Standing out in the competitive world of e-commerce requires more than just great products – it demands exceptional product photography that meets marketplace standards. Understanding and implementing eBay and Amazon product photography requirements is crucial for success in online selling. Below, we break down the critical photography standards that can make or break your e-commerce success – because, in the digital marketplace, your product photos aren’t just images, they’re your strongest sales tool.
Image quality and resolution essentials

High-quality product images are the foundation of successful e-commerce listings. They serve as your product’s first impression and can significantly impact conversion rates.
Professional-grade images require specific technical specifications to meet marketplace standards. Amazon and eBay mandate a minimum resolution of 1000 pixels on the longest side, ensuring images remain sharp across different devices and zoom levels.
This requirement exists because high-resolution images allow customers to examine product details closely. 75% of online shoppers rely on product photos when deciding on a potential purchase – this goes to show just how important it is to always have high-quality product images on your e-commerce platform. When shoppers can clearly see what they’re buying, they make more informed purchasing decisions. Additionally, high-resolution images contribute to better search rankings within both platforms’ algorithms, as they demonstrate listing quality and professionalism.
Product photos must maintain clarity even when compressed for web use. Images should be optimized to load quickly while retaining visual quality, with file sizes typically between 500KB and 10MB. This balance is crucial because slow-loading images can increase bounce rates by up to 40%, while poor compression can result in blurry or pixelated images that diminish buyer confidence.
The importance of proper lighting cannot be overstated in achieving these quality standards. Well-lit products photographed with professional equipment ensure crisp details and accurate color representation. Professional lighting setups eliminate shadows and hot spots that can distract from the product’s features and potentially violate marketplace requirements.
By maintaining consistent image quality across your entire product catalog, you create a professional brand image that builds trust with potential customers. Studies indicate that listings with professional-quality images receive up to 60% more engagement than those with subpar photography, translating directly to increased sales and reduced customer service inquiries.
Background and composition rules
E-commerce background requirements play a crucial role in marketplace compliance and visual appeal of your product images.
Both Amazon and eBay require pure white backgrounds (RGB: 255, 255, 255) for main product images. This standardization creates a clean, professional look across the marketplace and helps products stand out.
There is a simple reason for eBay and Amazon’s background requirement: white background product photos have a higher click-through rate for compared to those with colored or busy backgrounds. The white background ensures that potential buyers focus solely on your product without distractions. This psychological principle, known as figure-ground separation, helps shoppers process product information more efficiently and make faster purchasing decisions.
Product positioning within the frame must follow specific guidelines. The item should occupy 85% of the image frame, allowing for optimal visibility while maintaining proper context and scale. This ratio has been determined through extensive user experience research to provide the best balance between detail visibility and overall product presentation.
Professional photographers achieve this through careful composition techniques and post-processing. The product must be centered and properly aligned, with no tilting unless specifically showing a product feature. Advanced post-processing techniques, including clipping path services and shadow manipulation, ensure perfect background removal while maintaining natural product shadows that add depth and dimensionality.
Maintaining these strict background and composition standards helps create a cohesive shopping experience across the platform while maximizing your product’s visual appeal. Consistency in background treatment across your entire catalog has been shown to increase buyer trust and reduce the time spent comparison shopping.
Lighting and shadow standards

