On this label
- Etsy recommends listing photos of at least 2000 pixels on each side; the first photo should be at least 635 pixels.
- Amazon’s main image needs a pure white background with the product filling 85% of the frame.
- Etsy requires your own photographs for items you made.
Online, the photo is the product until it arrives. Buyers cannot pick it up, so every question they would answer by holding it has to be answered by an image. The good news is that marketplace photos do not need expensive gear. They need to meet each platform’s rules, be sharp and well lit, and show the product honestly.
The rules first
| Requirement | Etsy | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| File types | .jpg, .gif, .png, .svg or .heic; no animated GIFs or transparent PNGs | JPEG (recommended), TIFF, PNG, non-animated GIF |
| Size | At least 2000 pixels wide and high recommended; first photo at least 635 pixels to avoid ranking lower | At least 500 pixels on the longest side; 1,000+ recommended and enables zoom; maximum 10,000 |
| Main image background | Your choice | Pure white (RGB 255, 255, 255) |
| Main image content | Your choice | Product fills 85% of the frame, shown once, no props not included, no text or badges |
| Ownership | Items you made must use your own photographs | Images must accurately represent the product and match the title |
Etsy also warns that images larger than 1MB may not finish uploading on slow connections, and that uploaded images are compressed, so they may look a little less sharp than the originals. Transparent areas in a PNG appear black on Etsy. Amazon says images that fail its requirements cannot be uploaded or may be removed from search, and that a product with no compliant main image may be temporarily removed from search until one is provided.
A home setup that works
- Light: a large window with indirect daylight, or two inexpensive continuous lights. Avoid direct sun and mixed light sources.
- Background: a sheet of white poster board curved from the wall onto the table, so there is no horizon line behind the product.
- Reflector: a second white board opposite the window to soften shadows.
- Camera: a recent phone is enough. Use a tripod or a stack of books, and the timer, so photos are sharp.
- Consistency: mark positions on the table with tape so every product in a series is shot at the same angle and distance.
Tip: Clean the product before you shoot. Dust, fingerprints and lint are easy to miss in person and impossible to miss at 2000 pixels.
The shot list
Plan a set of images that answers the questions a buyer would ask in a shop:
| Shot | Answers the question |
|---|---|
| Main image, clean background | What is it? |
| Other angles: back, side, top, bottom | What does the rest of it look like? |
| Close-up of texture or detail | How well is it made? |
| Scale shot next to a familiar object | How big is it really? |
| In use or in a setting | How would it look in my home or on me? |
| Variations or color options | What else can I choose? |
| Packaging, if it is part of the gift | Will it arrive ready to give? |
Amazon names many of these slots itself, with codes for additional angles, product-in-use and detail shots, swatches and safety information. On Amazon, keep lifestyle and scale shots for the secondary images; the main image must stay on white.
Honest images
Editing to correct color and exposure is normal. Editing that changes what the buyer receives is not. Amazon’s rules require images to accurately represent the real scale, quantity and color of the product. Etsy requires your own photographs for items you made. Amazon also requires sellers to tag images containing photorealistic AI-generated people with specific metadata before upload, because some jurisdictions may require disclosure.
More broadly, the Federal Trade Commission judges an ad from the point of view of a reasonable consumer, looking at it in context: words, phrases and pictures. A photo that makes a product look larger, brighter or better made than it is will come back as returns and poor reviews; see Handling Returns and Reviews: Platform Policies, FTC Rules and Replies That Help.
Photos on a phone screen
Etsy’s 2025 annual report says 45% of its marketplace sales went through the Etsy app. Your first image is often a small thumbnail among dozens. Check every main image at thumbnail size: is the product instantly recognizable, centered and in focus? Pair it with a clear title; see Writing Product Listings That Convert: Titles, Descriptions and Claims You Can Back Up.
A quick quality check before publishing
Amazon recommends JPEG files in RGB color, at least 72 dpi, and warns sellers not to artificially enlarge small images to reach the minimum size.
- Every image is sharp at full size.
- Colors match the real product under daylight.
- The main image meets the platform’s rules.
- There is at least one scale shot and one detail shot.
- Nothing in the photo is missing from the box unless it is clearly described as not included.