Rubik Variant Images on Presidio Themes: Palo Alto, Broadcast & Modular (2026)
Picture a store running Palo Alto with 14 colors of a hoodie. Every single product photo, all 56 of them, dumped into one scrollable column. The customer picks “Forest Green” and still sees photos of the red, the navy, the cream. That is the default Shopify experience on every Presidio Creative theme, and it is honestly terrible for conversion.
Rubik Variant Images has dedicated detection code for all three Presidio themes: Palo Alto, Broadcast, and Modular. We wrote and tested the selectors for each layout mode these themes offer, so the filtering and swatch rendering works out of the box. No code edits, no theme file modifications.
Presidio Creative is a Miami-based agency studio that focuses on conversion-optimized Shopify themes. Their three themes sit in the Shopify Theme Store with strong ratings: Palo Alto ($420, 309 reviews), Broadcast ($420, 270 reviews), and Modular ($300, 223 reviews). All three share a design philosophy of large imagery and clean product layouts, but each handles the product gallery differently. That matters for variant image filtering because the gallery DOM structure is what Rubik hooks into.
This post covers what Rubik does on each Presidio theme, the differences between them, setup steps, and how to pair variant image filtering with Rubik Combined Listings for collection page swatches.
In this post
- Palo Alto: gallery layouts and filtering
- Broadcast: slideshow and grid modes
- Modular: split media and product info
- Presidio themes comparison table
- Setup on any Presidio theme (5 minutes)
- Pairing with Rubik Combined Listings
- FAQ
- Related reading
Palo Alto: gallery layouts and filtering
Palo Alto is Presidio’s flagship. It offers several product page gallery layouts: a scrollable image column, a grid arrangement, and a slideshow. Each one renders the product media differently in the DOM, which means the filtering logic has to adapt per layout.
We handle all of them. When Rubik detects Palo Alto (theme ID 777), it identifies which gallery layout is active and injects the correct filtering selectors. The result: a customer picks “Sage” and the gallery instantly shows only the Sage photos. No page reload, no flicker, no leftover thumbnails from other colors.
What specifically works on Palo Alto with Rubik installed?
- Multiple images per variant (images, videos, 3D models)
- Visual swatches replacing the default dropdown (image thumbnails, color circles, pill buttons)
- Common images that stay visible across all variants (size charts, lifestyle shots)
- AI auto-assign for one-click image matching per product
- Shadow DOM swatch isolation so Palo Alto’s CSS never interferes
Palo Alto’s scrollable column layout is actually the one we see most often in support. Merchants pick it because it looks editorial, then realize the 40+ images for a multi-color product create an absurdly long scroll. Rubik cuts that down to only the 4-5 images for the selected variant. Night and day difference.
Broadcast: slideshow and grid modes
Broadcast ($420, 270 reviews) is Presidio’s editorial-style theme. It leans into storytelling, video backgrounds, and full-width sections. The product page offers a slideshow gallery with thumbnails below and a stacked grid layout.
The slideshow mode on Broadcast works differently from Palo Alto’s. Broadcast uses a flickity-style carousel with thumbnail navigation underneath. When Rubik filters the gallery, both the main carousel slides and the thumbnail row update simultaneously. We specifically tested for the edge case where the carousel index gets out of sync after filtering (it doesn’t, but other apps miss this).
Broadcast also supports video-heavy product pages. If you have a video for each color variant showing the fabric drape or the product in motion, Rubik keeps the correct video visible per variant and hides the rest. That is something Shopify’s native variant picker simply cannot do.
Why does Broadcast not filter by default? Same reason as every Shopify theme. Shopify’s architecture assigns ONE featured image to each variant. If your product has 6 photos per color, only one is “assigned” in Shopify’s system. The other 5 just sit in the gallery with no variant association. Rubik adds that missing layer. You can read more about this limitation in our variant images complete guide.
Modular: split media and product info
Modular ($300, 223 reviews) is the most affordable Presidio theme and takes a different approach to product pages. It splits the media section and the product information into distinct visual blocks, almost like a magazine layout. The gallery can be configured as a grid, slideshow, or stacked vertical layout.
One thing that surprised us when testing Modular: it renders product media inside a different container structure than Palo Alto and Broadcast. Not dramatically different, but enough that a generic CSS selector approach would miss some images. We wrote Modular-specific detection so that filtering catches every image container, including ones inside nested grid cells.
Modular also has a “featured product” section that merchants sometimes use to showcase a hero product on non-product pages. Rubik’s filtering works on the standard product page template. If you are using the featured product section on a custom landing page, contact our support and we can check the selectors for your specific setup.
And here is something worth knowing: Modular’s default variant picker is a button-style selector, not a dropdown. Some merchants actually prefer that over swatches. But if you want color thumbnails or custom images in those buttons, Rubik’s swatch renderer replaces them with proper visual swatches while keeping Modular’s layout intact.
