How to Batch Process 500 Product Images Overnight

Processing a 500-image product catalogue manually takes days. Background removal, resizing, colour correction, renaming, uploading to Shopify — each step multiplied by 500. With a proper batch pipeline, the same work runs overnight while you sleep.

Here's exactly how to set it up.

Before you start: what you need

• Raw product images (JPG or PNG, any resolution)
• A CSV mapping filenames to product SKUs
• An Orniva account with your Shopify store connected

Step 1: Organise your images by SKU

Before uploading, rename your files by SKU. A simple naming convention like SKU-001-front.jpg, SKU-001-detail.jpg makes the mapping step trivial. If your files are already named by product, skip this step.

If you have Windows, you can bulk rename with PowerToys Rename. On Mac, use the built-in batch rename (select all in Finder → right-click → Rename). On either platform, a free tool like Bulk Rename Utility handles complex patterns.

Step 2: Prepare your CSV

Your CSV needs two columns at minimum:

• filename — the image filename as uploaded to Orniva
• shopify_product_id — the Shopify product ID to attach the image to

Optional columns: variant_id (to attach to a specific variant), position (image order in the gallery), alt_text (for SEO). Export your Shopify product list from the admin (Products → Export) to get the product IDs.

Step 3: Upload your images to Orniva

In the Orniva media library, drag all 500 images at once. Orniva supports bulk uploads — they'll appear in your library within a few minutes depending on total file size.

Step 4: Configure your batch pipeline

In the Batch section, upload your CSV and configure the processing steps you want applied to every image:

• Background removal — recommended for all product images
• 4K upscaling — essential if source images are under 2000px
• Colour correction — for jewellery, enable metal-specific grading
• Shadow — optional, adds depth on white backgrounds
• Shopify publish — enable this to auto-push to the mapped products

Step 5: Run the batch

Click Run. Orniva queues all 500 images and processes them sequentially. For 500 images with background removal and upscaling, expect a runtime of 2–4 hours depending on source image complexity. Start it before you go to bed.

Step 6: Review and spot-check

When the batch completes, Orniva shows a completion report: how many succeeded, how many flagged for review (usually images where the background detection was uncertain), and any Shopify publishing errors.

Always spot-check 10–15 images from the batch before calling it done. Particularly check:

• Any jewellery with very fine chains or transparent stones
• Images where the product colour is close to the background
• Any images the system flagged as uncertain

Fix the handful that need manual attention — the time savings on the other 490 still make the pipeline very worthwhile.