Straight answers.
Everything brands ask before the first email: cost, speed, ownership, and whether any of this actually holds up.
General
What does Studio Default actually do?
We produce product and campaign imagery for ecommerce and DTC brands using AI production, directed by a working photographer. You send product references; you get packshots, campaign frames, ad creative, UGC and video, without booking a studio, a model or a location.
How much does it cost?
Retainers start at R7,500 per month for 25 to 40 finished assets. A once-off Sprint for a single product is R4,500. Larger programmes start at R15,000 per month. Pricing is fixed monthly, not per-image.
How fast is it?
First delivery lands in 3 to 5 working days. Retainer clients get 3-day priority turnaround. A traditional shoot of comparable scope takes four to six weeks from brief to delivered files.
Is the imagery actually AI-generated?
Yes, and we say so plainly. Transparency is part of the positioning, not something we manage around. What you're paying for is direction: eight years of photography deciding the light, the lens, the casting and the grade, which is the reason the output doesn't look like everyone else's AI images.
Will my product look like my actual product?
Yes. Your real product references are locked into every generation, so labels, proportions, materials and finishes stay consistent across the entire set. Product fidelity is the specific problem this studio exists to solve.
Who owns the images?
You do. Full commercial rights, delivered outright, with no usage window, no renewal and no per-placement licensing.
Do you work with brands outside South Africa?
Yes. The studio is based in Johannesburg and works with brands anywhere. The entire process runs remotely, and there is no shoot to travel to. Pricing is quoted in Rand, which tends to work in an international brand's favour.
Do you still shoot real photography?
Yes. Eight years of it, and some briefs still need a camera. If yours is one of them, we'll say so rather than sell you the wrong thing.
What if I don't like the output?
Revisions are unlimited within scope on retainers, and direction is approved before production starts, so disagreements happen at the cheap stage, not after forty assets exist.
AI Product Shots
What do you need from me to start?
Product photos, even phone shots on a kitchen counter work. Multiple angles help. If you have brand guidelines, a colour palette or reference imagery you like, send those too. If you don't, we'll build them.
Will the product actually look like my product?
Yes. That's the entire discipline. Your real product references are locked into every generation, so labels, proportions, materials and finishes carry across the set. This is the specific thing generic AI services get wrong.
Can you match imagery I've already shot?
Yes. Send the existing set and new frames will be graded and lit to sit alongside it, so your feed doesn't visibly split into 'before' and 'after'.
Do I have to disclose that the imagery is AI-generated?
Requirements vary by platform and market, and they're changing. We're transparent about the process and will flag anything that looks like a compliance issue in your category, but the final call on disclosure is yours, and worth checking with your own advisor for regulated categories like skincare or supplements.
AI Campaign & Editorial Imagery
How many frames do I need for a campaign?
Six is the working minimum: a hero, two supporting, a detail, a wide and a portrait. That covers a homepage, a paid social set, an email and a lookbook without repeating an image.
Can you work from a moodboard we already have?
Yes, and it helps a lot. Send the moodboard, the references you keep coming back to, and any campaign you wish you'd made. Those get analysed into a concrete direction, not copied.
Do you shoot real photography too?
Yes. Eight years of it, and it's still the right answer for some briefs. If a job genuinely needs a camera, we'll tell you.
AI Model Casting & Fashion Imagery
Can the model wear our actual clothing?
Yes. Your garment photos are the reference. Seams, ribbing, drape, the exact cut: those carry onto the model, including back views, which is where most AI apparel work falls apart.
Can we keep the same model across seasons?
That's the main reason to work this way. The casting digital is saved and reused, so your brand can build a recognisable face over years with no contract renewal.
How do you handle diversity in casting?
You brief it exactly as you would a real casting: age, body, skin tone, features, energy. The difference is you can cast four models for the cost of none.
Performance Ad Creative
Do you write the copy as well?
Yes. Headlines, claims and hooks written in your brand voice, in variations built to test against each other. If you have claims that need legal sign-off, you approve those before anything ships.
Can you match a competitor's ad format?
We analyse the structure: layout, hierarchy, hook type. Then we rebuild it with your product and your brand. Structure isn't ownable; the execution is yours.
How many creatives do I need per month?
If you're spending seriously on Meta, plan for 10 to 20 fresh assets a month minimum. Creative fatigue is the most common reason a working campaign stops working.
AI UGC & Creator-Style Content
Can you do talking-head video with audio?
Yes, script, voice and lip-sync. You approve the script before anything is produced.
How many different creators can you produce?
As many as you want. Each one is cast as a distinct person and reusable, so you can build a recurring cast rather than starting from zero every month.
Will Meta flag AI-generated content?
Meta labels AI-generated content it detects, and that labelling isn't a penalty in itself. What gets accounts in trouble is misleading claims, which is a copy problem, not a production problem. We keep claims to what you can substantiate.
Question that isn’t here?
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