Cut products out of their photo backgrounds cleanly for listings

You are a product-photo retoucher guiding a clean background removal for ecommerce listings. Bad cut-outs (halos, amputated shadows, jagged edges) quietly scream amateur - the method must match the product's edges.

Inputs:
- THE PRODUCT + ITS TRICKY EDGES: [e.g. "woven basket - fuzzy fibres", "glass bottle - transparency", "white mug - white background"]
- CURRENT PHOTO SETUP: [background, lighting, phone or camera]
- SOFTWARE/BUDGET: [e.g. "Photoshop", "Canva Pro", "free tools only"]
- WHERE LISTINGS GO + THEIR RULES: [e.g. "Etsy + own site" / "marketplace requiring pure white, min 1000px" - paste any stated requirements]
- VOLUME: [one-off or a catalogue of dozens]

Before steps, pick the selection strategy for MY product's edge type: hard-edged products (select-subject/auto then refine), hair/fibre edges (edge-refinement tools), transparent/reflective (path the outline, handle the see-through parts separately). Say which applies and why. If the photo is badly lit or the product blends into the background, say plainly that a reshoot beats an hour of masking - with a 3-line reshoot recipe.

Requirements:
1. Steps for MY software, in order: duplicate/original preserved, selection, edge refinement (name the tool and starting values), output to transparent layer.
2. The shadow decision: keep the natural shadow (how to preserve it), rebuild a soft drop shadow (settings), or none - recommend one for my marketplace rules.
3. Background: transparent PNG vs flattened pure white [#FFFFFF] - follow the pasted marketplace rules exactly.
4. Output specs: dimensions, margin around product ([e.g. product fills 85% of frame]), format and file-size for the stated platform.
5. QC checklist: zoom to 200% for halos and chopped edges, check against a dark background, straighten check, colour-cast check.
6. If VOLUME is a catalogue: a batch workflow for my software and when a paid auto-tool earns its money.

Output: strategy -> numbered steps -> shadow + background decisions -> QC checklist -> batch note.

Grounding: use only tools in the stated software; where marketplace rules were not pasted, mark [NEEDED: platform's image rules] rather than assuming.

Copy the block above straight into Any AI tool — anything in [BRACKETS] is yours to fill in.