Cut-outs and retouching
Designer · E-commerce Designer
“Cut-outs and retouching” (Designer) was largely replaced by AI in 2023, after AI entered in 2017.
AI enters
2017
Largely replaced
2023
Replacement progress
100%
Technology / key factor
AI background removal
What this task is
E-commerce designers cut products out of raw photos, remove backgrounds, and fix blemishes and color casts to prepare clean images for product pages and marketplace listings.
How AI replaces it
From around 2017, deep-learning image segmentation enabled one-click background removal, and AI retouching tools then automated blemish fixes and color correction. By 2023, cutting out images by hand was largely replaced.
What stays human
Designers handle only the tricky images, such as glass or fine hair, where AI still makes mistakes, and oversee the overall visual quality of the store.