Upgrade Your Cafe Menu Photos with AI — No Reshooting Required
It happens all the time: you photograph your menu items on your phone, the background looks cluttered, the lighting is off, and you can't bring yourself to post it. Hiring a food photographer is expensive and time-consuming — and you need new images every time the menu changes.
I ran the cafe's existing smartphone photos through XBRUSH — background replacement and inpainting — and got results usable for Instagram, menu boards, and delivery app listings. No reshooting.
Step 1: Remove the Background
Upload the menu photo to XBRUSH and run background removal. The food or drink subject is cleanly separated. The photo doesn't need to be a great shot — "okay but disappointing" is exactly the right starting point.
Step 2: Replace with a New Background
Enter a background generation prompt for the style you want: white marble flat lay, wood table with natural light, linen fabric — the styles that perform well on food SNS accounts. Results apply quickly.
Here's the first menu item result:
Step 3: Apply to More Menu Items
I ran the second menu item through the same workflow with a different background style. Varying the background across menu items prevents the feed from feeling repetitive.
Making two versions of the same dish with different background moods lets you use one for Instagram and a different style for the delivery app listing.
Inpainting — Remove Unwanted Items
If there's a receipt or random object in the frame, select that area with inpainting and remove it. Inpainting also works for patching up areas that are too dark or have blown-out highlights.
Wrap-up
Work with what you have. Combining XBRUSH background replacement with inpainting takes a smartphone snapshot to delivery app main image quality. Once you learn the workflow, updating images when the menu changes takes minutes — no photography appointment needed.
Tools Used
- XBRUSH Background Removal — Separate the food/drink subject
- XBRUSH Background Generation — Replace with marble / wood / fabric and more
- XBRUSH Inpainting — Remove props, fix lighting
- XBRUSH Outpainting — Extend the image to make room for text