BrightSides Creations | Product Photography Services

Ecommerce Product Photography Studio

How many times did you try to resolve issues with shop images trying to add your products to marketplaces? There can be different reasons for upload errors from format incompatibility to incorrect sizes of product photos. Listing an item is often a headache even for experienced sellers. What are the secrets that will help to prevent such problems? What is the best size that makes your products more attractive to shoppers on centralized platforms? 

Let us look closer at problems that can arise when online sellers place their commodities on the most popular e-commerce platforms. 

Importance of image optimization on a product page

Merchants should learn to optimize images for marketplaces, which is also significant for any e-commerce website. Proper optimization speeds up the loading of web pages. Online stores become very slow without it, while customers don’t want to wait for the pages to load and just leave. In this way, a slow website load time affects your conversion. 

Image optimization solves this problem effectively without reducing the image quality. There are many tools and online services now that can optimize the media files without compromising on their quality. As a result, we still have high-resolution images, but with lower file sizes. 

Why correctly sized images matter

The perception of customers is very important for e-commerce platforms. Taking into account the risks of online shopping, customers are very cautious about it. 58% of consumers refuse to buy without the possibility to touch and test the product. Therefore, quality photos and videos are a great way to remove doubts. Incorrect and distorted image sizes produce an unfavorable impression and deteriorate customer experience. 

Why is it essential to follow the recommendations of the platforms? Experts know that too small images decrease the sales volume. The situation is even worse when the images are too large. As was mentioned above, it affects the page loading speed that becomes slower when the file’s size is too large. 

Basic image sizes for eCommerce platforms

Size is an essential characteristic that should be taken into consideration to make good product photography. Since products are displayed differently, there are three main sizes usually used by e-commerce sites.

  1. First of all, the sites use thumbnails that are meant to display the item in the product category. Thumbnails also appear in search results for visitors to see the product when they look through search results lists. These photos are small and have sizes of 100×100 or 200×200 pixels. Though nothing is practically seen on a thumbnail with the exception of color, shape, and design, it is usually still possible to see the product when clicking on the thumbnail. It either provides a larger image or leads customers to a product page.
  2. Also, product pages should have photos of medium size. It is essential to offer high-quality images to be attractive to customers. The usual sizes for this group are 640×640 or 800×800. At this, the product should be shown from different perspectives, which is important for customers to see the item well. Ideally, there shouldn’t be any questions left after seeing the product photos so the task of the photographer is to show the front, and side of the product and to display the underneath perspective if needed.
  3. Along with thumbnails and medium-sized photos, large detail views are of great importance. In some categories, these images are more important than in others but in general, the customers should get comprehensive information about the product, so the close-ups deliver it to them. Such photographs are usually 800×800 or 1000×1000 pixels. These can be separate close-up shots and with the integrated click-to-zoom feature or mouse hovering to display close-up shots to consumers. However, large close-ups may not be suitable for mouse hovering. They are too large for this feature.

Image sizes requirements for the most popular e-commerce platforms

The restrictions vary from one platform to another. Some restrict the image size to certain parameters, while others apply the automatic reduction of the size to their requirements, so it is not problematic for the merchant to upload the photo. You should just make sure that the item is displayed properly on the product page. Numerous platforms introduce their photo restrictions, but we are interested in major e-commerce platforms first of all.

Amazon product image requirements

This is a very popular platform that can boast a 49% share of the US e-commerce market. However, the competition is huge there. There are strict regulations you should follow to upload the products’ data. 

  • The longest side of the image should be at least 500 pixels;
  • The recommended size of the image is 2000×2000;
  • The image should be at least 1000px in either width or height to enable the zooming feature;
  • The file size shouldn’t exceed 10 MB;
  • The platform accepts such formats as JPEG, JPG, PNG, TIFF, GIF;
  • The image should have CMYK or SRGB color mode;
  • The name of the file should include a product identifier;
  • The name should exclude spaces, additional characters, and dashes.

