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Features

Image Templates

What are Image Templates?

Image Templates let you create reusable designs for featured images and in-article images that automatically incorporate article data. Instead of manually creating images for each article, you design a template once—then Publish Owl renders unique images for every article using your template.

Templates support dynamic elements like:

  • Text Variables: Insert the article title, keyword, or any custom text
  • Image Variables: Place dynamic images from Amazon products, AI generation (GPT Image 1.5, Gemini, Flux, Replicate, etc.), or stock photos (Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay)
  • Static Elements: Fixed text, images, and gradient overlays
Example Use Case: Create a template with your brand logo, a gradient overlay, and a {'{{keyword}}'} text variable. Every article automatically gets a unique featured image with that keyword rendered in your brand style.

Creating a Template

Step 1: Start a New Template

  1. Navigate to Templates from the top menu
  2. Click + New Template
  3. Give your template a name (e.g., "Product Review Header")

Step 2: Upload a Base Image

Click Upload Base Image to set your background. This determines the template dimensions—common sizes include:

  • 1200 x 630 — Standard blog/social share size
  • 1920 x 1080 — Widescreen HD
  • 1080 x 1080 — Square format

Step 3: Add Elements

Use the toolbar to add elements to your template. Each element can be positioned, resized, and rotated on the canvas.

Element Types

Text Variable

Dynamic text that gets replaced at render time. Use placeholder syntax like {'{{keyword}}'} or {'{{title}}'}.

Text Options:

  • Font family (Google Fonts supported)
  • Font size, weight, and style (bold, italic)
  • Color and text alignment
  • Text transform (uppercase, capitalize)
  • Text outline for contrast on busy backgrounds
  • Resizable width—text wraps within the box boundaries

Static Text

Fixed text that appears the same on every rendered image. Perfect for taglines, brand names, or decorative text. Supports the same styling options as text variables.

Image Variable

Dynamic image placeholder that can be filled from multiple sources at render time. When you use a template in a workflow, you choose where the image comes from:

Image Sources:

  • Product Images: Use product images from product integration (select which product: 1-10)
  • AI Generated: Generate unique images using GPT Image 1.5, Gemini, Flux, Stable Diffusion, Ideogram, xAI Grok, or Replicate
  • Stock Photos: Search Pexels, Pixabay, or Unsplash based on a keyword/search query

Image Options:

  • Background Removal: Automatically remove backgrounds using AI (best for product images)
  • Fit Mode: Cover, contain, or fill the placeholder area
  • Drop Shadow: Add depth with a shadow effect

Static Image

Fixed images like logos, icons, or decorative elements that appear on every rendered image. Upload once and position where needed.

Gradient Overlay

Add depth and improve text readability with gradient overlays:

  • Linear: Fade from one color to another in a direction
  • Radial: Circular gradient from center outward
  • Multiple color stops with adjustable positions
  • Configurable opacity for subtle or dramatic effects

Tip: Use a dark-to-transparent gradient at the bottom to make white text readable over any background image.

Canvas Features

The template editor includes smart features to help you design precisely:

  • Alignment Guides: Snap to canvas center and other objects
  • Smart Spacing: Detects equal spacing between elements
  • Rotation Snap: Snaps to 0°, 90°, 180°, 270°
  • Arrow Keys: Nudge elements 1px (or 10px with Shift)
  • Multi-Select: Select multiple elements to move together
  • Layer Panel: Reorder elements (z-index) with up/down buttons
  • Undo/Redo: Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y (50 history steps)
  • Auto-Save: Drafts saved locally every 2 seconds

Using Templates in Workflows

Once you've created a template, connect it to a workflow to generate images automatically. You can use templates for:

  • Featured Images: The main image displayed at the top of each article
  • In-Article Images: Images inserted within the article content (e.g., product showcases)

Step 1: Select "From Template" Provider

  1. In the workflow editor, click the + Add Image Generation option
  2. In the Provider dropdown, select From Template
  3. Choose your template from the Template dropdown that appears

Step 2: Map Variables

After selecting a template, the Variable Mappings panel appears. This is where you tell the workflow how to fill in each variable you defined in your template.

