Separate direction references from material data
An image can communicate a lighting mood, composition or surface character. Keep the role of that image explicit: a reference for a discussion is different from a texture intended for a model. If you are considering an externally generated image, check its suitability, provenance and permitted use before bringing it into the project.
Do not infer physical accuracy from a persuasive preview. A painted highlight can resemble a surface feature, while a shadow can resemble a cavity. These are ambiguous signals when deriving material maps from a single image. Decide which parts need to match the real product and which are only exploratory direction.
What the current Labs tools actually produce
AI Art Director provides rule-based direction suggestions from the brief inputs. It does not create generated images. Use its output to organise a visual test and the discussion around it, not as evidence that a particular lighting treatment or material has already been rendered.
AI Texture Generator currently offers a procedural Synthetic mode with technical map exports. Photoreal cloud generation is not live. The procedural output is a useful starting point to inspect, but the tool name should not be read as a promise of a live generative model or a scan of a real surface.
Treat image-derived PBR maps as candidates
Image to PBR derives a set of candidate maps from the source image. That transformation does not recover a uniquely correct material. Review each map for its intended role: base colour describes colour, roughness controls the spread of reflections, and a normal map changes shading direction. A height or normal estimate can mistake lighting already present in the image for relief.
A physically based material does not need an image for every parameter. Some properties can be constants, and the appropriate inputs depend on the shader and the surface. Follow the receiving material model rather than adding detail to every channel just because a tool can export it. The Khronos specification below is a reference for glTF materials, not a universal rule for every renderer.
Test seams, scale and lighting before handoff
Apply the material to a simple test object and inspect it close up and at the intended viewing distance. Repeat the texture to reveal seams. Compare surface detail against a known scale. Rotate a light or the object to see whether the reflections and apparent relief remain plausible, then repeat the check on the actual model.
Use the normal-map troubleshooting guide if bumps appear inverted, seams become visible or the result changes after export. Confirm the normal convention and colour-space settings in the receiving application. Keep the source image or procedural settings, exported maps and adjustment notes together so another artist can reproduce the result.