Tutorials
Claude Opus 5.5: Select Product Ad Images From a Contact Sheet
Use Claude Opus 5.5 to make a reasoned shortlist from a labeled contact sheet, then inspect the shortlisted originals before choosing a final ad image.
Use Claude Opus 5.5 to make a reasoned shortlist from a labeled contact sheet, then inspect the shortlisted originals before choosing a final ad image. The sheet helps compare composition; it cannot prove fine label accuracy or focus. Ask for filenames, visible reasons and unresolved checks so the choice remains traceable when you return to the source folder.
Define the job before asking for the best image
“Pick the best” mixes several incompatible goals. A catalog image, a wide campaign hero and a detail insert may need different frames of the same product.
| Intended use | Prioritize | Reject or inspect closely |
|---|---|---|
| Product identification | Recognizable shape and correct variant | Occluded label or ambiguous color |
| Wide hero with headline | A workable crop and quiet copy region | Crop cuts a defining product feature |
| Material detail | Relevant surface at useful scale | Thumbnail hides focus or texture artifacts |
| Four-panel sequence | Distinct visual roles | Four near-identical angles |
Prepare the sheet with stable filenames. Adobe’s contact-sheet instructions include filename captions. Use labels you can read at the uploaded size, and keep the same names when exporting the selected originals. A position such as “third image on page two” becomes unreliable as soon as the sheet is reordered.
A two-pass selection avoids false precision
Consider a hypothetical set of 12 bottle photographs for a landscape launch hero. Arrange them in a 3 × 4 sheet, with one variant per sheet. For a 1,500-pixel-wide sheet with 60-pixel side margins and two 30-pixel gaps, each cell is (1,500 − 120 − 60) ÷ 3 = 440 pixels wide. That can support composition review, but it does not certify tiny printed text on the bottle.
In pass one, ask for three candidates based on the intended crop, product visibility and headline space. In pass two, supply those three originals individually, with the desired crop shown or described. Inspect labels, material edges and focus at full size. A shortlist candidate may fail this second pass without making the first pass useless.
Separate disqualifiers from preferences. “Wrong cap color” can disqualify an image. “Softer background” is a preference that can be compared among valid images. Combining both into a single unexplained score can allow an attractive but incorrect product to win.
A complete selection prompt
Review [contact-sheet filename] for a [landscape product-launch hero] using the approved product reference [filename].
Read the visible filename beneath each image. If a filename or product detail is unclear, mark it unreadable; do not invent it.
Required facts: [variant, color, cap, label]. Intended crop: [ratio]. Headline area: [location]. These constraints outrank aesthetic preferences.
First exclude visibly incorrect variants or unusable crops, with one visible reason each. Then shortlist three filenames with distinct composition strengths.
For each shortlist entry return: filename, proposed crop, headline space, visible reason, uncertainty and the original-file check needed. Do not claim sharpness, exact text or color accuracy from a tiny thumbnail.
After I supply the three originals, compare the same criteria again and flag any candidate that fails. Recommend one main image and one backup. Preserve filenames throughout; do not rename or edit files without a separate request.Do not send an unlabeled pile of files and rely on attachment order. Anthropic’s vision documentation says image metadata is not received. Put the filename map in the message as text as well as on the sheet when identity matters.
Record why the backup is useful
A useful backup solves a different practical problem: more room for a long headline, a tighter mobile crop or a clearer product label. Keep a small selection log with filename, approved usage, proposed crop and remaining edit. This makes the decision usable by someone who was not in the chat.
A 2021 photographer’s question describes choosing proofs before editing every image. It concerns headshots, not an Opus product-photo trial; the transferable need is an identifiable shortlist before expensive finishing. The bottle example above is hypothetical and has not been tested with the model.
Questions after the shortlist
Should I delete the rejected files?
No. A frame rejected for a hero crop may work as a detail insert. Record the decision for this usage and keep the source set.
Does a high aesthetic score predict ad performance?
No. Selection checks visual fitness. Audience response needs a separate campaign test with a defined outcome; see the creative testing guide.
How do I turn the chosen frame into an ad?
Open Panelly Studio, add the approved image, and reference it with @ in chat. State which product details must remain fixed and describe the desired scene or text placement. Inspect the generated ad against the approved original before exporting; selecting a correct reference does not automatically validate the final image.
