Your first image (step-by-step)

Here's how to go from a phone photo to a finished listing image.

Before you start

You need:

• A Motuva account (see Create your account).
• A photo of the car. A clean exterior shot with the whole car in frame works best. See Photo requirements for a good source image for full guidance.

Step by step

1. From your dashboard, start a new advert.
2. Add your car photo. You can drag and drop it onto the upload area, or browse and select it from your device.
3. Choose the studio you want — pick one from your saved studios or the studio library, and set it as your active studio.
4. Once your photo has uploaded, start processing.
5. Motuva processes the image. This usually takes under a minute.
6. When the image is ready, review it on screen. You can switch between the original photo and the processed result.
7. If you're happy with it, download it to your device.

If the result doesn't look right

AI imagery is produced at a very high standard, but it's honestly never 100% — there can be natural variability in how fine details like the plate or badges are interpreted. If you're not happy with the result:

• Try generating again from the same photo. A second pass often comes out differently.
• Try a different studio background — some studios suit certain car colours or shapes better than others.
• Check your source photo. Shots taken in poor light or with heavy shadows across the bodywork are harder for the AI to work with. See My image doesn't look right — what to do.

What happens to images you generate

Every image you generate counts as one from your monthly allowance. Reviewing and downloading don't use your allowance — only generating does. See How your monthly image allowance works.