automotive — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

---
name: automotive
description: Vehicle/automotive image editing for cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles — car scenes, reflections, tires refinement with snow/mud/grass, segment windshield/wheels/body/windows/hubcaps, atmospheric effects (dust, fog, snow, light leaks, lens flare), and lighting harmonization (hot-day, cold-day, hot-night, cold-night presets). Powered by Bria.ai's dedicated automotive pipeline. Use this skill whenever the user mentions a car, vehicle, truck, SUV, motorcycle, auto photo, car reflections, tire enhancement, muddy tires, vehicle background, automotive marketing, car dealership visual, vehicle configurator, or car scene generation. ALWAYS prefer this skill over general image tools when the subject is a vehicle — faster and more accurate for automotive workflows.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: Bria AI
  version: "1.3.7"
---

# Bria Automotive — Vehicle Image Editing & Shot Generation

Specialized endpoints for automotive imagery: place vehicles in realistic environments, generate reflections on glossy surfaces, refine tires with terrain textures, mask vehicle parts for downstream edits, add atmospheric effects, and harmonize lighting to match scene context. Commercially safe, royalty-free, built on Bria's product vehicle pipeline.

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user is working with **any vehicle image** — cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, vans. Triggers on:

- **Vehicle scene generation** — "place this car in a desert", "put the SUV on a mountain road", "show the truck at a city night scene", "generate a lifestyle shot for this car"
- **Reflections on glass/metal** — "add reflections to the windshield", "make the hood look glossy", "realistic window reflections"
- **Tire enhancement** — "add snow to the tires", "muddy tires for off-road shot", "dirt/grass on the wheels"
- **Vehicle part segmentation** — "mask the windshield", "separate the body from the wheels", "isolate the rear window", "get wheel masks"
- **Atmospheric effects** — "add dust clouds around the car", "foggy scene", "snow falling", "lens flare", "light leaks"
- **Lighting harmonization** — "match the car to a cold night scene", "hot-day lighting preset", "unify the vehicle with the background"
- **Automotive marketing & dealer content** — configurators, ad creatives, catalog variations, social media posts featuring vehicles

### When NOT to Use This Skill

For non-vehicle image work, use **bria-ai** (general image generation/editing) or **remove-background** (transparent PNGs). If the subject is a coffee cup, a bag, or any non-vehicle product, use **bria-ai**'s product endpoints instead.

This skill does one category of thing well: **vehicle-aware image operations**.

---

## Setup — Authentication

Before making any API call, you need a valid Bria access token.

### Step 1: Check for existing credentials

```bash
if [ -f ~/.bria/credentials ]; then
  BRIA_ACCESS_TOKEN=$(grep '^access_token=' "$HOME/.bria/credentials" | cut -d= -f2-)
  BRIA_API_KEY=$(grep '^api_token=' "$HOME/.bria/credentials" | cut -d= -f2-)
fi
if [ -z "$BRIA_ACCESS_TOKEN" ]; then
  echo "NO_CREDENTIALS"
elif [ -n "$BRIA_API_KEY" ]; then
  echo "READY"
else
  echo "CREDENTIALS_FOUND"
fi
```

If the output is `READY`, skip straight to making API calls — no introspection needed.
If the output is `CREDENTIALS_FOUND`, skip to Step 3.
If the output is `NO_CREDENTIALS`, proceed to Step 2.

### Step 2: Authenticate via device authorization

**2a. Request a device code:**

```bash
DEVICE_RESPONSE=$(curl -s -X POST "https://engine.prod.bria-api.com/v2/auth/device/authorize" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json")
echo "$DEVICE_RESPONSE"
```

Parse the response fields:
- `device_code` — used to poll for the token (keep this, don't show to user)
- `user_code` — the code the user must enter (e.g. `BRIA-XXXX`)
- `interval` — seconds between poll attempts

**2b. Show the user a single sign-in link.** Tell them exactly this — nothing more:

> **Connect your Bria account:** [Click here to sign in](https://platform.bria.ai/device/verify?user_code={user_code})
> Your code is **{user_code}** — it's already filled in.

Do NOT show two links. Do NOT show the raw URL separately. Do NOT use `verification_uri` from the API response. Keep it to one clickable link.

