Amazon Photography Tips and Rules

We are often asked what are some of the best practices for photos on Amazon. The truth of the matter is as long as you follow Amazon's basic rules, have professional photos (clean, well lit, good angles, highlight what matters, etc), and make sure that you stand out from your competition, it's easy!

Below are Amazon's Rules: (Taken from https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200202110)

• Images must accurately represent the product and show only the product that's for sale, with minimal or no propping.
• MAIN images must have a pure white background (pure white blends in with the Amazon search and item detail pages - RGB values of 255, 255, 255). 
• MAIN images must show the actual product (not a graphic or illustration), and must NOT show excluded accessories, props that may confuse the customer, text that is not part of the product, or logos/watermarks/inset images. 
• The product must fill 85% or more of the image. 
• Images should be 1000 pixels or larger in either height or width, as this will enable zoom function on the website (zoom has proven to enhance sales). The smallest your file should be is 500 pixels on the longest side. 
• Amazon accepts JPEG (.jpg), TIFF (.tif), or GIF (.gif) file formats. JPEG is preferred.
• MAIN images should be supplemented with additional images showing different sides of a product, the product in use, or details that aren't visible in the MAIN image
• A white background is recommended, but not required. Additional images must not include logos or watermarks, and all props or accessories must be presented in a way that do not cause customer confusion.

Here are a few tips we recommend:

- Always have the photo be at LEAST 1500 pixels long. Amazon will automatically size to this. If the image is smaller than this, it might be distorted by the time Amazon re-sizes it. 

- Do not fill additional images with redundant images. This does not add anything to your listing. 

- You are allowed up to 9 Images. Use as many as you can that make sense. This will keep people on your listing longer, which will help with conversion.

- You can use text and graphics on the additional images but NOT the main image. 

- Environment and lifestyle images help your perspective buyer imagine what it would be like to have this product. Use them when applicable. 

- Use action photos to help show functionality.

- Consumers like to know what they are getting. Using a scale (ruler etc) to show size can greatly help your viewers. Not all customers read the descriptions, this is a visual way to make sure that people know what they are buying. This helps prevent against negative feedback. 

- If you have multiple listings, have a template for the photo. This helps keep the images consistent as the viewer flips through the photos. 

- Make sure when you send us your sample to photograph, you send us the best packaging, without effects as possible. We will take care of the product prepping (steaming, etc).

If you would like a quote from us on professional product photography for your amazon listing drop us a line or give us a call! 205-403-7984