Amazon Product Image Requirements: The Ultimate Guide

Your Amazon listing has no chance to succeed unless you have good Amazon product images. Of course, after reading this blog, you'll have the tools to make sure your listing images are the best in your niche and fulfill all Amazon product image requirements.

Let's start from square one; this is meant to be the ultimate guide to Amazon product images after all! So whether you're an Amazon vet or just curious about selling on Amazon, this blog is for you.

So let's dive in!

What is Amazon Product Photography?

Amazon product photography is the art of taking pictures in a way that communicates to potential customers why they should buy your product. This type of photography differs from regular product photos because this type of photography is more focused on the features and benefits of the product while maintaining an attractive appeal.

Your goal should be to inform and convince your potential customers.

How Do Amazon Product Images Affect Conversion Rates?

People are visual creatures with low attention spans, so naturally, they are heavily influenced by visual stimulus, more so than through writing. 

It's a proven fact that listings with better images convert more. According to a survey done by 3M, the human brain can process an image in 13ms. Supposedly a human can process an image 60,000 times faster than it can text, which is why having good photography is so important.

If you have attractive photos explaining everything, potential buyers will not go to any other listing. Why would they need to? If you have communicated your value proposition, your product looks good, and your images have answered all their questions, there's no need.

Good images don't just increase conversions; they also increase your click-through rate if you have a great main image. 

How Do I Get Amazon Product Images Done?

You have two options when looking to get listing images done.

1. You get a professional studio to do it.

2. You do it yourself.

My recommendation would be to get a professional studio to take care of your Amazon product images. They ensure that images of your product are professional and poised to showcase your product in the best way possible. On top of that, Amazon has many product image requirements that you must follow, and it can be easy to miss certain requirements. 

But like I said earlier, this is the ULTIMATE guide after all! Of course, we are still going to cover how to actually take the photographs. I didn't mean to scare you earlier; you can definitely take high-quality images by yourself. The key here is to be informed about what you're doing so that you can execute it.

Types of Amazon Product Images:

The type of images you should get depends on your product, but I'll give you're a rundown on a basic image plan.

Every image plan should have 3 types of images: Main Image, Infographic Images, and Lifestyle Images.

Main image

The main image is arguably the most important part of your whole listing (aside from the product itself). This is the master shot of your product against a white background. It should showcase exactly what your product would look like if the customer opened it out of the box.

Examples of main images:

Infographic image

Infographic images, or simply infographics, are images that showcase the benefits of your product and contain text. These are the images highlighting all of your best features and why they make your product the best.

Examples of infographics:

Lifestyle images

Lifestyle images are designed to showcase your product in action. Since the potential buyer can't have the product in front of them, these images help them imagine what using the product would be like.

Examples of lifestyle images:

Now you know what types of images there are, but how many of each should you take?

Planning Amazon Product Images: Here's How I Go About it 

• Image 1: Main Image/Hero Shot

• Image 2: Shot showcasing all components included and or a shot showing measurements

• Image 3: Infographic of features

• Image 4: Infographic of features

• Image 5: Infographic of features

• Image 6: Lifestyle

• Image 7: Lifestyle

Of course, you can mix and match how many infographics or lifestyle images you have, but the one non-negotiable is the main image. So always ensure your main image is abiding by the rules.

Some products will benefit more from more infographic images. Maybe you have a complicated product like a pressure valve. Your niche probably cares less about seeing an image of it being used by someone and more about its functionality and whether it will work with their water system.

On the other hand, maybe your product just isn't that complicated. Maybe it's something straightforward like a jump rope, and you just want to showcase all the fun you can have with it.

I would recommend adding an image showing all of the components and or a sizing chart to ensure the customer knows exactly what they're getting. It will save you a lot of headaches if you just put that image instead of answering several emails about someone thinking your product was going to be bigger or smaller than expected.

How to Take Your Own Amazon Product Images

If you intend to take your own listing images, let's make sure you do it right. Follow these steps, and you should be in the clear.

Pre-shoot

Technical Requirements

You need to understand that some technical requirements must be followed when it comes to Amazon product photography. First things first, you need to save your image files in a TIFF, JPEG, GIF, or PNG format. 

It is better if you check your camera setting before beginning the photoshoot. Try to capture pictures in RAW mode; it gets easier to remove blurriness and edit later in different photography software. Your photos should have a minimum of 1000 pixels (either in Height or Width). 

Moreover, you don't need to add any dashes, spaces, and special characters in your image name. Understand the naming convention of the product images on Amazon; include product identified (such as ASIN, SKU, etc..), followed by period along with the file extension.

Be Conscious of Size Interpretation:

When shooting, ensure your product appears representative of its true size. The last thing you want is someone leaves a low star review saying the images were deceiving of how big the product is.

Physical Requirements:

Make sure you have everything you need to make the shoot successful. This means having a camera capable of taking crisp shots. You'll also need white background for your main image. Make sure you either have lighting or enough natural light. Finally, ensure you have any necessary models, props, or locations ready.

Photoshoot Day:

White Background:

Your main image needs to be plain white. To accomplish this, a bedsheet or a poster board with white paper will be fine.

Lighting:

Lighting is essential to display your product in a positive light (pun intended). The right lighting can make any type of product beautiful, which in turn creates more sales.

You can use natural light (i.e. light coming through a window), but you can control it, and there is a time window in which you have to work.

I would recommend investing in some entry-level lighting just so that you get consistency without having to rely on the sun being out.

