From hype to practical reality — what email marketers need to know — Stripo.email

AI-generated images aren’t just science fiction anymore. Email marketers use them every day to create visuals that look professionally shot, and they do it in minutes.

The tech behind these images has improved fast. In many cases, it’s good enough to replace traditional photography. But here’s the catch: just because something looks realistic doesn’t mean it’s safe to use.

When using AI-generated images, marketers often encounter problems with accuracy, the rights to use a person’s likeness, and unclear workflows. In this article, I’ll explain how far we’ve come with AI image generation for email marketing, what’s working well today, and what still needs sorting out, especially from a legal and ethical point of view.

Key takeaway:

AI-generated images have reached a point where they can realistically replace traditional photoshoots in many marketing situations, especially email campaigns. But don’t expect magic from a single click. Tools like ChatGPT 4o help marketers quickly create realistic visuals, but issues around rights to likenesses, copyright, and ethical use haven’t fully caught up yet. So, in 2025, AI-generated photorealistic images work best when marketers manage them closely, pay attention to legal details, and keep branding consistent.

Our internal test: Replacing stock with photorealistic GenAI

We recently tested the level of GenAI photo generation to see if we could use it for different types of content (emails, particularly webinars, newsletters, articles, etc.). We wanted to see how far progress has advanced since our last test and if we could fully replace stock photography and custom photoshoots. Our main tool was ChatGPT 4o, a powerful GenAI platform that can quickly produce realistic images based on specific prompts.

Here’s how our workflow looked:

First, we’d enter a detailed prompt in ChatGPT 4o describing exactly what we wanted. For instance, to promote a webinar, we’d ask for a realistic, professional-looking speaker from a photo example (we used our CEO) with a stage in the background. If we needed an editorial-style image for a newsletter, we’d ask for visuals reflecting seasonal or industry-specific themes.

Once ChatGPT 4o generated the first image, we’d review it carefully. Usually, the initial version was solid, good enough for immediate use, but it was rarely perfect on the first try. Small issues, such as facial expressions or a slightly off detail, required fixes.

After reviewing, we’d refine the prompts to get closer to our desired image. Typically, we’d need two or three rounds of adjusting the text input to achieve a result good enough for final use. Even after generating the best possible version from ChatGPT 4o.

Typically, we’d need two or three rounds of adjusting the text input to achieve a result good enough for final use.

Our main observation was straightforward: producing professional-quality AI images has become simpler, faster, and more reliable than ever before. Yet, it’s not as easy as clicking a button and getting a perfect image immediately. A little human input and fine-tuning are still necessary.

These are the kinds of images we successfully created using this workflow with prompt examples:

Prompt example:

• “Generate a professional business portrait of a smiling me with short brown wavy hair, wearing a formal blue shirt with subtle Ukrainian embroidery, confidently facing slightly towards the side. Clear, soft studio lighting, neutral pastel or office environment background, highly detailed facial features, webinar-ready professional style, high-resolution digital photo, email marketing promotional image for a webinar.”

Prompt example:

• “Generate an image of a passionate, expressive me as a speaker delivering a presentation at a live webinar like on my first photo, but make my cloth like from the second one (with a traditional blue embroidered Ukrainian shirt (“vyshyvanka”) with geometric patterns around the collar), with a headset microphone, actively gesturing with my right hand while holding a small presentation clicker. Blurred background with a presentation on email marketing, professional webinar stage with soft, focused spotlight-style lighting emphasizing the speaker. Capture natural expressions and engaging body language, photo-realistic style, professional event atmosphere.”

In this example, we used several photos to see how they can be combined according to the description.

Prompt example:

• “Generate a vibrant, business-style image of me showing excitement and success, broadly smiling, fists raised joyfully to convey achievement or celebration. I wear a blue embroidered traditional Ukrainian shirt (vyshyvanka). Make the background bigger and more professional. The background should feature a professional webinar stage with soft, focused spotlight-style lighting. Related to email marketing that could be used in a promotional image for a webinar. Capture clear, joyful facial expressions, warm, inviting colors, and professional-level photo resolution.”

In the last prompt, the requests were the same, only the colors were changed for clothes and patterns to see how it would handle them. Similarly, you can change the background, background color, match it to brand lines, give examples, and set the direction in the texts.

In short, our internal testing showed us that photorealistic AI imagery has real potential for email marketing today if marketers use the right approach. GenAI can effectively replace traditional photography in many cases, but it’s not quite automatic yet. You still need a human eye to ensure quality, brand alignment, and accuracy.

