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Ultimate guide to recoloring at Squareshot

Ultimate guide to recoloring at Squareshot

Updated this week

Recoloring is a great way to create visual variety without reshooting, but it requires clear guidelines to ensure high-quality results. Here’s everything you need to know before submitting a recoloring request.


1. Color compatibility: what works best

Recoloring based on original brightness

The brightness of the original product image must align with the target color to maintain natural texture, contrast, and realism.

Base color

Best target colors

Notes

Light colors (beige, light gray, pastels)

Any darker color (black, navy, red, etc.)

Easy and natural-looking results

Medium colors (blue, green, pink, etc.)

Similar medium/dark tones

Large shifts to opposite tones (e.g., red → green) may look unnatural

Dark colors (black, navy, maroon)

Other dark shades only

Recoloring to light tones often looks flat and loses texture

⚠️ Do not recolor dark light, or saturated muted without expecting a quality loss.


2. Challenging colors to avoid

Some base colors are not ideal for recoloring and may lead to unrealistic results:

  • Black → Light: Difficult to lighten while retaining texture

  • White → Dark: Hard to darken naturally due to lack of shadows

  • Very dark tones → Bright colors (e.g., navy, deep maroon): Hard to shift into vibrant or light colors

  • Neon / Highly saturated colors: May appear dull or uneven when turned into muted tones


3. Complex products may require extra work

Certain product types require individual evaluation and may involve additional fees due to the complexity of recoloring them accurately:

These include:

  • Products with multiple colors

  • Items with prints or patterns

  • Semi-transparent materials

  • Cutouts, holes, mesh, or netting

  • Feathers, fur, or metallic elements

  • Items with excessive hardware (buttons, buckles, zippers, clasps)

Each feature introduces challenges in maintaining natural lighting, texture, and realism in the final recolored image.

💡 Tip: If your product has any of the above, please contact us before requesting recoloring. We’ll review the image and give you a fair quote.


4. Recoloring pricing

  • Standard recoloring: $20 per image

  • Advanced recoloring: Custom quote required (due to complexity)

We’re committed to delivering high-quality, natural-looking recoloring. That’s why some cases need more time and care — and why it’s important to confirm with our team if your product has any special features.


Summary: Recoloring best practices

  • Match brightness levels between the base and target color

  • Stay within the same tonal family for the best texture retention

  • Avoid extreme shifts like dark to light or red to green

  • Flag complex products upfront for review and quoting

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