Inpainting

The word comes from the restoration of damaged paintings and photographs. In digital editing it now usually means a generative model filling a masked area: the editor marks a region, and the model paints new pixels that match the surroundings.

Sellers use it to remove dust, a stray price sticker or a reflection, to correct text on packaging, and to replace part of a background. The marketplace rules decide where it must stop. Etsy says editing must not make the item look different from what the buyer receives and that AI must not be used to hide damage. TikTok Shop's AIGC rules say generated content must not change the product's size, colour, shape or features. eBay does not allow photos that fail to represent the item accurately. Walmart says AI images must be truthful, accurate and not misleading.

The common mistake is letting the model repaint the product itself. A mask that spills over a label turns letters into look-alike shapes, logos lose their form and fine textures smooth out. Another is using inpainting on used or vintage goods to remove scratches, which Etsy's rule on hiding damage covers directly.

Keep masks tight, inpaint the background rather than the product where you can, and compare the result with the original at full size.

PicBarn keeps the product pixels and generates only the surroundings, and its edit text tab replaces wording in a selected area while keeping the original font.