Product images steal the spotlight on Amazon. Whether on search result pages, sponsored products, ads, or individual item detail pages, images are front and center — and have the power to make or break your chances of landing a sale.

With this in mind, we’ve provided the following tips to elevate your product photography and create listings that convert.

10 Product photography tips

1) Invest in the right equipment

In a pinch, an iPhone camera can get the job done. Ideally though, you’ll want to conduct photo shoots using a DSLR that gives you the greatest control over image brightness, sharpness, and resolution.

You should also invest in a tripod and a few lenses that capture both wide and close-up shots clearly. Fortunately, you likely don’t need to worry about portability as much as stability, so you won’t immediately have to purchase equipment that’s easy to travel with.

In addition to these basics, there’s more specialized gear you could buy, including light stands, light modifiers, backgrounds, and editing software. However, you don’t have to purchase them all at once; assess your needs and gradually build your collection. If you have a large catalog of products though, hiring a professional photographer and/or photo editor might be necessary.

2) Use a white background

Amazon requires you to shoot your main images against a pure-white background. You can use something as simple as white fabric — such as a bedsheet — or a more professional backdrop purchased online. Whatever you use, make sure it covers every surface surrounding your product (Amazon wants to create the appearance of your item floating on their interface).

While editing software comes in handy when you want to touch up your images, avoid using it to remove the background of your image entirely. This can easily lead to distortion or false customer expectations if, for instance, you shoot your image under yellow lighting but remove the background to make it look like it was placed under white lighting.

Keep in mind, this only applies to your main image; for others, you can use different backgrounds to provide context, better contrast, etc.

3) Watch your lighting

Speaking of lighting, use natural light whenever possible to provide the most accurate representation of your product. Make sure your setting isn’t too bright or harsh to cause a glare or distortion.

If artificial lighting is your only option, leverage umbrellas and reflectors to cast bright, even light across your item. With either type, it’s best to designate a spot in your home or office to shoot your photos. This ensures the overall look and feel of your product images remain consistent across all your Amazon listings.

4) Be mindful of relative size

According to Amazon’s guidelines, your product must occupy at least 85% of the area of your main images. However, when it comes to secondary photos (i.e., your alternate images), you have greater freedom over how you display your product. You can show items in various environments and situations or even overlay them with text to display useful information at a glance.

As you capture photos, be careful not to portray your product as bigger or smaller than it is. Include objects, models (when appropriate), or labels to clarify the true size of your products so shoppers know what they’re buying. Adding a scale with measurements in inches, centimeters, or another relevant unit is highly recommended here.

5) Include close-ups of key features

Close-ups are typically much more alluring and informative than wide images. They allow potential buyers to inspect the finer details of your product, like the fabric, zippers, and pockets of a bag.

Consider how customers would examine your item in person. Zoom in on the details that make your products unique or attractive to leave nothing open to interpretation.

6) Capture every angle

When customers evaluate products in store, they tend to hold the item and inspect the top, back, inside, outside, etc. Likewise, your online photos should showcase your products at multiple angles. They should essentially offer a 360-degree view of your item so shoppers know exactly what to expect when they receive it in the mail.

If you’re unsure which angles to post on your listing, take various shots to keep in your library and test which angles perform best. Alternatively, you could create videos and stop-gap animations of your product rotating so customers can see every angle of the item without you having to upload 20-plus photos.

7) Show your products in action

Aside from managing expectations, images also serve to inspire shoppers. They help people build personal connections with your product even before your buyers see it in person.

When photographing alternate images, consider what you want your consumers to feel when they see your product: Do you want them to feel safe? Energized? Relaxed? By exhibiting your offerings in various use cases, you help shoppers visualize themselves implementing your items in their own lives.

You can simultaneously communicate the product’s intended use and user. For example, if you sell a children’s toy, you can show kids within your target age range playing with the toy. Be aware though, you’re not allowed to use children in main images. You can upload nine images to your product page, but only seven will be visible, so establish a plan to make the most of that space. You can also have one product video, but it counts as one of your visible product photos.

8) Follow image requirements

The quality of your product images means nothing if they fail to meet Amazon guidelines. The platform’s foremost rules include:

• Images should be a minimum of 500px on the shortest side and a maximum of 10,000px on the longest side. You’ll want a minimum of 1,600 pixels to enable zoom capabilities. However, aim for a sweet spot of about 2,500 pixels.
• Supported formats include .jpg, .jpeg, .tif, .png, and .gif. However, you can’t upload animated gifs.

Main images have extra requirements beyond the above-listed ones. Since these are the primary product photos used to promote items and the ones that show up in search engine results pages, Amazon developed higher standards for them, like:

• Images must have a pure-white background with an RGB color value of 255, 255, 255.
• The main image must be an actual photo with no props or accessories included.
• It can’t show multiple views of the product, text, or other markup.
• The product must be outside of its packaging.

Whether it’s the main image or secondary photos, pay attention to quality, accurately depict your product, and follow Amazon’s guidelines for the best results.

9) Edit judiciously

A little touch-up goes a long way toward making your photos look and feel professional. Normally, that entails paying a lightroom or photoshop expert to correct the lighting, balance the colors, and make sure all elements are crisp and clean.

Editing also gives you the opportunity to add details like measurements, text, and labels to your photos. While you can’t insert these in primary product photos, the others can leverage these edits to serve as helpful complements.

10) Make a photo checklist

You’re allotted nine product photos for every Amazon ASIN. To make the most of them, craft a product photography checklist, gauge the performance of the pictures you upload, then optimize them based on your findings. Specifically, you should focus on elements like:

• Main image (stock white background, product out of package, no accessories or extras)
• Product dimensions (photo with measurements and information to show scale)
• Product certifications and warnings (i.e., safety labels, energy usage labels; especially important for children’s toys and clothing)
• Lifestyle photos (to excite users about the product and show it in use)
• Detail photos (you can skip these by adding high-resolution images that customers can zoom in on, but specifically displaying details of zippers, artwork, textures, etc., can improve sales.)
• Instructions (for those products that require assembly or other guidance, reassuring the customer of the simplicity of this process may encourage conversions)

Wrapping up — Harness the power of high-quality photos

Photos are some of the most important components of your Amazon listing. They reel in customers, clarify shopper questions and doubts, and build confidence in your brand. Take the time to learn the best practices of product photography so you can support your sales by capturing top-notch images.