Presidio themes comparison table
All three themes are built by the same studio, but they differ in gallery behavior and pricing. Here is how they compare for variant image management:
| Feature | Palo Alto | Broadcast | Modular |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $420 | $420 | $300 |
| Theme Store reviews | 309 | 270 | 223 |
| Gallery layouts | Column, grid, slideshow | Slideshow, stacked grid | Grid, slideshow, stacked |
| Default variant picker | Dropdown | Dropdown | Buttons |
| Rubik filtering | All layouts supported | All layouts supported | All layouts supported |
| Rubik swatches | Full (image, color, pill) | Full (image, color, pill) | Full (image, color, pill) |
| Video per variant | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 3D model per variant | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shadow DOM | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The bottom line: it does not matter which Presidio theme you picked. Rubik works on all three. The gallery structure differences are handled internally by our theme detection system.
How to set up Rubik on any Presidio theme
Setup is the same across Palo Alto, Broadcast, and Modular. Five minutes, no code.
- Install Rubik Variant Images from the Shopify App Store.
- Enable the app embed in your theme’s Customize editor. Go to Theme Settings, then App Embeds, and toggle Rubik on.
- Open a product in the Rubik dashboard. Drag images onto each variant to assign them. Or use AI auto-assign to do it in one click.
- Set your swatch style. Pick image swatches, color circles, or pill buttons per option. Mix and match (images for Color, pills for Size).
- Preview the product page. Select different variants and watch the gallery filter in real time.
For bulk setup across hundreds of products, use the bulk assign feature. It reads the gallery order in Shopify and assigns images automatically based on image boundaries. No AI needed for that, runs in the background.
If something looks off (rare, but it happens with heavily customized Presidio installs), our support team can check your theme’s selectors in minutes. This is one of the most common support questions we get, and the fix is usually a 2-minute selector adjustment on our end.
Need the full walkthrough? See the getting started guide or check the live demo store to see filtering in action.
Pairing with Rubik Combined Listings
Rubik Variant Images handles the product page. But what about the collection page? Presidio themes show one product card per product in collections. If you have the same shirt in 8 colors as a single product with variants, the collection page shows one card with the featured image. Customers cannot see the other colors until they click through.
Rubik Combined Listings solves that by adding swatches directly to collection page product cards. It can also link separate products together as a single group, which is useful when you have hit Shopify’s variant limit or want separate URLs per color for SEO.
The two apps work together: RVI filters images on the product page, RCL shows swatches on the collection page and groups products. Many stores running Presidio themes use both.
“This app works perfectly for linking variant images to product options. Super easy to set up and integrates smoothly with my Shopify theme. It’s saved me so much time and made the shopping experience much clearer for customers. The support team was also quick and helpful.”
Anonymous merchant, 2025 , Rubik Variant Images on the Shopify App Store
Pricing
Rubik Variant Images uses flat pricing (not based on your Shopify plan):
- Free: $0/month, 1 product
- Starter: $25/month, 100 products
- Advanced: $50/month, 1,000 products
- Premium: $75/month, unlimited products
Every plan includes monthly AI credits for the auto-assign feature. The free plan lets you test on one product before committing to anything, which is honestly how we think every app should work. No credit card required, no trial countdown pressure.
Frequently asked questions
Does Rubik work with all Palo Alto gallery layouts?
Yes. Rubik detects whether Palo Alto is using the scrollable column, grid, or slideshow layout and applies the correct filtering logic for each one. No manual configuration needed.
Will Rubik break if Presidio updates their themes?
Rubik uses Shopify’s app embed system, not theme file edits. Theme updates do not break the integration. If Presidio changes the DOM structure significantly (rare), we update our selectors within days. We monitor theme updates across 350+ themes.
Can I use Rubik on Broadcast with video variants?
Yes. Rubik supports images, videos, and 3D models per variant. On Broadcast’s slideshow gallery, both the main carousel and thumbnail row update when switching variants, including video slides.
Does Rubik show swatches on collection pages with Presidio themes?
No. Rubik Variant Images works on the product page only. For collection page swatches, you need Rubik Combined Listings, which adds swatches to product cards on collection pages across all Presidio themes.
Is Modular’s button-style variant picker compatible with Rubik swatches?
Yes. Rubik replaces the default variant picker (whether it is a dropdown or buttons) with its own swatch renderer. The swatch styles are independent of the theme’s picker style, rendered inside a Shadow DOM container so there are no CSS conflicts.
How does AI auto-assign work on Presidio themes?
AI auto-assign is theme-independent. It analyzes each product’s images using the product title, variant option values, image filenames, and alt text. It runs per product, not per theme. The result is stored in metafields, and the theme just reads and displays the filtered gallery.
Can I customize the swatch appearance to match my Presidio theme’s design?
Yes. Rubik offers 100+ CSS variables for swatch styling: shape, size, border, spacing, selected state, hover effects, and more. You can adjust these in the visual editor or write custom CSS. Check the visual settings docs for the full list.
Related reading