For Text Variables:
  • Source: Choose Keyword or Title as the data source
  • Transform: Optionally extract a portion (first word, first N words, first N characters)
  • Case: Optionally change case (uppercase, capitalize)
For Image Variables:

First, choose the Image Source type:

  • Product Images: Select which product's image to use (Product 1-10). Images come from product integration.
  • AI Generated: Generate a unique image for each article using AI. Configure:
    • Provider: GPT Image 1.5 (recommended), Gemini, Flux, Stable Diffusion, Ideogram, xAI Grok, Replicate
    • Prompt: Describe the image to generate (can use {{keyword}} and {{title}})
    • Style: Choose from presets like photographic, cinematic, digital-art, etc.
    • Size: Output dimensions (e.g., 1024x1024)
  • Stock Photos: Search stock photo services for relevant images. Configure:
    • Provider: Pexels, Pixabay, or Unsplash
    • Search Query: What to search for (can use {{keyword}} and {{title}})
For In-Article Image Variables:
  • Auto (match section content): Automatically selects the most relevant image for each section
  • Fixed selection: Uses the same image configuration for all placements

Step 3: Configure Placement Rules (In-Article Only)

For in-article images, you can control where images appear in the content:

  • After H2 headings: Place an image after each H2 heading
  • Before H2 headings: Place an image before each H2 heading
  • After H3 headings: Place an image after each H3 heading
  • Before H3 headings: Place an image before each H3 heading
  • Every N paragraphs: Insert an image every N paragraphs (e.g., every 3 paragraphs)
  • Let AI decide optimal placement: AI analyzes the content and places images where they fit best
  • Replace existing product images: Replace any product images already in the content with template-rendered versions

You can select multiple rules—they work together to determine image placement.

Text Transform Options

Apply transforms to extract or modify text before rendering:

  • first-word: "best coffee makers" → "best"
  • first-n-words: "best coffee makers" → "best coffee" (n=2)
  • first-n-chars: Truncate to specific character count
  • uppercase: "coffee" → "COFFEE"
  • capitalize: "best coffee" → "Best Coffee"
Example: You create a template with a text variable called {'{{headline}}'}. In the workflow settings, you map it to Source: "Title" with Transform: "first-n-words" (n=3) and Case: "uppercase". If the article title is "The Best Coffee Makers for Home Use", the rendered image will show "THE BEST COFFEE".

Background Removal

For image variables, you can automatically remove backgrounds to create clean product cutouts. This uses AI-powered background removal that works well for most product images with clear subjects.

Template Mode (pSEO) Integration

Image Templates work seamlessly with pSEO batch processing. Each row in your data source can generate a unique featured or in-article image:

Example: A template with {'{{city}}'} and {'{{state}}'} variables, combined with a CSV containing 100 cities, generates 100 unique featured images—each displaying the correct city and state name.

In pSEO mode, text variables map directly to your data source columns:

  • {'{{city}}'} → value from "city" column
  • {'{{price}}'} → value from "price" column

Image variables can be filled from Amazon products, AI-generated images (using data columns in prompts), or stock photo searches (using data columns in search queries).

Tips & Best Practices

Use text outlines for contrast

When placing text over images, add an outline or use a gradient overlay behind the text to ensure readability regardless of the background image.

Resize text boxes to control wrapping

Drag the resize handles on a text variable to set its width. Text automatically wraps to fit within the box width—useful for long titles or keywords that need to span multiple lines.

Test with different content

Before using a template in production, test it with short and long text values to make sure the layout works in all cases.

Layer order matters

Use the Layer Panel to arrange elements. Put gradients behind text, and adjust z-index so important elements appear on top.

Troubleshooting

Image variable not appearing

Check the image source configuration in your workflow. For Amazon products, verify the integration is enabled and products were fetched. For AI-generated images, check your API key is configured in Settings. For stock photos, verify the provider API key is set.

AI-generated image doesn't match prompt

Try a more specific prompt, or choose a different style preset. GPT Image 1.5 is recommended for best results. You can also add reference images for style consistency.

Stock photo not relevant

Refine your search query. Be specific and include relevant keywords. Each provider has different image libraries, so try switching providers if results are poor.

Image quality is low

Use a high-resolution base image. The output image matches your template dimensions, so starting with a larger base image results in better quality.

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