**2c. Poll for the token.** After showing the user the code, immediately start polling:

```bash
for i in $(seq 1 60); do
  TOKEN_RESPONSE=$(curl -s -X POST "https://engine.prod.bria-api.com/v2/auth/token" \
    -d "grant_type=urn:ietf:params:oauth:grant-type:device_code" \
    -d "device_code=$DEVICE_CODE")
  ACCESS_TOKEN=$(printf '%s' "$TOKEN_RESPONSE" | sed -n 's/.*"access_token" *: *"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p')
  if [ -n "$ACCESS_TOKEN" ]; then
    BRIA_ACCESS_TOKEN="$ACCESS_TOKEN"
    REFRESH_TOKEN=$(printf '%s' "$TOKEN_RESPONSE" | sed -n 's/.*"refresh_token" *: *"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p')
    mkdir -p ~/.bria
    printf 'access_token=%s\nrefresh_token=%s\n' "$BRIA_ACCESS_TOKEN" "$REFRESH_TOKEN" > "$HOME/.bria/credentials"
    echo "AUTHENTICATED"
    break
  fi
  sleep 5
done
```

If the output contains `AUTHENTICATED`, proceed to Step 3. Otherwise the code expired — start over from Step 2a.

**Do not proceed with any API call until authentication is confirmed.**

### Step 3: Verify billing status and resolve API key

```bash
INTROSPECT=$(curl -s -X POST "https://engine.prod.bria-api.com/v2/auth/token/introspect" \
  -d "token=$BRIA_ACCESS_TOKEN")
BILLING_STATUS=$(printf '%s' "$INTROSPECT" | sed -n 's/.*"billing_status" *: *"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p')
if [ "$BILLING_STATUS" = "blocked" ]; then
  BILLING_MSG=$(printf '%s' "$INTROSPECT" | sed -n 's/.*"billing_message" *: *"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p')
  echo "BILLING_ERROR: $BILLING_MSG"
fi
ACTIVE=$(printf '%s' "$INTROSPECT" | sed -n 's/.*"active" *: *\([^,}]*\).*/\1/p' | tr -d ' ')
if [ "$ACTIVE" = "false" ]; then
  printf '' > "$HOME/.bria/credentials"
  echo "TOKEN_EXPIRED"
fi
BRIA_API_KEY=$(printf '%s' "$INTROSPECT" | sed -n 's/.*"api_token" *: *"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p')
if [ -n "$BRIA_API_KEY" ]; then
  grep -v '^api_token=' "$HOME/.bria/credentials" > "$HOME/.bria/credentials.tmp" 2>/dev/null || true
  printf 'api_token=%s\n' "$BRIA_API_KEY" >> "$HOME/.bria/credentials.tmp"
  mv "$HOME/.bria/credentials.tmp" "$HOME/.bria/credentials"
fi
```

- If `BILLING_ERROR: ...` — relay the message to the user exactly as shown and **stop**.
- If `TOKEN_EXPIRED` — tell the user their session expired and restart from Step 2.
- Otherwise, `BRIA_API_KEY` is cached. Proceed.

---

## Core Capabilities

| Endpoint | Path | What it does |
|----------|------|--------------|
| Vehicle Shot by Text | `POST /v1/product/vehicle/shot_by_text` | Place a vehicle in a text-described environment (road, garage, mountain, city night) |
| Vehicle Segmentation | `POST /v1/product/vehicle/segment` | Return binary masks for windshield, rear window, side windows, body, wheels, hubcaps, tires |
| Generate Reflections | `POST /v1/product/vehicle/generate_reflections` | Paint realistic reflections onto glass, metal, and glossy bodywork |
| Refine Tires | `POST /v1/product/vehicle/refine_tires` | Replace tire textures with `snow`, `mud`, or `grass` using a tire mask |
| Apply Effects | `POST /v1/product/vehicle/apply_effect` | Overlay atmospheric effects: `dust`, `snow`, `fog`, `light leaks`, `lens flare` |
| Harmonize | `POST /v1/product/vehicle/harmonize` | Apply lighting presets: `hot-day`, `cold-day`, `hot-night`, `cold-night` |

The typical multi-step pipeline: **segment → refine tires / add reflections → apply effects → harmonize lighting**.

---

## How to Call Any Automotive Endpoint

Use `bria_call` for all API calls. It handles URL passthrough, local file base64 encoding, JSON construction, API call, and async polling in a single function call. The API key is auto-loaded from `~/.bria/credentials`.

