FACT:
So, when you sync printify images to Shopify, you pretty much lose all knowledge of the originating variant EXCEPT for the primary image of each variant. Whoohoo. Anyone disagree?
FACT:
You can vibe-code your way in Shopify to limit the display of images to specific variants. I've seen a couple of approaches. 1. You hard assign the order of all of the images to align with your variants and make assumptions. But you lose the ability for your second image be something else on hover behavior on collections. 2. You add a metafield for the allowed files on the Variant. Yup. That is the way to me.
BUT:
You still have to manually go assign all those bloody values. NOT so easy when the imported image names are meaningless. And especially a PITA on tiny differences visually like cell phone cases -- where you can have 70-100 images.
After much drama, I'm using exports via Printify's API to a Google Sheet and Matrixify exports to figure out the right image for the right variant. Here is the one big assumption that let's that happen:
The sequence of Printify's image sync is all PRIMARY images first in the variant order, then for all eligible secondary images, so they CAN be matched up via that sequence. Lordy. WHY OH WHY the API from Printify to Shopify strips out all known variant info is quite beyond me.
OR, am I missing something obvious for an easier way???