Professional lighting is a critical component that can make or break your product photography compliance.
E-commerce platforms require shadows to be minimal and natural-looking. Soft shadows are acceptable and even recommended for adding depth, but harsh shadows that distract from the product are prohibited.
Industry research shows that properly lit products with controlled shadows have a higher conversion rate compared to poorly lit alternatives. This is because appropriate lighting helps customers better understand product textures, materials, and details, leading to more confident purchasing decisions.
Professional studios achieve this through multiple light sources and diffusers. The three-point lighting technique, consisting of key, fill, and rim lights, has become the industry standard for e-commerce photography, ensuring consistent illumination from all angles.
Shadow control requires precise light positioning and power ratios. The fill light should be set to approximately 50% of the key light’s power to maintain natural-looking shadows while eliminating unwanted dark areas. This technique ensures your products appear three-dimensional while meeting marketplace requirements.
Advanced light control techniques, such as gradient lighting and specular highlight management, help showcase product features without creating distracting reflections or shadows that might violate platform guidelines.
Aspect ratio and cropping requirements
Understanding and implementing proper aspect ratios is vital for marketplace success and consistent brand presentation.
Both platforms recommend a square 1:1 aspect ratio for main images, though Amazon now accepts up to 10:16 for specific categories. This standardization ensures consistent presentation across different devices and viewing contexts.
Analysis of marketplace data reveals that square format images receive more engagement than rectangular formats. This is partly because square images display optimally across both desktop and mobile interfaces (and occupy a much larger space on a mobile screen than a rectangular photo), providing a consistent shopping experience regardless of device.
Professional cropping must consider the product’s orientation and key features. The rule of thirds should be applied while maintaining the required center positioning, creating visually appealing images that still meet marketplace guidelines.
Proper cropping techniques ensure that no essential product features are cut off while maintaining the required white space around the item. This balance has been shown to improve customer understanding of product scale and proportions by up to 45%.
Smart cropping strategies must also account for how images will display in search results and thumbnail views, ensuring your product remains recognizable and attractive at any size.
File formats and technical specifications

Understanding the technical product image requirements is essential for marketplace compliance and optimal presentation.
Both platforms accept JPEG, PNG, and TIFF file formats, with JPEG being the most commonly used due to its balance of quality and file size. Images must use the sRGB or RGB color profile to ensure consistent color representation across different devices.
Color accuracy is crucial – studies indicate that 22% of online returns are due to products not matching their photos. Using proper color profiles helps maintain accuracy from camera to customer screen. It may thus be a good idea to implement color management systems throughout the photography workflow.
File naming conventions must follow platform-specific guidelines. Amazon requires unique identifiers in file names, while eBay recommends descriptive naming that helps with SEO optimization. Proper file naming has been shown to greatly improve search visibility within marketplace search results.
Compression should be handled carefully to maintain image quality. A compression ratio of 80-90% typically provides the best balance between file size and visual quality. Advanced compression techniques, such as progressive JPEGs and selective compression, can further optimize images for marketplace requirements while maintaining visual integrity.
These technical specifications ensure your images display properly across all devices and maintain their quality throughout the customer’s shopping experience. Technically optimized images can improve page load times, boosting your conversion rates.
Advanced photography guidelines
Beyond basic requirements, certain photography techniques can significantly enhance your product listings.
Multiple angle shots are essential – platforms recommend 5-7 images per listing showing different product views. Jungle Scout explains simply: “If you just show one angle of your product, it may leave the customer wondering what the rest of your product looks like.“ Having multiple photos shot from different angles thus reduces customer uncertainty and provides a virtual “hands-on” experience.
Macro photography for detail shots must maintain the same quality standards while highlighting specific product features. These close-up images should be sharp and well-lit, helping customers understand product details. By setting accurate expectations about product details and materials, you can increase customer trust and your chances of selling.
Lifestyle images, while not allowed as main photos, can be included in secondary positions. These contextual shots help customers visualize product use and increase purchase confidence. Market research shows that listings including lifestyle images can increase customer engagement and of course, higher conversion rates.
These advanced techniques, when properly executed, create a complete visual presentation that drives sales and reduces customer inquiries. The investment in professional product photography using these techniques typically shows a return on investment within 2-3 months through increased sales and reduced customer service costs.
Also, adding an Amazon product video can significantly enhance your listing by showcasing your product in action. Videos allow potential buyers to see features and benefits firsthand, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
Mobile optimization considerations