Additionally, Amazon accepts only well-lit product images of professional quality on a white background. Taking 85% of the image area, the products should have realistic colors. According to the rules, main images must not include items that are not shipped with the product so as not to mislead customers. The additional photos can include some object(s) that help to show how to use the product or demonstrate the scale of the product. There can also be backgrounds and an environment on them. Text and graphics are forbidden on the main photo but can be displayed on additional ones.  

Magento product image size and other requirements

 The platform recommends using product images of three different sizes for merchants. 

  • When choosing the proper Magento product image upload the 50 x 50 thumbnail that is needed for the thumbnail gallery. The same small size is applied to the image in the shopping cart. It is also employed when the Related Items suggestions are offered for shoppers. 
  • The 370×370 size is required for the category listings and search results display pages. Additionally, it is used at several sections arranged on the platform, for instance, the Cross-Sells, Up-Sells, and New products. It should be considered that the Base Image size (main image shown on the product details page) is 370×370 without zooming. 
  • The administrator of the e-commerce platform recommends using the 1100x1100px size when image zoom is needed. 

It is important to know that shoppers can zoom out 2 or 3 times depending on the number of images you upload. The platform recommends uploading the images with the sRGB color profile for the best compatibility. Take into consideration that other color profiles are automatically converted to the sRGB when you upload photos. The functionality of the system includes an image upload resizing option so that all images could match a specific pixel size and ensure that photos have a similar size and look.

Woocommerce product image size and other requirements

Merchants should create product pages that meet the basic requirements of the e-commerce platform. 

  • The photos should have the correct dimensions. The minimal size is 800×1000 pixels. A more complicated product can have an image with a size of 2000 pixels and even more to enable detailed zooming. 
  • The photo should be made from different perspectives and optimized for uploading.

The platform Woocommerce asks merchants to optimize the images for faster website speed and display products from different perspectives to give shoppers a better idea of a product. 

Walmart product image size and other requirements

Taking into account that eCommerce sales on the Walmart marketplace increased 74% in 2020, it is worth listing your products on this platform. The more so since the conditions are pretty simple there. You should just know the basic requirements to start getting revenues there. 

The main points for sellers listing their products on Walmart:

  • A 4:3 portrait ratio format is obligatory for all items;
  • Photos should be 1500×2000 pixels for the fashion category and 1000×1000 for most images;
  • Swatch images should have a size of 100×100;
  • Listings without zoom capability should have dimensions 600×800 and higher;
  • The list of formats accepted includes JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP;
  • The maximum file size is 5 MB;
  • Each product should have at least 2 images, though 4 images are recommended;
  • The list of acceptable formats includes JPEG, JPG, PNG, and BMP;
  • The accessories not shipped with a product should be excluded;
  • The centered position is recommended. 

If the product images are non-compliant, they may display as distorted. It is recommended to upload professional images taken with professional lighting and focus. The main images should include the frontal view of a product. There shouldn’t be more than 50% of white space around the product on the main photo. 

eBay product image size and other requirements

The maximum image dimension supported by the API is 15,000px taken height and width together. In case the image doesn’t reach 1,000 px (width+height), the merchant gets a warning. However, the image is still accepted by the system. Also, merchants should remember the following things: 

  • The platform recommends the size from 800 to 1600 pixels on a longer side for the perfect display of the zoom-in feature. 
  • The image shouldn’t be more than 12 MB.
  • The formats supported include JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, and GIF.
  • The number of product shots shouldn’t exceed 12 photos if this is a non-motor product. As for the motors products, the number of photos can reach 24. 
  • The product can have only 1 image. 
  • 80-90% of the photo area should be taken by a product on the main photo.
  • The photo should include only a product. When the multipacks are sold, the main products should be clearly seen. 
  • There should be a solid background on a photo with colors from white to gray.

The marketplace offers to use diffuse, soft lighting for product photos without using flash. At this, all details of a product should be seen in a photo. The additional photos should display the product from different angles. The administrator asks to avoid embellishments on the photos such as frames, borders, and other things that distract consumers. 

