Shadow Service vs Super Complex Subject
Which you need, what each costs, and when a project wants both — shadow service compared with super complex subject.
Last revised
Both sit under Background Remove, and clients regularly ask which of the two they actually want. The short answer is below; the rest of this page is how to tell, what each costs, and the cases where a project needs both.
The quick verdict
In short More often than the question implies — the same job frequently touches both, and one team covers them, so moving between them is a conversation rather than a second supplier. If you are not sure which your files need, that is what the free trial is for. The process is the same either way: whichever you pick, the work runs through the same stages and is checked against the same bar. Background Remove sets that out.
Side by side
| Shadow Service | Super Complex Subject | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | From $0.49 per image | From $0.39 per image |
| Typical turnaround | 12–24 hours | — |
| Services underneath | 8 | — |
Choose Shadow Service if
- Budget is the binding constraint: this starts at $0.49 per image against $0.39 per image for super complex subject
- The job is specifically basic shadow, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically complex shadow, which sits under this one
- The job is specifically compound shadow, which sits under this one
Choose Super Complex Subject if
- Budget is the binding constraint: this starts at $0.39 per image against $0.49 per image for shadow service
What each one is
- Shadow Service Natural, drop and reflection shadows rebuilt to match the original lighting — the detail that stops a cut-out looking pasted onto white.
- Super Complex Subject Background removal for the hardest subjects, such as trees, lace, bicycles and wire, where edges and holes number in the hundreds.
Questions we get on this specific choice
Is one of them cheaper?
Shadow Service starts at $0.49 per image and super complex subject at $0.39 per image. Complexity and volume move both, and the cheaper unit is not always the cheaper job.
Which is faster?
Much the same, and volume moves the number far more than the choice between these two does.
Can you tell me which one my files need?
Yes, free. Send two or three real files — that judgment is part of the trial rather than something quoted separately.
Can I switch after we start?
Yes. If the files say the other one is the right answer, we re-quote before doing the work rather than after.
Where to go from here
- Shadow Service — what it is, in full, with its own pricing
- Super Complex Subject — the same for the alternative
- Background Remove pricing — both rates side by side with the US market ranges
- Try it free — 2 images, edited to your brief, and we will tell you which of the two your files need
- Get a quote if the scope is already clear
- Every rate we publish, on one page