In today’s mobile-first shopping environment, optimizing images for mobile devices requires special attention to detail.
Mobile-optimized product images must maintain clarity and impact at smaller sizes while adhering to eBay and Amazon product photography requirements. This demands careful attention to contrast and detail preservation during the photography and editing process.
Recent studies show that more than half of e-commerce browsing occurs on mobile devices, making mobile optimization crucial. Images that maintain their impact on smaller screens see higher engagement rates on mobile platforms.
Mobile-specific compression techniques help balance loading speed with visual quality. Progressive loading ensures that mobile users see a preview while the full-resolution image loads, reducing bounce rates by up to 30%.
Clean, simple compositions become even more important on mobile devices where screen space is limited. Elements must be clearly visible at thumbnail size while maintaining their impact when expanded. Unoptimized product photos create friction in the mobile shopping experience, driving potential customers away when images appear too small, load sluggishly, or display improperly on smartphones.
Mobile-optimized product photography stands at the intersection of customer trust and conversion rates, making it an essential investment rather than a luxury in modern e-commerce success.
Amazon vs eBay: key differences in requirements

While both platforms share many basic requirements, understanding their unique specifications is essential for marketplace success.
Amazon enforces stricter main image requirements, mandating pure white backgrounds with no props or additional elements. Their zoom function requires images to be at least 1600 pixels on the longest side for optimal performance.
Amazon is transparent in admitting it favors sellers who meet all product photo requirements over those who don’t. The platform’s A+ Content options provide additional opportunities for enhanced imagery.
eBay offers more flexibility with secondary images and allows watermarks in specific positions. Their requirements focus more on image clarity and accurate representation than strict styling rules. This flexibility can be leveraged to create more branded and distinctive listings while maintaining professional standards.
Product variations on eBay can share image sets, while Amazon requires unique images for each variation. This difference impacts how you plan and execute your product photography strategy. Understanding these platform-specific requirements can reduce rejection rates and greatly speed up listing approval processes.
These platform-specific requirements must be considered when planning your e-commerce photography approach to ensure compliance and maximize sales potential. Successful sellers often maintain separate image sets optimized for each platform’s specific requirements and audience expectations.
Wrapping up
Mastering product photography requirements for eBay and Amazon is essential for e-commerce success. While these image guidelines may seem demanding, they exist to create a professional, consistent shopping experience that benefits both sellers and buyers. The investment in high-quality product photography that meets these specifications typically yields significant returns through increased sales and reduced returns.
As e-commerce continues to evolve, staying compliant with platform requirements while maintaining exceptional visual quality becomes increasingly challenging. This is where professional CGI product photography services like Welpix can make a significant difference. By leveraging cutting-edge CGI technology, Welpix creates stunning, marketplace-compliant product images that meet all technical specifications while reducing production time and costs.
Our expertise in both platform requirements and advanced visualization techniques ensures your products stand out in the competitive e-commerce landscape while maintaining full compliance with marketplace standards. With Welpix’s CGI solutions, you can achieve consistent, high-quality product imagery across all your listings while saving time and resources typically spent on traditional photography setups.
FAQ
What are the minimum image dimensions for Amazon and eBay?
Amazon requires at least 1000 pixels on the longest side (1600 pixels recommended for zoom functionality), while eBay requires a minimum of 500 pixels with recommended dimensions of 1600 pixels.
Can I use the same main image for both platforms?
Yes, if your image meets the stricter Amazon requirements, it will also comply with eBay’s guidelines. Ensure it has a pure white background and proper resolution.
Are watermarks allowed on product images?
Amazon prohibits watermarks on main images but allows them on additional photos. eBay permits watermarks that don’t interfere with product visibility.
How many images should I include per listing?
Both platforms recommend 5-7 high-quality images showing different angles and details of your product for optimal listing performance.
What file formats are accepted for product images?
Both Amazon and eBay accept JPEG, PNG, and TIFF formats, with JPEG being the most commonly used due to its optimal balance of quality and file size.