- Short answer
- Yes — Sidekick makes images from a text prompt, including transparent backgrounds; generation limits depend on your plan
- Reference images
- Up to 5 per generated image, each 15 MB or smaller, as JPEG, PNG or WebP.
- Transparent backgrounds
- Announced for chat on October 23, 2026; in the file editor via Color background, saved as PNG.
- Plan
- Media generation page: Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus only; file editor on all plans for a limited time.
- Watermark
- Media generation page: invisible, can't be removed, doesn't restrict commercial use.
How do you generate an image in Sidekick?
Open Sidekick in your Shopify admin and describe the image, such as a hero banner, then refine it with follow-up instructions. Sidekick can use up to 5 reference images per image, each 15 MB or smaller, as JPEG, PNG or WebP. Nothing reaches your store until you save it, for example by clicking Save to files in chat.
Shopify's changelog announced on October 23, 2026 that Sidekick can generate images with transparent backgrounds, for icons and other graphics. The Help Center pages we read on October 30, 2026 describe making a transparent background only in the file editor; for the chat, Shopify's changelog and Sidekick page do.
Which tool changes a photo you already have?
Shopify says “Sidekick can't make edits to images within a store theme or your product list.” To change a photo you already have, use these:
- File editor, Generate: a prompt changes the background or lighting.
- File editor, Color background: solid color, or transparent saved as a new PNG.
- Media editor (the same file editor), desktop or mobile: remove or replace the background.
- Sidekick chat, then Save to files.
- File picker: generate image, then Keep.
What limits and rights come with generated images?
Image generation limits in Sidekick chat depend on your Shopify plan and are shared store-wide.
Shopify's media generation page says two things: media generation with Sidekick is “only available for stores on the Basic plan, Grow plan, Advanced plan, and Shopify Plus plan”, yet “For a limited time, media generation in the file editor is available on all Shopify plans at no additional cost.”
On any other plan, treat file-editor generation as a limited-time offer.
It also says “An invisible watermark is applied to all generated images, which doesn't restrict commercial use but can't be removed.”
Shopify doesn't claim ownership over images merchants create using media generation, nor restrict where they can use those images.
Copyright is separate: Shopify “doesn't support or endorse copyright or trademark infringement,” so check whether you can own that copyright.
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