Creative Studio · Image quality
Choose the right image quality tier
DesignGen has four image quality tiers: Light, Standard, Ultra and Ultra Max. Each tier has one price wherever you use it, and an edit costs the same as a new image. This guide shows which tier fits each job, what it costs, and how to go from a 3-credit draft to a print-ready final.
Same brief, four tiers
Real production outputs from one brief. Light renders one size; the others ran at 2K. See what changes.
Quick answer
Draft on Light, at 3 credits an image, until a direction works. Make the final on Standard (10 credits, up to 2K) for everyday artwork, or on Ultra (15, 22 or 40 credits at 1K, 2K or 4K) when edges and detail matter. Use Ultra Max when you need a real transparent PNG or the finest detail; it is priced by size and detail level. An edit costs the same as a new image, so when the layout is close, edit it instead of starting over.
01 · Compare
The four tiers side by side
Pick the tier from the model picker in Creative Studio or Image Studio. The price below is for one image, new or edited, and it is the same on every DesignGen surface.
Light
Fast drafts
- Best for
- Trying concepts, layouts and wording before you commit.
- Credits per image
- 3 at any size
- Sizes
- One size, about 2.5 MP
- Transparency
- Solid background
- Plan access
- All plans
Standard
Everyday artwork, up to 2K
- Best for
- Everyday finals: tees, social posts and flyers.
- Credits per image
- 10 at any size
- Sizes
- Up to 2K. A 4K request runs, and is priced, at 2K.
- Transparency
- Solid background
- Plan access
- All plans
Ultra
Polished detail, up to 4K
- Best for
- Finals where clean edges and crisp lettering matter.
- Credits per image
- 15 / 22 / 40 at 1K / 2K / 4K
- Sizes
- 1K, 2K or 4K
- Transparency
- Solid background
- Plan access
- All plans
Ultra Max
Finest detail and real transparency
- Best for
- Transparent PNGs for print, and dense or fine detail.
- Credits per image
- 15 to 130, by size and detail level
- Sizes
- 1K, 2K or 4K, with a detail level
- Transparency
- Real transparent PNG
- Plan access
- Ultra High detail needs a paid plan. MAX needs Pro or Enterprise.
Ultra Max Signature
The Signature lane of Ultra Max
- Best for
- The most refined finish on a final you will print or publish.
- Credits per image
- 1.5× the matching Ultra Max price, rounded up (up to 195)
- Sizes
- Same as Ultra Max
- Transparency
- Real transparent PNG
- Plan access
- Needs a paid plan
Ultra Max credits by detail level
Credits per image at each size. The second figure in each cell is the Signature lane.
| Detail | 1K | 2K | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low and Medium | 15 · 23 | 20 · 30 | 40 · 60 |
| High | 23 · 35 | 30 · 45 | 60 · 90 |
| Ultra High | 30 · 45 | 40 · 60 | 80 · 120 |
| MAX | 65 · 98 | 75 · 113 | 130 · 195 |
02 · Workflow
From a cheap draft to the final
Most of the cost of a design is in finding the direction. Do that part on the cheapest tier, then spend credits only on the version you will keep.
Step 1: Explore concepts on Light
Set the model to Light and try several concepts, layouts and wording. Each image costs 3 credits at any size, so you can compare directions cheaply. Light is flat and simpler, so judge the idea and the layout, not the finish.
Step 2: Pick one direction and write it down
Choose the concept that works. Put what you want to keep into the prompt: the layout, the lettering, the palette and the style. The next tier then starts from the same brief.
Step 3: Make the final on Standard or Ultra
Standard (10 credits, up to 2K) suits everyday artwork. Ultra (15, 22 or 40 credits at 1K, 2K or 4K) gives cleaner edges and goes up to 4K. Choose Ultra when lettering and outlines have to hold up at print size.
Step 4: Refine with edits when the layout is close
An edit costs the same as a new image at the same tier, size and detail. When the composition is right and one thing is wrong, edit that thing. You keep what already works and spend the same credits.
Step 5: Use Ultra Max for transparency or the finest detail
When the print needs a real transparent PNG, or the art has fine linework or dense texture, make it on Ultra Max. Medium detail at 2K costs 20 credits. Choose the Signature lane for the most refined finish, at 1.5× the matching Ultra Max price.
Ultra Max settings and transparencyStep 6: Check the total before you generate
In Creative Studio, the Generation settings panel shows the credit total for the batch next to the image count, size and model. Check it before you select Done.
The refine story, in real outputs
One draft, one edit. The Light draft found the layout for 3 credits. One edit on Ultra Max changed the lettering, added finish and returned a transparent PNG.
LIGHT · 1600×1600 · 3 CR01 · The draft - 02 · The edit
Keep this exact layout, loaf and sunburst. Refine it into a finished print-ready tee graphic with crisp clean edges and richer screen-print texture on the loaf crust, and change the top lettering to "RISE & SHINE" in the same arched style. Keep "EST. 2019" and the three-color palette.
Edit on Ultra Max · Medium · HighRes (2K) 
ULTRA MAX · 2048×2048 · 20 CR · ALPHA03 · The final
Draft 3 + edit 20 = 23 credits. The edit cost the same as a new Ultra Max image at Medium detail and 2K.
03 · Size
How size changes the price
Size affects the price on Ultra and Ultra Max only. Light and Standard cost the same at any size you pick.
- Light makes one size, about 2.5 MP, at 3 credits whatever size you choose.
- Standard tops out at 2K. A 4K request runs at 2K and is priced at 2K, so it still costs 10 credits and gives you a 2K file.
- Ultra costs 15 at 1K, 22 at 2K and 40 at 4K.
