Build an AI-Powered Image Generator Workflow for Products

Build an AI-Powered Image Generator Workflow for Products

Want unique, professional product images for your store—literally with the push of a button? In this guide, I’ll show you an easy way to automatically generate beautiful AI images for your products. You’ll simply add a product name (like „Blue Ceramic Mug“) to a spreadsheet, and next thing you know, you’ve got a set of styled AI images (via MidJourney) ready to upload to your ecommerce website.

Why Automate This

If you run a shop—big or small—you know how time-consuming (and expensive) good product photography can be. Maybe you’ve seen stunning AI art on social media and thought, “I wish I could do that for my store.” Now you can! By connecting tools like Airtable, n8n, and MidJourney, you get stylish imagery fast without ever opening Photoshop. It’s a game changer for anyone who wants their store to look polished and up-to-date—without breaking the bank.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Airtable Product Database Trigger

What’s happening: Airtable is your product list (think supercharged spreadsheet). When you add a new product name, it triggers the rest of the workflow.

  • How it looks: You add a row to your Airtable base with the product name and maybe a few style notes.
  • Example: You enter "Vintage Leather Backpack" → workflow starts.
{
  "product_name": "Vintage Leather Backpack",
  "image_style": "Studio, soft light, white background"
}

Tips to customize: Add extra fields for style, color, or even target customers so the AI can make images that fit your brand.

2. n8n Orchestrates the Workflow

What’s happening: n8n is the “traffic cop” that watches your Airtable base. When there’s a new product, it automatically grabs the info and moves it to the next step.

  • How it looks: n8n has a drag-and-drop interface. You connect Airtable (input) → send the data to image generation (MidJourney via API).
  • Example: Workflow fetches the product name and style from Airtable and sends it out for image creation.
{
  "name": "Vintage Leather Backpack",
  "style": "Studio, soft light, white background"
}

Tips to customize: You don’t have to write code! Just use n8n’s Airtable node and community MidJourney node—or HTTP Request node. You can set the workflow to run instantly or on a schedule.

3. Connecting to MidJourney for Image Generation

What’s happening: MidJourney creates AI art from words, but it doesn’t have an official API (yet)—so we use an unofficial one like UseAPI.net or ImaginePro. n8n passes your product name as a prompt and MidJourney returns a set of images.

  • How it looks: n8n sends an HTTP request to the MidJourney API with your product description as the prompt. MidJourney sends back image URLs.
  • Example: n8n passes: 
    {
  "prompt": "Vintage Leather Backpack, studio, soft light, white background"
}

Tips to customize: Try a few different prompt styles or let n8n create multiple prompts (e.g. „on a model,“ „on a table,“ „in a backpack lineup”) and get varied images.

4. (Optional) Automatically Pick the Best Image with AI

What’s happening: If MidJourney returns four images, you can use an AI model (like GPT-4, Claude, or Gemini) to pick the most suitable one for your shop. Totally optional—but it’s like having your most design-savvy employee on call 24/7!

  • How it looks: n8n sends image URLs and a description to an AI. The AI returns which image looks 『best』 (most on-brand, clearest, etc).
  • Sample n8n-to-GPT-4 payload:
{
  "images": [
    "https://mj-cdn.img/123_v1.png",
    "https://mj-cdn.img/123_v2.png",
    "https://mj-cdn.img/123_v3.png",
    "https://mj-cdn.img/123_v4.png"
  ],
  "criteria": "Choose the image that looks most natural for an e-commerce listing of a vintage leather backpack."
}

Tips to customize: You can edit the AI’s “criteria” to match your sense of style or your shop’s look.

5. Save the Best Image Back to Airtable

What’s happening: The chosen image’s URL (or images) get updated in your Airtable product row so your whole team can access them right away.

  • How it looks: Airtable now has images in the “AI Images” field for each product, ready to download or display on your store!
{
  "record_id": "recn8*123xyz",
  "ai_image_url": "https://mj-cdn.img/123_v2.png"
}

Tips to customize: Save all generated images if you want options, or keep only the top pick. Add a field for “status” to track which products need human review.

6. (Optional) Auto-Upload Images to Your E-Commerce Site

What’s happening: Want to take it further? Use n8n to push final images straight to Shopify, WooCommerce, or wherever you sell. No more manual uploads!

  • How it looks: Workflow updates your ecommerce database or triggers a CMS update with the new images.
{
  "product_sku": "BACKPACK001",
  "image_url": "https://mj-cdn.img/123_v2.png"
}

Tips to customize: Each ecommerce platform has its own API, but n8n supports most with built-in nodes or HTTP requests.

Real Example: Imagify Co.’s Product Image Workflow

Let’s say “Imagify Co.” sells stylish everyday carry products. They use Airtable to manage their product list. Here’s what happens:

  1. Alex adds “Minimalist Wallet” to their Airtable base. (Optionally: adds “urban, overhead shot” in a style field.)
  2. n8n sees the new row, grabs the name & style, and passes it to MidJourney via UseAPI.net.
  3. MidJourney returns four AI-generated wallet images. n8n feeds these to GPT-4, which picks the image that looks most laid-back, modern, and e-commerce-ready. (Or Alex can review if they want more control.)
  4. n8n writes the image URL back to the same Airtable row—for Alex to preview and share with the team or send straight to their Shopify store.

Instead of three days for a photoshoot and edits, the whole process takes minutes.

Tools You’ll Need

  • Airtable: A user-friendly, spreadsheet-like database for your products.
  • n8n: Automation tool—sets up the triggers and connects everything.
  • MidJourney (via UseAPI.net or ImaginePro API): Generates beautiful AI art.
  • OpenAI GPT-4o or Claude 3: (Optional) For AI-powered image selection.
  • (Optional) E-commerce platform like Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, etc., if you want to push images live.

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Final Thoughts

This setup puts world-class product photography just a click away—even if you’re a solo founder or a tiny team. Letting AI and automation handle your visuals frees you up to focus on the parts of your business that only a human can do: dreaming up amazing products, connecting with customers, and growing your brand. Give it a shot and see how much time (and stress) you save!

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