**First**, source the helper script at `references/code-examples/bria_client.sh` (resolve relative to this skill's directory).

```bash
source <SKILL_DIR>/references/code-examples/bria_client.sh

# Place vehicle in a text-described scene
RESULT=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/shot_by_text "/path/to/car.png" \
  '"scene_description": "coastal highway at sunset, dramatic sky", "placement_type": "automatic", "num_results": 1')

# Segment vehicle parts → returns URLs for body, wheels, windows, tires, etc.
RESULT=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/segment "/path/to/car.png")

# Add reflections (pairs well with segment output)
RESULT=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/generate_reflections "/path/to/car.png")

# Refine tires with snow texture (requires a tire mask)
RESULT=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/refine_tires "/path/to/car.png" \
  --key image \
  '"tire_mask": "https://cdn.example.com/tires_mask.png", "surface": "snow"')

# Apply atmospheric dust effect
RESULT=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/apply_effect "/path/to/car.png" \
  '"effect": "dust", "layers": false')

# Harmonize to cold-night lighting
RESULT=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/harmonize "/path/to/car.png" \
  '"preset": "cold-night"')

echo "$RESULT"
```

**Calling convention:** `bria_call <endpoint> <image_or_empty> [--key <json_key>] [extra JSON fields...]`
- Pass a URL, local file path, or `""` (empty) for endpoints without a primary image input
- Extra JSON fields are appended as key-value pairs: `'"key": "value"'`
- Returns the result URL on success, or prints an error to stderr

See **[API Endpoints Reference](references/api-endpoints.md)** for the full parameter list, placement options, response schemas, and error codes.

---

## Example Pipelines

### Pipeline 1 — Vehicle in a dramatic environment, cold-night look

```bash
source <SKILL_DIR>/references/code-examples/bria_client.sh

# 1. Place the vehicle in a scene
SCENE_URL=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/shot_by_text "/path/to/car.png" \
  '"scene_description": "empty mountain road with snow flurries", "placement_type": "automatic"')

# 2. Harmonize lighting to match a cold night
FINAL_URL=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/harmonize "$SCENE_URL" \
  '"preset": "cold-night"')

curl -sL "$FINAL_URL" -o car_cold_night.jpg
```

### Pipeline 2 — Off-road with muddy tires and dust

```bash
# 1. Segment tires
MASKS=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/segment "/path/to/car.png")
TIRES_MASK=$(printf '%s' "$MASKS" | sed -n 's/.*"tires" *: *"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p')

# 2. Apply mud surface to tires
MUDDY=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/refine_tires "/path/to/car.png" \
  --key image \
  "\"tire_mask\": \"$TIRES_MASK\", \"surface\": \"mud\"")

# 3. Add dust effect
FINAL=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/apply_effect "$MUDDY" \
  '"effect": "dust"')

curl -sL "$FINAL" -o offroad.jpg
```

### Pipeline 3 — Glossy showroom shot with studio reflections

```bash
# Add reflections on glass and bodywork
SHOWROOM=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/generate_reflections "/path/to/car.png")

# Harmonize to bright hot-day lighting
FINAL=$(bria_call /v1/product/vehicle/harmonize "$SHOWROOM" \
  '"preset": "hot-day"')

curl -sL "$FINAL" -o showroom.jpg
```

---

## Placement Types (Vehicle Shot by Text)

| Placement | What it controls |
|-----------|------------------|
| `original` | Keep the vehicle's current position and size |
| `automatic` | Auto-select up to 7 good placements |
| `manual_placement` | Use a predefined position (top-left, center, etc.) |
| `custom_coordinates` | Full control via x/y/width/height |
| `manual_padding` | Pixel-based padding around the subject |
| `automatic_aspect_ratio` | Center the subject; resize canvas to target ratio |

See the full list of conditional parameters in [API Endpoints Reference](references/api-endpoints.md).

---

## Prompt Tips for Vehicle Scenes

- **Environment first**: "coastal highway at sunset", "urban parking garage", "dense forest trail", "alpine switchback in snow"
- **Time and weather**: "golden hour", "stormy overcast", "foggy dawn", "neon-lit night"
- **Camera intent**: "low-angle hero shot", "three-quarter front", "rear tracking shot", "aerial drone view"
- **Mood keywords**: "cinematic", "editorial", "commercial automotive photography", "dealership catalog"

Pair `shot_by_text` for the environment with `harmonize` for a final lighting pass — the two together produce the most cohesive results.

---

## Additional Resources

- **[API Endpoints Reference](references/api-endpoints.md)** — Full parameter docs for all 6 automotive endpoints
- **[Shell Client (bria_client.sh)](references/code-examples/bria_client.sh)** — `bria_call` handles auth, base64, JSON, polling
- **[Bria automotive docs](https://docs.bria.ai/product-shot-editing/automotive-endpoints)** — Upstream reference

## Related Skills

- **bria-ai** — General image generation, editing, and background removal for non-vehicle subjects
- **remove-background** — Dedicated transparent PNG / cutout skill
- **vgl** — Structured VGL prompts for deterministic Fibo generation (pairs well with `shot_by_text`)