It's really up to you as to what you want to do with your lighting, but it's a good idea to experiment with different arrangements. 

A golden rule to follow is ELIMINATE ALL SHADOWS.

Shoot Different Angles:

Take more photos than you think you need. It's better to have taken too many photos than not enough. Shooting at different angles allows you to later go back to all of the raw images and opt for the best possible one.

Remember, we want to make sure your customer completely understands your product. We don't want them to miss out on a single thing because a shot from a certain angle wasn't taken.

Set your camera on a steady surface:

Whether you invest in a tripod or you set your camera down on a hard surface, you need crisp photos. The last thing you want is a slight blur from you hold the camera or a titled shot.

You Finished Your Amazon Product Image Shoot Now What?

Below are a few more things you should do.

But having top-notch photos will only go so far in getting your listing traction. If you aren't using Amazon PPC ads to get more exposure for your listing, it's one of the most powerful tools available to Amazon sellers, and you can use software to automate ad setup and optimization. Click here for a review of the top Amazon PPC software providers.

Infographics & Touchups

If you are capable of Photoshop, then you may be able to add infographics to the images and edit them yourself.

The alternative is you hire someone on Fiverr to do infographics and edit your images for you. This is probably the more reliable method, and you can usually find someone who has the necessary skills for a very reasonable price.

How Do I Add the Photos to a NEW Product Listing?

1. Click Manage Inventory from the Inventory drop-down menu in Seller Central and click Add a product, located at the top-right of the page or click Add a product from the Inventory menu in Seller Central.

2. Click the Create a new product listing link and browse for your products category.

3. Complete the fields under the Vital Info and Offer tabs.

4. On the Images tab, click Add Images.

5. In the pop-up window, under the Images tab, click Browse for the first empty image placement. The main image is the top left image slot in this section of the page.

6. Select an image from your computer and click Open.

7. Click Save and finish to add your image to the listing.

How Do I Add the Photos to an EXISTING Product Listing?

1. From your dashboard, go to the Inventory drop-down menu, and select Manage Inventory.

2. Click the Edit drop-down for each product on the far right, select Manage Images.

3. Go to the Images tab and scroll down to the section titled Your image recommendations.

4. Click on Upload for any of the empty image slots. The MAIN image is the top left image slot in this section of the page.

5. Select an image from your computer and click Open.

6. Click Save at the bottom right of the page to add your image to the listing.

Guidelines for Amazon Product Image Requirements

Amazon maintains strict guidelines in terms of product image requirements. When attempting to take images yourself, always ensure you're meeting its standards. Even if you get photos professionally done, it's always a good idea to look over these Amazon product image requirements and double-check to ensure your images are good to go!

Technical Amazon product image requirements

Product images submitted to Amazon must meet the following technical Amazon Product Image requirements.

• TIFF (.tif/.tiff), JPEG (.jpeg/.jpg), GIF (.gif) and PNG (.png) format

• Image pixel dimensions of at least 1000 or larger in either height or width preferred

• sRGB or CMYK color mode

• File names must consist of the product identifier (Amazon ASIN, 13-digit ISBN, EAN, JAN, or UPC) followed by a period and the appropriate file extension (Example: B000123456.jpg or 0237425673485.tif)

Note: Spaces, dashes, or additional characters in the filename will prevent your image from going online.

Amazon Site Standards for Product Images

For images named by product identifier without a variant code or named with the MAIN variant, and display as the main image on the product detail page, Amazon maintains the following product image requirements:

• The image must be the cover art or a professional photograph of the product being sold. Drawings or illustrations of the product are not allowed.

• The image must not contain gratuitous or confusing additional objects.

• The image must be in focus, professionally lit and photographed or scanned, with realistic color, and smooth edges.

• Books, Music, and Video/DVD images should be the front cover art, and fill 100% of the image frame. Jewel cases, promotional stickers, and cellophane are not allowed.

• All other products should fill 85% or more of the image frame.

• The full product must be in frame.

• Backgrounds must be pure white (RGB 255,255,255).

• The image must not contain additional text, graphics, or inset images.

• Pornographic and offensive materials are not allowed. 

Amazon product image requirement for additional other view images: 

• The image must be of, or pertain to, the product being sold.

• The image must be in focus, professionally lit and photographed or scanned, with realistic color, and smooth edges.

• Other products or objects are allowed to help demonstrate the use or scale of the product.

• The product and props should fill 85% or more of the image frame.

• Cropped or close-up images are allowed.

• Backgrounds and environments are allowed.

• Text and demonstrative graphics are allowed.

• Pornographic and offensive materials are not allowed.

Having top-notch photos will only go so far in getting your listing traction.

If you aren't using Amazon PPC ads to get more exposure for your listing, you're missing out on one of the most powerful tools available to Amazon sellers! You can use software to automate ad setup and optimization, making the process quick and easy.

Click here for a review of the top Amazon PPC software providers.

Amazon Product Images: Conclusion

Whether you're just starting out or already have an established product catalog, your photos are the most important aspect of your listing. Investing in high-quality images will lead to higher click-through rates and more conversions for your products on Amazon.

The better quality they look, the better chance you'll have of making a sale! That's because the images are often what customers use as a deciding factor in whether or not they purchase your item.

So before you upload that next batch of listings, take some time and make sure each photo is perfect – with high resolution and well-lit shots for maximum appeal.

If you need help with any step of the product photography process, contact AMZ One Step - our team can make sure that all of your photo needs are met so that you don't miss any opportunities when it comes to selling on Amazon.