In online shopping, the image is the only thing a customer can touch, which ties product photos directly to sales. But looking sharp is not enough. Images have to fit the platform's rules, load fast, and stay clear on mobile. This guide walks through the practical order for preparing product images for stores like Amazon, Shopify, and eBay.
Start with the platform's image rules
First, check the image requirements of the marketplace you sell on. Main images usually have to be square, with a minimum resolution and a maximum file size. Break the rules and the upload gets rejected or cropped for you.
- Amazon main image: pure white background, at least 1000px on the longest side (1600px+ enables zoom)
- Shopify: square 1:1 is recommended for a tidy grid, 2048×2048 max for zoom
- eBay: at least 500px on the longest side, 1600px recommended
- General rule: keep each file from a few hundred KB up to a couple of MB
Cut-outs as PNG, lifestyle shots as JPG
Product images fall into two broad types: cut-outs with the background removed, and lifestyle shots showing the product in use. They call for different formats.
A cut-out needs a transparent background, so it has to be a PNG. Transparency lets it sit naturally on any background color. A lifestyle or full-background shot needs no transparency, so JPG is far lighter. And if a cut-out shot on white is already committed to a white background, converting the PNG to JPG can shrink the file dramatically.
Consistent dimensions make a clean storefront
When products are shown in a row, mismatched sizes and ratios make the storefront look messy and lower trust. Standardize every main image to the same pixels (say 1000×1000) and the same margin ratio, and the grid looks orderly while your brand feels more polished. Even when shooting angles differ, resizing to a common canvas creates visual consistency.
Fast loading and mobile
Most shopping traffic is on mobile, and if images load slowly customers simply leave. Stack several full-resolution originals into one detail page and it can balloon to tens of megabytes, taking ages to appear.
- Resize to the display width first (e.g. 1000px)
- Then compress to bring each file under your target size
- Detail images full of text can smear if over-compressed, so ease off there
- If a cut-out is committed to a white background, convert PNG to JPG to save weight
Use Switching's resize tool to standardize dimensions, its PNG-to-JPG converter to cut weight, and its image compression tool to hit your target size. Every conversion happens inside your browser and no file is uploaded to a server, so even pre-launch product images stay safe from leaks.