Rubik Variant Images on Fuel Themes: Reformation, Vision, Pinnacle & More (2026)
Fuel Themes is an Istanbul-based Shopify theme studio with 7 themes in the Shopify Theme Store. Their themes are popular with apparel, electronics, and general merchandise stores because they tend to pack a lot of features into each theme without making the code bloated. Reformation, Vision, and Pinnacle are probably their best-known options. If you are running any Fuel Themes theme, Rubik Variant Images supports all 7 of them.
We have a soft spot for Fuel Themes because they are one of the few studios that actually think about variant display in their designs. Their product pages often include built-in color swatch indicators (though without actual image filtering). That foundation makes Rubik’s integration particularly smooth, since the DOM structure is already set up to work with variant-specific content.
This post covers every Fuel Themes theme, what makes each unique for variant image management, and how to get Rubik running on any of them in about 5 minutes.
In this post
- Fuel Themes overview
- Reformation
- Vision
- Pinnacle
- Flavor
- Boost
- Xtra
- Bullet
- Comparison table
- Setup
- Pairing with Rubik Combined Listings
- FAQ
- Related reading
Fuel Themes: Istanbul-based, feature-rich
Fuel Themes has carved out a niche by building themes that include features other studios charge extra for or skip entirely. Things like advanced mega menus, built-in wishlist functionality, and product comparison tools. Their themes feel more “complete” out of the box than most competitors.
But even with all those built-in features, none of their themes include proper variant image filtering. You still get the standard Shopify behavior: one image assigned per variant in the admin, and the full unfiltered gallery on the product page. That gap is exactly what Rubik fills.
The interesting challenge with Fuel Themes is that they use custom JavaScript for their gallery interactions rather than relying on Shopify’s default gallery patterns. This means we had to write specific detection code for each theme rather than using a generic approach. Is that annoying for us? Kinda. But it means the integration is solid once it is done.
Reformation
Reformation is arguably Fuel Themes’ flagship product. It targets fashion and apparel stores with a modern, clean design. The product page gallery uses a split layout: stacked images on the left, product information on the right. On mobile, images collapse into a swipeable carousel.
Rubik works with both Reformation’s desktop stacked view and mobile carousel. When filtering by variant, the stacked images reflow (removing images that do not belong to the selected variant) and the mobile carousel shortens its slide count. The transitions stay smooth. No layout jumping.
Reformation also includes a sticky buy box on scroll. Rubik’s swatches work correctly with this sticky behavior because the swatch container follows the theme’s scroll logic, not its own. This is one of those small details that we had to specifically test and verify.
Vision
Vision is designed for electronics and tech stores. It has a product page with a prominent image gallery, specification tables, and comparison features built in. The gallery defaults to a horizontal carousel with arrow navigation.
For stores selling electronics with color variants (think phone cases, headphones, laptop sleeves), Vision paired with Rubik gives customers a clear visual preview of each color option. Without filtering, a phone case with 10 colors means 30+ images scrolling through the carousel. With Rubik, they see only the 3 images for the color they picked.
Vision’s carousel uses a slide counter (e.g., “3 of 12”). Rubik updates this counter after filtering so it reflects the actual number of visible images. Small thing, but it would look broken otherwise. We have seen other apps that forget to update slide counters. Drives me slightly crazy.
Pinnacle
Pinnacle is Fuel Themes’ multi-purpose option. It works for any store category, with a flexible product page layout that adapts to different product types. The gallery supports both carousel and grid modes, selectable in theme settings.
Rubik supports both Pinnacle gallery modes. In carousel mode, filtering adjusts the slide deck. In grid mode, the images reflow into the available space. Pinnacle’s grid mode is simpler than Grid by Pixel Union (no masonry), so the reflow is straightforward.
Pinnacle is also one of the few themes that lets merchants add custom badges to product images. Rubik’s filtering preserves these badges on the images that remain visible after filtering. If your “Red” variant’s first image has a “New Arrival” badge, it stays there.
Flavor
Flavor targets food and beverage stores. The product page is compact, with a single main image and a small thumbnail strip. This is intentional because food products tend to have fewer variant images (usually 1-2 per flavor) compared to fashion items.
Even with fewer images per variant, filtering still matters. A granola brand with 8 flavors and 2 images each means 16 images in the gallery. Filtering that down to 2 when a customer picks “Blueberry Almond” makes the product page feel focused and intentional.
Rubik works on Flavor without issues. The compact gallery layout means the visual difference after filtering is especially noticeable.
Boost
Boost is designed for conversion-focused stores. It includes built-in urgency elements, trust badges, and a product page layout that puts the add-to-cart button in a prominent position. The gallery uses a side-by-side layout with thumbnails on the left or bottom.
