Catalog PDF to storefront
Turn your existing catalog into a live, shareable buyer storefront
OpenPoly9 AI · calculator
Photoshoot or catalog-driven render
Traditional product photography means scheduling, shooting, editing, and reshoots for every new colorway. Catalog-driven AI renders generate configured product visuals from the specs and materials already in your catalog. Enter your illustrative photoshoot assumptions and see the difference.
All dollar amounts are your illustrative assumptions. This tool does not claim industry averages. Your actual costs depend on your suppliers, market, and workflow.
Total SKUs or product families that need visual representation.
$
Illustrative assumption: your all-in cost (photographer, studio, post-production) per SKU.days
Illustrative assumption: scheduling, shooting, editing, and delivery time per SKU.Illustrative assumption: how many SKUs your crew gets through in one styled shoot day.
$
Illustrative assumption: props, staging, travel, and labor per shoot day.Illustrative assumption: new SKUs or variants launched each quarter.
mo
Illustrative assumption: months until a product needs new photography.Traditional photoshoot path
$133,500
Initial catalog imagery for 200 products at your entered cost of $500 per product, plus 67 shoot days (3 products a day) at $500 styling per day. Timeline: 7 calendar days per product, from your input.
$90,000Annual ongoing cost (your assumptions)
80New products/year to photograph
100Existing products to reshoot/year
Catalog-driven AI render path
Poly9 generates product visuals from your existing catalog data: specs, materials, finishes, dimensions. Buyers see configured products rendered in real time as they explore options. No shoot scheduling, no reshoots for new colorways.
- New products: render from catalog data the day they are added
- Variants (finish/size/material): instant renders, no reshoot
- Timeline: configuration and render rules setup, not per-product scheduling
- Cost model: sales actions (quotes, collections, buyer questions), not per-image
Photoshoot costs are your entered assumptions, not industry averages. AI render costs depend on your Poly9 plan (priced per sales action, not per image). This tool is educational, not a financial guarantee.
How it compares
Photoshoots schedule products. Renders configure them.
A photoshoot captures what you brought to the studio that day. A catalog-driven render shows what the buyer just configured, finish, size and material, without waiting for a reshoot.
New products
Photoshoot
Schedule shoot, coordinate styling, wait for delivery
Catalog-driven render
Add to catalog with specs and materials; renders generate at once
Variants (finish/size/material)
Photoshoot
Reshoot each variant, or show one finish and describe others in text
Catalog-driven render
Instant renders for every configured combination: walnut or oak, 36 inch or 42 inch
Timeline
Photoshoot
Per-product scheduling, shooting, editing, delivery (days to weeks per SKU)
Catalog-driven render
Render rules setup, then instant generation for configured products
Cost model
Photoshoot
Per product, per variant, per reshoot
Catalog-driven render
Per sales action (quote, collection, buyer question): priced by usage, not per image
Best for
Photoshoot
Hero marketing images, lifestyle shots, brand storytelling, physical craft detail
Catalog-driven render
Buyer-facing configuration and quoting: showing the exact variant being priced
Updates
Photoshoot
Reshoot when product changes, styling trends shift, or images age
Catalog-driven render
Update catalog rules (for example, add a new finish); renders regenerate on their own
Many manufacturers use both
Hero photography for marketing pages and social media. Catalog-driven renders for buyer-facing quoting and configuration. The render shows the exact variant the buyer is pricing, finish, size and material, so the quote and the visual stay in sync without a reshoot.
Who this is for
Custom product manufacturers with variant complexity.
If your catalog offers finishes, sizes, materials, or configurations, and buyers need to see what they are pricing, catalog-driven renders scale better than reshooting every combination.
Furniture and lighting manufacturers
Finish, size, upholstery, and hardware variants. Buyers configure in the chat; the render shows their exact specification.
Learn more →Multi-brand showrooms
Quote across brands without coordinating reshoot schedules. One living catalog, renders for every configured product.
Learn more →Exporters and fair exhibitors
Digital booth with instant finish and size variants. No photoshoot timeline blocking your fair-ready catalog.
Learn more →Questions about photoshoots and renders
Where do the photoshoot costs come from?
You enter them. Every dollar amount on this page is your illustrative assumption: your photographer rates, your studio costs, your styling budget. This tool does not claim industry averages or typical costs. Your actual costs depend on your suppliers, market, and workflow.
How does Poly9 generate product renders from a catalog?
Poly9 reads your catalog data (specs, materials, finishes, dimensions) and generates configured product visuals as buyers explore options. When a buyer asks for "this chair in walnut, bar height," the render shows that specific configuration. No photoshoot scheduling, no reshoots for new colorways or sizes.
What does "catalog-driven" mean?
Renders are generated from the product rules and attributes already in your catalog: materials, finishes, dimensions, construction details. The same data that powers your quoting also powers your visuals. Add a new finish to your catalog, and it renders at once across every product that offers it.
Does Poly9 replace all product photography?
Not necessarily. Many manufacturers use hero photography for marketing and lifestyle shots, then use AI renders for buyer-facing configuration and quoting. The render shows the exact variant the buyer is pricing, finish, size and material, without waiting for a reshoot.
How is AI render pricing different from per-image costs?
Poly9 pricing is per sales action (quotes, collections, buyer questions), not per image or per render. You set up render rules once, then every configured product variant renders as part of the quoting process. See the pricing page for current plan costs.
When does traditional photography still make sense?
For brand marketing, lifestyle imagery, editorial content, and products where the physical material or craft detail is the primary story. AI renders excel at showing configured variants at once, the walnut or oak finish, the 36 inch or 42 inch width, without scheduling a reshoot.
Are the annual costs on this calculator guaranteed savings?
No. This is an educational tool that shows your entered photoshoot assumptions compared to a qualitatively different path (catalog-driven renders). Actual costs depend on your workflow, your Poly9 plan, and how you balance photography and renders. This is not a financial guarantee.
Start with your catalog. Render from your rules.
Create your account, add your catalog or start with your industry sample catalog, and see configured product renders in the same session. 250 sales actions free for 30 days, no card, and the account stays yours.