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How to Use Extract Print: Turn Any Garment Photo into a Print Swatch

Extract Print turns any photo of a garment or fabric into a production-ready print swatch. You upload a photo, and Caimera recreates its print as a flat, seamless repeating swatch with the garment shape, folds, shadows, and background all removed. You can process up to 100 photos at once.


What is Extract Print?


Extract Print is a mode inside Print Designer, sitting alongside Create Print. Whereas Create Print generates a new print from a description, Extract Print recovers an existing print from a photograph and recreates it as usable artwork.


🔧 Perfect For


  • Recovering a print from a reference or market sample photo
  • Digitising archive prints that only exist as photographs
  • Building a swatch library from a supplier's product images in bulk
  • Re-using an existing print on a new silhouette
  • Getting flat, tileable artwork from a photo of draped cloth


You can find it as Extract Print inside Print Designer, or as a standalone Extract Print tool on the home page.


🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Extract a Print


Step 1: Click Extract Print on the Caimera home page. (Or Open Print Designer and switch to Extract Print tool.)


Step 1: Navigate to Extract Print tool



Step 2: Drop in a photo of the garment or fabric. You can also upload your product images in bulk.


  • Supported formats: PNG, JPG, WEBP, HEIC/HEIF
  • Minimum resolution: 512px
  • Maximum files: 100 images


Step 2: Right-hand panel for product upload



Step 3: (Optional) Add a note to point out the right print. Every photo gets its own note field — for example, "the floral print on the dress". Use it whenever an image shows more than one pattern..


Step 4: Click Generate


Step 3: Adding garment Images in Extract Print tool



Step 5: Your swatch appears in your Print Designer history, with the garment shape, folds, shadows, and background removed. Preview the repeat with the Tile layer tool.


Step 4: Print Designer history


Step 5:Using the Tile layer tool



Refining & Modifying Prints:


After generation, you can refine your image without starting over.


Text-Based Editing
Use text‑based edits for quick global changes. For example: “Change the background to navy blue.”


Text-Based Editing in Extract Print tool



Draw & Edit Feature
Use Draw & Edit when you need to update a specific region.


Click the pencil (scribble) icon to circle the area you want to change, then either upload a reference image or type a description (e.g. “add a bow to the area”) and click Edit. Every edit creates a new layer, so you can toggle between variations or revert to the original base image at any time.


Watch step-by-step tutorial for the feature here.


Draw & Edit feature in Extract Print tool



What You Can Do With an Extracted Swatch


Extracted swatches behave exactly like any other print in Print Designer:


  • Tile them with the Tile layer tool
  • Apply them to a garment photo with Apply Print
  • Tighten the tiling with Make Repeat if the repeat needs work
  • Export as PNG, JPEG, TIFF, SVG or PSD — including 300 DPI TIFF for print production, and layered PSD with one named layer per colour for Photoshop workflows



Upscale and Download


Images are generated at 1K resolution for fast rendering. When your design is complete:


  1. Click the Upscale button in the left panel.
  2. Select your preferred upscaling option. With the Crystal Upscaler, you can upscale images by up to 14Ă—, reaching resolutions of up to 14K.


Upscaling Images in in Extract Print tool



  1. Once Upscaled, click Download to save the high-resolution image. Here you can choose from multiple styles depending on your required file format and level of detail. For a full breakdown of supported formats and recommended settings for the Print Designer Tool, see this article here.


Downloading images in Extract Print tool


Before and After: The Extraction in Action


To see exactly how Extract Print transforms your uploads, take a look at the comparison below:

  • Before (Input): Your original photograph of the garment or fabric, complete with physical folds, lighting shadows, and background elements.
  • After (Output): The extracted print—a flat, clean, and perfectly seamless repeating swatch ready for your digital library or production workflow.


Before vs After


đź’ˇ Pro Tip: Flat, well-lit photos extract more cleanly than heavily shadowed or steeply angled ones. Always add a note when a photo shows contrast trims, multiple patterns, or a printed background. If the extracted swatch doesn't tile the way you want, run it through Make Repeat.




Frequently Asked Questions:


  • What is Extract Print?

Extract Print is a Caimera tool that converts photos of garments or fabrics into flat, seamless, production-ready print swatches.


  • What file formats and limits does Extract Print support?

It accepts up to 100 PNG, JPG, WEBP, or HEIC/HEIF files at a time, with a minimum resolution of 512px.


  • How do you extract a print from an image?

Upload your photo on the Extract Print page, optionally add a note specifying the print, and click Generate.


  • How can you refine an extracted print swatch?

You can edit the swatch globally using text prompts or locally using the Draw & Edit tool.


  • What formats can you export an extracted swatch in?

You can upscale up to 14K and export as PNG, JPEG, TIFF (up to 300 DPI), SVG, or layered PSD.




Related Articles:


✏️ How to Use Apply Print to Create Realistic Garment Mockups: Apply Print lets you create realistic garment mockups in seconds by applying any print or pattern to a real garment photo.


🗂️ Guide to Print Designer File Formats: Choosing the Right Output: Choose the right file format based on your end-goal and workflow.


áť° How to Use Make Repeat to Create Seamless Repeat Print Patterns: Make Repeat turns a single uploaded print image into a seamless, tileable repeat.

Updated on: 08/09/2026

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