- Ultra Max is priced by size and detail level, from 15 (Low or Medium at 1K) to 130 (MAX at 4K). Signature costs 1.5× the matching price, rounded up.
- In Creative Studio the output sizes are named Standard (1K), HighRes (2K) and UltraRes (4K). HighRes needs a paid plan. UltraRes needs Pro or Enterprise.
Worked exampleA batch of four Ultra images at 2K costs 4 × 22 = 88 credits. The same four drafts on Light cost 4 × 3 = 12.
Actual Creative Studio screenshots. The total updates as you change the model, size or number of images.
04 · Examples
One brief, four tiers: what our examples show
We ran the same brief on every tier in production on October 16, 2026, and published the results resized but otherwise untouched. Every image is 1:1. Light rendered its one size; the others ran at 2K, and Ultra Max used Medium detail.
The shared brief
“Apparel and merch artwork for a small print shop's customers. Print-ready composition, centered, clean edges.”
Bakery tee
A vintage screen-print sourdough loaf with a rising sun, "RISE & BAKE" and "EST. 2019", in three spot colors.
Candle tote
A botanical sprig of lavender, eucalyptus and chamomile in ink and watercolor, with "Field & Flame".
Avoiding an extra frame on Ultra
In our runs, Ultra twice added a frame or a grey ground that the brief did not ask for. Say what belongs around the art, for example "isolated on a plain white background, no border, no frame". If a frame still appears, edit it out rather than starting again.
05 · Transparency
Only Ultra Max lets the background through
We ran the same sticker brief on every tier. Over a checkerboard, a solid background shows as a square that covers it; a real transparent PNG lets it show through.
Standard and Ultra put the sticker on teal even though the brief asked for transparency. If the file is going to DTF or sticker print, make the final on Ultra Max.
Help: Make a transparent PNG with Ultra Max · Ultra Max settings
06 · Plans
Plan access and art direction
Every plan can use all four tiers. A few Ultra Max options, and the larger sizes, depend on your plan.
Plan access
- Light, Standard and Ultra: all plans.
- Ultra Max at Low, Medium and High detail: all plans.
- Ultra Max at Ultra High detail, and the Signature lane: a paid plan.
- Ultra Max at MAX detail: Pro or Enterprise.
- In Creative Studio, HighRes (2K) needs a paid plan and UltraRes (4K) needs Pro or Enterprise.
Art direction
- Light, Standard and Ultra always use standard art direction.
- Pro art direction runs only on Ultra Max. It is always on for Pro and Enterprise.
- On other plans, Ultra Max gets Pro art direction while your free Pro art-direction passes last. Light, Standard and Ultra never use a pass.
How the free passes work: Help: Free Pro art direction passes. Compare plans on the pricing page.
07 · Budget
What a month of credits makes
Each plan includes a monthly credit allowance. This is how many images it covers if you spend all of it on one tier.
| Plan | Credits a month | Light images | Standard images | Ultra images |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 600 | 200 | 60 | 40 at 1K |
| Hobbyist | 1,500 | 500 | 150 | 68 at 2K |
| Creator | 5,000 | 1,666 | 500 | 227 at 2K |
| Pro | 15,000 | 5,000 | 1,500 | 681 at 2K |
- Figures are whole images: the monthly allowance divided by the price of one image, rounded down.
- On Free, the Ultra figure is at 1K because HighRes (2K) needs a paid plan.
- Free, Hobbyist and Creator also have daily and weekly limits, so a month of credits is spread across the month. Pro has none.
- To plan a mixed month, count drafts at the Light price and finals at the price of the tier you finish on.
08 · Avoid
Common mistakes, and how to avoid them
- Choosing 4K on Standard and expecting a 4K file
- Standard tops out at 2K. The request runs and is priced at 2K, so you get a 2K file. For a 4K file, use Ultra or Ultra Max at UltraRes (Pro or Enterprise).
- Asking Light, Standard or Ultra for a transparent background
- These tiers return a solid background. Make the final on Ultra Max, which is the only tier that makes a real transparent PNG.
- Exploring rough ideas on Ultra Max
- Every Ultra Max image costs at least 15 credits. Find the direction on Light at 3, then make only the keeper on Ultra Max.
- Generating from scratch when an edit would do
- An edit costs the same as a new image, and it keeps the layout you already like. Edit when one element is wrong; generate again when the whole idea is wrong.
- Accepting a frame you did not ask for
- Ask for "a plain background, no border, no frame" in the prompt, and edit out any frame that still appears.
Step-by-step answers for each tier live in Help: Image quality tiers and credits.
09 · FAQ
Common questions
Does an edit cost less than a new image?
No. An edit, a generation from a reference image, and a screenshot-to-design cost the same as a new image at the same tier, size, detail and lane.
Is the price different in Image Studio or the mobile app?
No. Each tier has one price everywhere in DesignGen, including Creative Studio, Image Studio, the editors and the mobile app.
Which tier makes transparent PNGs?
Only Ultra Max, including its Signature lane. Light, Standard and Ultra return a solid background when you ask for transparency.
Why is my Standard image 2K when I chose 4K?
Standard tops out at 2K. A 4K request runs at 2K and is priced at 2K, so it costs 10 credits. Use Ultra or Ultra Max when you need 4K.
Which plans can use Signature, Ultra High and MAX?
The Signature lane and Ultra High detail need a paid plan. MAX detail needs Pro or Enterprise. Light, Standard and Ultra are on every plan.
Do Light, Standard and Ultra get Pro art direction?
No. They always use standard art direction and never use a free Pro art-direction pass. Pro art direction runs only on Ultra Max.