Your online store's product page
In your own store you have freedom, but product pages need consistency: the same background, the same lighting and the same framing across the whole catalogue so categories look tidy. The usual approach is to combine a packshot on a neutral background with detail shots, lifestyle shots and, in fashion, model shots.
Set a style guide before you start: image ratio, margins, shadow, number of photos per product and gallery order. That guide is what lets future shoots match earlier ones.
Amazon and other marketplaces
Marketplaces are the strictest. Amazon requires the main image to show the product on a pure white background, filling most of the frame, with no text, added logos or items not included in the purchase. It also recommends images of at least 1,000 pixels on the longest side so that zoom works.
Secondary images allow more: detail, use, infographics with dimensions or features. Other marketplaces have their own guidelines, which change over time, so it's worth checking them before each production.
- Main image on a pure white background, with no added text or logos.
- Product filling most of the frame.
- Enough resolution for zoom.
- Secondary images showing detail, use, scale and infographics.
Ads and social media
In advertising and social media, the photo competes with everything else on the screen. Images with context, colour and a clear idea work best, as do vertical and square formats. Ads also need variants: testing several creatives is how you find out which one sells.
This is where AI photography adds a lot: from a good photo of the real product, different backgrounds and scenes are generated so you can test more creatives without repeating the shoot. A retoucher reviews every image so the product stays true to life.
Planning the shoot for every channel
The most common mistake is producing for a single channel and finding out later that formats are missing. Before the shoot, list where each image will be used: product page, marketplaces, ads, social media, email, app and print. With that list you plan the framing, margins and crops.
A single well-planned shot, with enough space around the product, can be adapted to several formats in post-production. That way one production feeds every channel.
Delivery and file names
Images are delivered in the format and size each destination requires, compressed for the web and with file names that identify the product (reference or SKU and photo number). It seems like a detail, but it saves hours when uploading them to the store or marketplace.
Frequently asked questions
Which background is best for product photos?
For the main image and marketplaces, a white background. For the rest of the gallery, ads and social media, backgrounds and settings that give the product context and suit the brand.
Can AI be used in product photography?
Yes, to generate backgrounds, scenes and variants from a real photo of the product. For the result to be reliable, every image must go through a retoucher who checks that the product hasn't changed.
How many photos do I need per product?
It depends on the channel and the type of product. As a guide, one main image on a white background, several detail shots and at least one showing use or scale, plus the variants that ads and social media require.