Photo guide
Prepare a branded product's photos for Amazon, eBay and Google
You sell a branded product and want it listed on Amazon, eBay and Google Merchant Center. The three marketplaces ask for slightly different photos, but one careful photo shoot covers all of them. This guide walks through the photo work in order, with a free tool for each step.
This guide covers product photos only, not video, titles or descriptions.
Every tool runs in your browser, so your photos are never uploaded.
What each marketplace asks for
Amazon
- Main image: a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255).
- Other images may use a neutral or real-life background.
- 1,000 px or more on the longest side lets buyers zoom, 1,600 px is recommended, and 10,000 px is the limit.
- No added text or borders on the main image, and the product must not look too small.
eBay
- The first photo is the main photo shown in search results. Show the whole item, face-on.
- White backgrounds are generally best. A darker one can suit shiny or reflective items.
- At least 500 px on the longest side. About 1,600 × 1,600 px is recommended.
- Each photo can be up to 12 MB.
- No added borders, text or watermarks on any photo.
Google Merchant Center
- Each product, and each variant, needs its own main image.
- A solid white or transparent background is recommended. Light-coloured products on a transparent background can appear black.
- Around 1,500 × 1,500 px or above is recommended. Files can be up to 16 MB.
- No added text or borders.
Step by step
Step 1: Shoot every angle once, at full size
Photograph the product in even light at your camera's full resolution. All three marketplaces want one main photo plus optional extra photos, and they warn against enlarging small images, so start large and only ever scale down.
- Main photo: the whole product, face-on.
- Extra photos: other angles, close-ups of details and the product in use.
Step 2: Put the main photo on pure white
Amazon requires a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255) on the main image. eBay says white is generally best and Google recommends solid white, so one white main photo works for all three. Change Background replaces the background for you.
- Your other photos can keep a natural setting: Amazon allows neutral or real-life backgrounds on them.
- Don't leave the background transparent: Google warns that light products on a transparent background can appear black.
Step 3: Crop so the product fills the frame
Crop away the empty space around the product. Amazon can suppress an image when the product looks too small, and Google may crop images automatically.
- eBay says square (1:1) or 16:9 photos look best.
- Don't fill the space with borders, frames or text: all three marketplaces prohibit added text and borders on the main image.
Step 4: Resize for each marketplace
Scale your photos down to a size each marketplace recommends. A photo at least 1,600 px on both sides meets all three recommendations at once, and eBay scales larger photos down itself.
- Amazon: 1,000 px or more on the longest side lets buyers zoom, 1,600 px is recommended, and 10,000 px is the limit.
- eBay: at least 500 px on the longest side is required, and about 1,600 × 1,600 px is recommended.
- Google Merchant Center: around 1,500 × 1,500 px or above is recommended.
- If a photo is too small, reshoot it rather than enlarging it. Amazon and Google both advise against scaling small images up.
Step 5: Keep the files small enough to upload
eBay accepts photos up to 12 MB each and Google up to 16 MB. If an exported photo is larger, Compress Image makes the file smaller.
- Save the final photos as JPEG: all three marketplaces accept it, and Amazon recommends it.
Step 6: Check each main photo before you list
Run each marketplace's main photo through its checker. The checkers analyse the image in your browser and flag problems such as a background that isn't white, a product that looks too small, borders, text and sizes below the recommendation.
Prepare all three sets in one product
Start a product with Amazon, eBay and Google Merchant Center already selected. Add your photos once, prepare them with the same tools and download one package with a folder for each marketplace. Your work is saved on your device.
Start a product