=== ArtDirect – AI Art Director for Post Images ===
Contributors: thenetkey
Tags: ai images, featured image, alt text, image generator, gemini
Requires at least: 6.5
Tested up to: 7.2
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 1.0.0
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

See every image of a post or page at a glance, let AI write the prompt from the article and swap in better images with alt text and undo.

== Description ==

ArtDirect works like an art director for your content. It reads every image of a post or page, understands the section around it and writes an image prompt that fits the article. Google's Nano Banana generates the new image, and ArtDirect replaces the old one in place: image, alt text, caption and block settings. The old image stays in the media library and can be restored with one click.

= What you get for free =

* Overview of all posts, pages and custom post types with their images, missing alt texts and featured images
* Studio view for every image position: featured image and every image in the content, including cover blocks and inline images
* AI writes the prompt from the article, the section heading, the text before the image and the current image
* House style and avoid list for consistent, high-quality images
* Generate one or two variants in 1K or 2K, compare before and after with a slider, use the best one
* Clean replacement in Gutenberg and classic content, with alt text and caption
* History with “restore previous” for every change
* AI alt text suggestion for any image, in your site language
* SEO file names from your focus keyword and the image content, editable before you use an image
* WebP or JPEG output with a maximum width, so pages stay fast
* IPTC and XMP metadata in every new file: alt text, title, credit, copyright and the IPTC source type for AI images, which Google reads for its “AI-generated” label
* schema.org ImageObject for AI images on your posts, so search engines and AI assistants understand what an image shows and who published it
* AI disclosure: generated images are marked in the media library and in the image tag, optionally with a visible caption note
* Works with your own Google Gemini API key, also from the WordPress connectors. You pay Google directly, without any markup
* Monthly budget in US dollars and a minimum role, so costs and access stay under control
* Alt text and captions in English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, Dutch, Russian or Polish, interface translated into the same languages

= ArtDirect Pro =

ArtDirect Pro is a separate add-on for teams and agencies:

* Brand kit with accent colors and an image world per category, so every image shows the topic at first glance
* Motif builder (look, subject, people, place, light, perspective and more) and three image ideas per position
* Quality check of every variant with a one-click fix for faces, hands and text
* Edit existing images and use the current image as style reference
* Up to four variants and 4K
* Elementor, Divi 4 and 5, WPBakery, Themify Builder, Beaver Builder, Bricks, Breakdance, Oxygen 6, SiteOrigin and Avada layouts, including section and row backgrounds
* WooCommerce product galleries
* Brand reference images for a consistent look
* Bulk alt text for the whole media library and automatically on upload
* Rename existing images to SEO file names: all sizes, links in posts, pages and page builders are updated and the old address redirects with 301
* Claude from Anthropic as optional art director

More at [plugins.thenetkey.com](https://plugins.thenetkey.com/).

== External services ==

ArtDirect connects to the Google Gemini API to write prompts and alt texts and to generate images. This only happens when a logged-in editor clicks a button in ArtDirect.

* What is sent: the title, the focus keyword, the categories, the text around the image, the current alt text, your wishes and, where useful, a downsized copy of the current image. For image generation the prompt and, if chosen, a reference image.
* Where: generativelanguage.googleapis.com, with your own API key.
* Terms: [Gemini API Additional Terms of Service](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/terms) and [Google Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms)
* Privacy: [Google Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy)

No data is sent to THE NET KEY. ArtDirect does not track you.

== Installation ==

1. Install and activate the plugin.
2. Go to ArtDirect, Settings and paste a Google Gemini API key with billing enabled. You can create one in Google AI Studio.
3. Open ArtDirect, choose a post or page and click an image.

You can also define the key in wp-config.php: `define( 'ARTDIRECT_GEMINI_KEY', '…' );`

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= What does an image cost? =

You pay Google directly. With Nano Banana 2 an image costs about 0.07 to 0.10 US dollars, with Nano Banana Pro about 0.13 US dollars at 2K. A prompt costs a fraction of a cent. ArtDirect shows the estimated costs before every generation and a monthly total.

= Does it work with page builders? =

The free version handles the featured image and all images in Gutenberg and classic content. On page builder pages it lists every image of the layout, including backgrounds and images inside text modules, and lets you edit their alt text. ArtDirect Pro also changes images inside Elementor, Divi 4 and 5, WPBakery, Themify Builder, Beaver Builder, Bricks, Breakdance, Oxygen 6, SiteOrigin and Avada layouts, including backgrounds and images inside text and HTML modules, and clears the builder cache of that page. On Brizy and classic Oxygen pages ArtDirect changes the featured image.

= Are generated images labelled? =

Google embeds an invisible SynthID watermark. ArtDirect marks every generated image in the media library and adds `data-ai-generated="true"` to the image tag. You can also add a visible note to the caption. Whether you must label an image depends on its content and your country, for example Article 50 of the EU AI Act for realistic depictions. This is not legal advice.

= Where are the variants stored? =

Variants are stored temporarily in uploads/artdirect-tmp and deleted after 48 hours. Only the variant you use is added to the media library.

= Who can use ArtDirect? =

Users who can edit the post and upload files. Settings are only available to administrators.

== Screenshots ==

1. Overview of all content with images and missing alt texts
2. Studio with current image, prompt and variants
3. Before and after comparison
4. Settings with house style and AI disclosure

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.0 =
* First release.
