French startup Presti is revolutionizing the way furniture brands create product visuals by using generative AI to turn a single product image into a realistic lifestyle photo. This innovative approach eliminates the need for expensive and time-consuming photo shoots, providing furniture companies with a simple and cost-effective solution.
The idea for Presti came about when the founders realized the pain points faced by furniture companies in organizing photo shoots. These shoots required renting a location, transporting products, and planning months in advance, resulting in high logistics costs. With Presti’s AI technology, furniture brands can now create stunning product visuals without the hassle and expense of traditional photo shoots.
Presti’s AI model, Stable Diffusion XL, has been specifically retrained and tweaked to excel in generating product imagery for the furniture industry. This ensures that the generated images accurately represent the products without any distortions or perspective issues. The company has trained its model on a dataset of over 75,000 ultra-high-quality photos of furniture, further enhancing the accuracy and realism of the generated images.
But Presti doesn’t stop at background generation. The platform also allows customers to add accessories to their product shots, such as cushions, which cast realistic shadows on the furniture. Additionally, Presti is working on a feature that will allow customers to swap materials, making it easier for furniture brands to release new products with different textures and colors.
While Presti’s AI technology offers convenience and cost savings for furniture brands, it raises questions about the role of human creativity in the photography industry. Freelance photographers and location stylists may find their services less in demand as companies increasingly turn to machine-generated backgrounds. However, the challenge lies in ensuring that the resulting images maintain originality and avoid looking too similar.
Presti has already established partnerships with mid-sized furniture companies and has a strategic partnership with Maisons du Monde, one of France’s largest furniture retailers. The startup recently raised a $3.5 million seed round led by global tech investment firm Partech, with several business angels also participating.
In conclusion, Presti’s use of generative AI technology is disrupting the furniture industry by providing a simple and cost-effective solution for creating product visuals. By eliminating the need for traditional photo shoots, Presti is empowering furniture brands to showcase their products in a realistic and visually appealing way. While there may be concerns about the impact on human creativity, Presti’s innovative approach is transforming the way furniture companies operate in the digital age.
