated patterns or duplicated objects are the classic sign that something was generated.
What should never be altered
Some areas are off limits whatever the tool can do. The part of an image that proves a claim, such as skin in a skincare ad or a cleaned surface. A real person's face or body without their consent. Mandatory product information, such as ingredients or warnings. News, documentary or event photographs, where an edit changes what happened. When a realistic image of people, objects, places or events has been altered so it could pass as authentic, the EU AI Act has required since 2 August 2026 that the manipulation is disclosed, alongside any platform labelling rules.
Keeping edits traceable
Keep the original, every edited version and a note of what changed where. Re-approve the edited image, rather than assuming the original approval still covers it, whenever the change touches products, people or claims. A clear history answers the questions that arrive months later from legal, a retailer or a regulator. Synthetic White keeps version history for every asset and a record of which model made what, so an edit can always be traced back to the approved original.
Updated 26 October 2026