Hello everyone,
I’m looking for some advice on the feasibility of a project I’m considering, and I’m also hoping to connect with an experienced Illustrator/Photoshop developer who might be interested in discussing it further.
Current Workflow
I work for a company that creates art proofs for custom decorated apparel for our embroidery shop.
Our current proofing process is almost entirely manual:
- Our sales manager downloads garment images from distributor websites or uses previously saved JPEGs.
- These images often still have white backgrounds or are not optimized for presentations.
- We place a customer’s logo (AI, PDF, EPS, PNG, or JPEG) over the garment in Illustrator to create a proof.
- For flat garments like t-shirts, this is acceptable, but for angled products such as hats, bags, or garments photographed at a 45° angle, simply placing a flat logo over the image looks unrealistic because it doesn’t follow the contours of the product.
What I’d Like to Build
My goal is to create a streamlined workflow that automates as much of this process as possible.
Ideally, a user would select a customer and garment, then click a button that would:
- Retrieve the correct customer artwork from our file structure.
- Select the appropriate logo version based on decoration method (embroidery, heat transfer), colors, or other predefined rules.
- Position the artwork automatically using predefined placement templates (left chest, full front, sleeve, hat front, etc.).
- Build an Illustrator proof using standardized templates.
- Automatically send the artwork into Photoshop.
- Apply product-specific Smart Objects, displacement maps, perspective adjustments, and embroidery or print effects to create a realistic mockup.
- Return the finished mockup back into the Illustrator proof template.
- Export the finished proof for the customer (PDF or another format).
The overall goal is to reduce a process that currently takes several minutes per proof down to just a few clicks while producing more polished, realistic presentations.
Technical Direction
Based on my limited research into the topic, it sounds like this would likely be better implemented as a UXP plugin rather than relying on a collection of Illustrator scripts and actions, especially if it needs to coordinate workflows between Illustrator and Photoshop.
My Questions
- Does this sound like a realistic project using the current Adobe APIs and UXP framework?
- Has anyone built something similar that integrates Illustrator and Photoshop into a mostly automated workflow?
- Are there any limitations I should be aware of before investing in development?
- If you’re an experienced UXP developer (or know someone who is), would you be interested in scheduling a meeting to discuss the project? I’d like to better understand what’s technically possible, what the architecture might look like, and get a rough idea of development costs and timeline.
I’m primarily trying to determine whether this is a realistic project and, if so, connect with someone who has experience developing professional Adobe plugins.
Thanks in advance for any advice or recommendations!