Shopify product image size and other requirements

The platform recommends using product photos of the particular size, which is 1024×1024 at 72 dots per inch resolution. This is not a restriction. It is possible to upload photos with a size of up to 4472×4472. 

You should be mindful of Shopify image sizes. If you neglect this factor, the store visitors may not feel convenient about their shopping experience. As a result, it can tell your sales revenue. 

It is highly recommended to pay attention to the following aspects: 

  • File size

The images can be blurred if the size is too small or too large.

  • Aspect ratio

It depends on the number of pixels. 

  • Style

The style should be cohesive. If one picture is bright and the other one is taken in soft, pastel colors, it deteriorates the perception of the product. 

  • Consistency

Consistency should correspond with a brand personality. This is always a feature of a stable brand, and customers feel that. 

Other platforms such as Yahoo! Merchant Solutions and Wix also specify the required sizes such as 2000 pixels of maximal size (either width or height) for the first one and two different formats for Wix: 200×200 pixels for gallery images, while product details pages should display images of 400×400 pixels. The ratio of all product photos on Wix should be 4:3. 

As you see, merchants should be attentive and apply different approaches to different platforms when they upload graphic content. You can surely study product photography tips and make the product photos to meet the requirements of e-commerce platforms but isn’t it better to focus on your business leaving this job to professional specialists? It will help you to save tons of time and get a superb result! 

Photo formats explained

The most widespread formats of images are:

  • Jpeg/JPG

JPG is abbreviated from Joint Photographic Group. The photos of this format are the most widespread images over the web. The benefit of this format is a good balance of size and quality. 

  • PNG

PNG is abbreviated from Portable Network Graphic. Though such PNG files contain more data and, consequently, are larger, they don’t lose quality when they are compressed. It is also good to use such a format for digital art, for instance, logos.

  • GIF

GIF is abbreviated from Graphics Interchange Format. In contrast to previous formats, it additionally supports animated images. 

Types of products images

  • Product-only photos

What you see most often on e-commerce websites is a product-only image. Most often these are photos on a white background taken by the photography services. For instance, such photos are a necessity for Amazon. This is the best way to show the product to customers who are not distracted by other items in the photo. Post-production stages can include the addition of props and shadows. 

  • Lifestyle images

Such images can convert potential consumers into your customers. Shoppers look at the product photos and imagine how to use them in real life. Lifestyle images can significantly increase the conversion rate. This is a very good solution if you want to tell a story or just to show the variant of using the item.

  • Product in use

Such images help customers to examine the product. It helps users to feel closer to a real experience of buying the product. It is very important for consumers who are devoid of a testing routine when shopping online. However, seeing the photographs of the products with someone using the product helps customers to feel some kind of satisfaction. It also persuades users that the product works properly. The product videos are even more efficient in this case. Product-in-use pictures play an important role as they contribute to decision-making. 

  • Slideshow images

As stats say slideshow images are the most viewed on the Shopify store. It is essential as this is the first thing customers see when they explore products in the online store. The best Shopify image varies from 1200 to 2000 pixels in width, and from 400 to 600 pixels in height.

  • Collection images

Collection images refer to a group of product images. Photos with a clean and focused look of items should feature consistency. The images within the collection should have the same size and dimensions. 

 Conclusion

It is very important to create a long-lasting experience of a product at a first glance therefore images should be ideal to sell well. Website product photography is the central thing that attracts consumers. It should impress them, create curiosity, and arouse a desire to try the item, driving the visitors to try new products. It can be done with visuals that have incredible power. They can make people buy the product even when they don’t need it. Perfect presentation of an item attained with professionals from the photography studio and editing software works like magic! 

If you are too confused about all these rules, the professional photographers of our studio are ready to help you with it. You should just specify the platform and other details to get a bunch of high-quality products images taken in a photo studio. Your product pages should sell well. You’ll achieve this goal with our assistance.