Where are we now in 2025: The AI imagery landscape

Adoption and trust

AI-generated visuals are becoming common in marketing circles. Nearly half (49%) of marketers use AI daily to create images or videos. Marketers have accepted AI visuals as a practical, everyday solution rather than an experimental novelty. Trust in AI-generated images has grown, although marketers remain careful about relying solely on automated outputs for important brand visuals or high-profile campaigns.

Progress since 2023

AI-generated image quality has improved significantly since 2023. Back then, odd-looking hands, mismatched eyes, or strange lighting were common giveaways. Today, these issues have become rare. Newer models accurately handle complex lighting, reflections, and subtle textures. For example, creating visuals with a good, clear background, as well as text and color selection, is already an improvement since previously GenAI was unable to select the necessary colors and had obvious problems generating text on images.

AI image tools have also become part of marketers’ daily workflows. Popular design software, email builders, and content management systems (CMS) have integrated GenAI directly into their interfaces. Now, generating realistic visuals happens within the tools marketers already use. This built-in convenience speeds up campaigns and simplifies workflows.

“Almost the Same”: Why AI images don’t exactly match

AI-generated images might seem similar each time, but they’re never identical. That’s on purpose. Developers intentionally designed generative AI models to create variations, not precise duplicates. Each new image, even with the exact prompt, will have slight differences.

One reason for these variations is built-in randomness, a core design element in generative AI. Another reason involves legal and ethical safeguards. Tools avoid producing exact matches of real people’s faces or copyrighted images, minimizing risks like deepfake abuse or copyright infringement.

Think of how ChatGPT rewrites text. Each attempt is similar but never identical. AI visuals follow the same principle. They’re reliable for producing consistent themes or styles, yet marketers shouldn’t expect perfectly matching duplicates from one attempt to another. This limitation isn’t going away soon, making human oversight essential.

Can you make it perfect? Face replacement and workflow tips

If you aim for truly personalized images, face-swapping tools help close the gap between AI-generated visuals and reality. Software like DeepFaceLive, Remaker AI, and InSwapper_128 (frequently mentioned on Reddit and community forums) lets you replace faces from actual photos onto AI-created backgrounds. This approach adds realism to portraits, making expressions like genuine smiles and natural gestures more believable.

But it’s not foolproof. To make these swapped images convincing, marketers still need to manually adjust elements like lighting, angles, and colors. Quality assurance is crucial to ensure nothing looks out of place. Face-swapping gives marketers a practical method for personalizing internal visuals or team imagery, but only when carefully checked to align with brand guidelines.

Use GenAI responsibly in emails

AI images can speed up your process, but how you use them matters. Here are a few rules that help keep your email content both legal and on-brand:

• secure image rights. If you’re using a real person’s face or likeness, even your own photo or staff, get clear consent. AI doesn’t erase the need for permission;
• test your visuals. Before sending, check how your audience reacts. Run small tests to see if the image feels relatable, trustworthy, or off-putting. A good image isn’t just realistic, it needs to connect;
• mix real with GenAI. Use real product photos and logos alongside generated backdrops. That way, your visuals stay grounded in reality while still benefiting from AI speed and flexibility;
• avoid visual red flags. Over-symmetrical faces, plastic-like skin, or strange hands can break trust fast. AI has improved, but it’s not flawless, and people notice;
• always add human QA. Final editing, color adjustment, and branding tweaks still need a real eye. Don’t skip this step if you want your emails to look sharp and feel reliable.

Style variations: One photo, many possibilities

We didn’t stop at face generation. In our internal tests, we also experimented with changing existing photos’ styles to match different marketing themes, styles and vibes.

Here are a few examples we tested:

Prompt example:

• “An anime-style illustration inspired by Studio Ghibli, featuring [describe scene/people]. Soft painterly backgrounds, detailed architecture or interiors, warm natural light. Characters have expressive eyes, clean outlines, and emotional realism. The mood is cinematic and immersive, in the style of Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle.”

Prompt example:

• “A warm and expressive Disney-style cartoon illustration of [describe characters]. Features large expressive eyes, clean character outlines, soft cell shading, and vibrant colors. The background has a light, magical ambiance with details of storytelling. The style is similar to classic or modern Disney animation (e.g., Tangled, Encanto, or Zootopia).”

