Struggling to find the right stock photo? Try Getty Images’ new AI tool

The rapidly evolving landscape of digital content creation is being transformed by new AI-powered tools that enable custom stock photo generation, with Getty Images being the latest major player to enter this space.

Key Features and Functionality: Getty Images has introduced two new AI-powered features – Product Placement and Reference Image – within its Generative AI offerings for both Getty Images and iStock platforms.

• The Product Placement feature enables users to upload product images and generate custom backgrounds that seamlessly integrate with the product
• The Reference Image tool allows users to upload existing photos as templates, maintaining consistent color palettes and composition in newly generated images
• Both features are designed to help brands maintain visual consistency while streamlining their content creation process

Business Impact and Applications: The new tools aim to address common challenges faced by brands, newsrooms, and content creators in finding or creating perfect images for their projects.

• Marketing teams can now create consistent, on-brand visuals without starting from scratch
• The system promises to reduce production time and resources traditionally required for custom photo shoots
• Businesses can maintain visual consistency across their marketing materials more efficiently

Technical Implementation and Pricing: Getty Images has structured its AI offering as a pay-per-use service with built-in legal protections.

• Plans start at $49 for 25 image generations
• Each generated image comes with automatic legal protection up to $50,000 USD
• Enterprise-level custom solutions are available for larger organizations
• The platform integrates directly with Getty’s existing stock photo infrastructure

Market Context and Competition: Getty Images isn’t alone in offering AI-powered visual content tools.

• Meta has developed similar marketing tools for advertisers that include background swapping and creative asset adaptation
• Adobe Firefly offers a free alternative with its Structure Reference option
• Various other image generators are available in the market, each specializing in different use cases

Looking Forward: While Getty Images’ entry into the AI-generated image space represents a significant development for professional content creators, the true test will be whether these tools can consistently produce results that match or exceed traditional stock photography in terms of quality and usefulness for commercial applications.