Element types & render modes
Every pack item declares what kind of element it is. That intent decides its render mode — transparent cutout or full-bleed tile — and whether background removal is ever allowed to run.
The types
| Element type | What it is | Render mode |
|---|---|---|
| subject / pose / prop | An isolated element with unambiguous figure and ground. | Transparent PNG — background removal applies. |
| border / corner | Frame elements, usually line art. | Transparent PNG — background removal applies. |
| scene | A framed vignette with real figure/ground (a desk, a window view). | Transparent PNG — cuts out cleanly. |
pattern | A seamless repeating tile — 100% ground by design. | Full-bleed, opaque. Background removal never runs. |
The category error
Background removal answers one question: which pixels are the subject, which are the background? A seamless pattern has no subject — the pattern is the ground. Forced to answer anyway, any removal model picks something arbitrary and erases the product. This is deterministic, not bad luck: a better model just carves a cleaner hole.
The platform forces background removal off for pattern items regardless of any caller flag. Two independent integrations shipped the same mistake before this was policy — which is the proof it can’t live as a convention.
Transparency is a property, not a feature
A pattern tile is supposed to be edge-to-edge opaque — that is what makes it tileable. Transparency isn’t something it is missing; it is something it must not have. Deliverables declare their render mode so storefronts label formats honestly.