Rubik filters both the main image and thumbnails when a variant is selected. Boost’s conversion-focused layout means customers see only relevant images right next to the add-to-cart button, which is exactly the kind of setup that reduces confusion and return rates on color-specific products.
Xtra
Xtra is the most feature-heavy Fuel Themes option. It includes built-in product video support, 360-degree image viewers, and advanced filtering. The product gallery is a full-width carousel with thumbnail navigation.
Rubik supports Xtra’s full-width gallery, including image, video, and 3D model filtering per variant. If you have assigned a product video to a specific color variant, Rubik shows that video only when that color is selected. Xtra’s built-in video player works correctly with Rubik’s filtering, no conflicts between the app’s media handling and the theme’s.
Bullet
Bullet is Fuel Themes’ speed-optimized theme. It strips out heavier features in favor of fast loading times. The product page is minimal: a clean image carousel, a straightforward variant selector, and a clear CTA.
Rubik’s metafield-based loading fits well with Bullet’s speed-first philosophy. No external API calls, no additional JavaScript bundles loaded from remote servers. The filtering logic loads with the page itself. If you picked Bullet because performance matters to you, Rubik will not undo that choice.
Fuel Themes comparison
| Theme | Gallery style | Best for | Rubik status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reformation | Stacked + mobile carousel | Fashion, apparel | Fully supported |
| Vision | Horizontal carousel | Electronics, tech | Fully supported |
| Pinnacle | Carousel or grid | Multi-purpose | Fully supported |
| Flavor | Compact single + thumbnails | Food, beverage | Fully supported |
| Boost | Side-by-side + thumbnails | Conversion-focused | Fully supported |
| Xtra | Full-width carousel | Feature-rich stores | Fully supported |
| Bullet | Minimal carousel | Speed-focused stores | Fully supported |
All 7 themes store image assignments in Shopify metafields. Switching between Fuel Themes themes (or to any other supported theme) preserves your Rubik setup completely.
Setup (same for all 7 themes)
- Install Rubik Variant Images from the Shopify App Store. Free plan lets you test on 1 product.
- Enable the app embed in your theme editor under App embeds.
- Open a product in the Rubik dashboard. Pick a variant and drag the right images onto it.
- Or use AI auto-assign. The app checks product titles, variant names, image filenames, and alt text. One product at a time.
- Save, visit the product page, switch variants. The gallery should filter instantly.
Need to process hundreds of products? Bulk assign handles that in the background using image order patterns. No AI needed for bulk mode.
See the live demo store, watch the setup tutorial, or read the getting started guide.
Pairing with Rubik Combined Listings
Rubik Variant Images filters images on the product page. It does not touch collection pages. If your store splits colors into separate products (common in fashion and apparel), you need collection page swatches to connect them visually. That is what Rubik Combined Listings does.
Both apps run together on all Fuel Themes themes. No conflicts, no performance overlap. RVI handles the product page gallery, RCL handles collection cards and product grouping. Each color product gets its own URL for SEO. The full setup is described in the combined listings guide.
For general Shopify optimization advice, including how to audit your app stack for performance, check out the app stack audit guide on Craftshift.
“Hands Down the best customer support of all the variation/swatch apps I have used till date. The app does everything. From individual variant gallery to really detailed customizable swatch’s. All in a single app. Originally we used to use two different apps so this is so much more cost efficient for us. […] The app is top notch. you can customize it how ever you feel like, The options are really good. AI has been integrated, HELPS ALOT WITH SORTING IMAGES.”
Bellissima Covers, India, 5-star review – Rubik Variant Images on the Shopify App Store
Frequently asked questions
Does Rubik work with all 7 Fuel Themes themes?
Yes. Reformation, Vision, Pinnacle, Flavor, Boost, Xtra, and Bullet are all fully supported with dedicated detection code.
Does Rubik affect the loading speed of Bullet theme?
No. Rubik uses metafield-based loading with no external API calls. The filtering data loads with the page itself, keeping Bullet’s speed-first approach intact.
Can I use Rubik with Xtra’s built-in video player?
Yes. Rubik filters videos and 3D models per variant alongside images. Xtra’s built-in video player continues to work normally after filtering.
Will my Rubik setup carry over if I switch from one Fuel theme to another?
Yes. Image assignments are stored in Shopify product metafields, not in theme files. Switching themes preserves everything.
How much does Rubik Variant Images cost?
Free: $0/month for 1 product. Starter: $25/month for 100 products. Advanced: $50/month for 1,000. Premium: $75/month for unlimited. Flat pricing, not tied to your Shopify plan.
Does Rubik show collection page swatches on Fuel Themes themes?
No. Rubik Variant Images works on product pages only. For collection page swatches, install Rubik Combined Listings, which supports all Fuel Themes themes as well.
Related reading