Prompt example:

• “A detailed LEGO diorama of [scene description]. All characters are rendered as LEGO minifigures with molded plastic faces and distinct facial expressions. The environment is fully built from LEGO bricks: chairs, background, furniture, and props. Highly detailed, realistic lighting, miniature scale, slightly glossy textures.”

Prompt example:

• “A cheerful felt puppet-style recreation of [describe characters], like a scene from The Muppets. Each character is made of soft textured felt or fleece fabric, with stitched seams, large expressive plastic eyes, and foam mouths. The background is a colorful puppet stage with theatrical lighting and handmade props.”

Prompt example:

• “A stylized origami paper illustration of [describe scene/people]. The characters and background appear folded from textured paper with visible creases and geometric shapes. Flat paper tones with gentle shadows. Soft natural lighting on a minimalist background. Stylized like handcrafted Japanese origami or papercraft diorama.”

How email marketing specifically benefits

Visual demand is constant in email

Email marketing thrives on fresh visuals. Every campaign needs attractive headers, banners, seasonal images, product shots, and localized content to keep subscribers engaged. Traditional photography can slow your workflow because shoots take planning, time, and money.

AI-generated images speed things up significantly. You can create visuals in minutes, making it easy to keep your content fresh. This also lets you test many image variations quickly (perfect for A/B testing) without extra costs. Overall, GenAI saves time and money compared to hiring photographers and organizing photo sessions for each campaign.

Use cases in our email workflow

We’ve tested AI-generated visuals across multiple email marketing scenarios and found real, practical benefits. Here are some of the ways we’ve used them:

• webinar promotions: Created realistic speaker portraits with AI-generated backgrounds like professional stages, lighting setups, and branded environments — no studio booking required;
• event recaps: Designed stylish recap visuals with subtle post-edits to match the tone of each event (e.g., awards, panels, training);
• seasonal campaigns: Generated themed visuals for holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas — complete with matching colors, decorations, and product placement;
• editorial newsletter covers: Produced polished hero images for article-driven newsletters, adapting to each topic’s mood — from formal to creative;
• modular template blocks: Built reusable, visually consistent content blocks (e.g., sale banners, product showcases) using AI-generated imagery tailored to specific promotions or trends;
• localization-ready visuals: Generated location-specific imagery to personalize campaigns for different regions without needing separate shoots or assets.

Legal and ethical friction: GenAI is advancing faster than policy

Laws are catching up slowly

As AI-generated images become standard practice, the legal landscape still lags behind. You might notice many older resources on AI policies are disappearing or out of date, reflecting how unstable and unclear regulations remain globally. Right now, there’s no unified legal standard covering critical aspects like ownership of someone’s likeness, permissions for face or voice cloning in commercial materials, or the safe use of synthetic images in advertising.

While some countries and states are introducing targeted laws, these remain limited in scope. Email marketers face uncertainty because existing rules weren’t built with AI visuals in mind, leaving grey areas around what’s allowed and what could create legal trouble.

Real risk areas for email marketers

Email marketers should pay close attention to certain risky practices. Using team members’ photos in AI-generated headers without explicit consent can lead to privacy violations or legal disputes. Similarly, visuals inspired closely by stock images or recognizable works risk infringement claims even if they’re AI-generated and slightly altered.

Additionally, emails containing AI-generated content can create trust issues with subscribers. Credibility takes a hit if recipients discover visuals aren’t genuine without prior transparency. Being clear about your use of AI visuals and double-checking your rights to every image is key to avoiding costly errors.

Wrapping up

Can photorealistic AI images replace traditional visuals in email marketing? In many cases, yes.

AI can save time and expand creative options if you’re building campaign headers, seasonal blocks, speaker sections, or editorial visuals. It works especially well when speed, variation, and scale matter.

But for high-stakes campaigns, like premium product launches or brand-defining hero banners, the risks around copyright, likeness, and tone still make complete GenAI replacement a stretch. These moments still need human control, consistent styling, and legal clarity.

The best approach right now is hybrid:

• use AI to generate flexible, scalable base visuals;
• layer in real assets or polish with manual tweaks;
• use ChatGPT 4o for ideation, layout, and image direction, not end-to-end production.

Prompting has become just as valuable as photo editing. The skill is less about mastering one tool and more about knowing what to ask, what to keep, and when to switch gears.

In the end, results matter more than the method. GenAI is here to stay — now it’s up to marketers to shape how it fits into creative workflows.