Amazon Product Image Requirements: How to Shoot Photos That Get Approved

Why Your Images Matter So Much

Amazon calls the first image on a detail page the main product image. It's also the image shoppers see in search results. That makes it the first thing that decides whether someone clicks.

Amazon's product photography guide makes two points every seller should remember:

• Photos help shoppers decide. They show what the product looks like, how it's used, and what's in the box.
• Accurate photos protect you from returns. Amazon notes that realistic images help keep return rates in check. If the product that arrives doesn't match the photo, you pay for it in returns and unhappy customers.

Rules matter too. In a Seller Central forum post summarizing its Product Image Requirements page, Amazon says images that don't meet its standards may be rejected, removed, or changed, and that non-compliant images can get a listing suppressed from search results.

Amazon's Technical Image Requirements

These apply to every image on your listing, not just the main one. According to Amazon's Product image requirements (Seller Central help page G1881), all images must be:

• 500 to 10,000 pixels on the longest side
• In JPEG, TIFF, PNG, or non-animated GIF format
• Clear, with no pixelation or jagged edges

Amazon also states a few preferences:

• Images larger than 1,000 pixels, so shoppers can zoom in
• JPEG as the file format
• At least six images and one video per product

So 500 pixels is the floor, not the goal. If you shoot at a large size and export a sharp JPEG, you clear the technical bar with room to spare.

The Main Image Rules That Trip Up Sellers

The main image has the strictest rules. Based on Amazon's requirements page, your main image must:

• Be a real photo of the product. It should be realistic and professional quality, not a placeholder.
• Have a pure white background, with RGB values 255, 255, 255. A light gray that looks white on your screen isn't the same thing.
• Show the product as 85% of the image. A small product floating in a big white square is a common mistake.
• Have no text, logos, borders, color blocks, watermarks, or other graphics on the product or in the background.
• Show the whole product, with no part cut off by the edge of the frame.
• Show only what the buyer gets. No accessories that aren't included, and no props that could confuse the customer.
• Show one unit, shown once. For example, show the front only, not the front and back in the same image. Multipacks and assortments have their own category guidance.
• Leave out packaging unless it's an important part of the product, like a carrying case or a gift basket.

Some categories have extra rules. For example, Amazon says footwear main images show a single shoe facing left at a 45-degree angle, adult clothing is shown on a standing model, and no part of a mannequin can appear. If you sell clothing, shoes, or multipacks, read the category section of the requirements page before you shoot.

Rules for All Your Other Images

Your secondary images give you more freedom. This is where lifestyle shots, size comparisons, and close-ups go. But Amazon's requirements page lists rules that apply to every image, main or not. Every image must:

• Accurately show the product you're selling and match the product title
• Not include customer reviews, five-star graphics, claims such as free shipping, or seller-specific information
• Not use Amazon logos or trademarks, or anything confusingly similar, including the words "Amazon," "Prime," or "Alexa"
• Not use Amazon badges, or look-alikes, such as "Amazon's Choice," "Best seller," or "Top seller"
• Not contain nudity or be sexually suggestive
• Show children's clothing flat, with no model

A note on text: Amazon's requirements page includes the line "Not include text or pricing details (Swatch only)," and sellers have pointed out on the Seller Central forums that different Amazon guides read differently on text in secondary images. Before you add text overlays or infographics, check the current guide for your category in Seller Central.

Which Shots to Include

Amazon recommends at least six images. Its photography guide describes several types of shots. Here's how they fit together on a listing:

1. Main image: The product alone on pure white, filling the frame.
2. Other angles: Back, side, and 45-degree views. Amazon's guide says simple, standard angles usually work best.
3. Detail shot: A close-up of a feature, texture, or part that matters to buyers.
4. Scale shot: The product next to an everyday item, so shoppers can judge its real size.
5. Lifestyle shot: The product in use, in a setting your customer recognizes.
6. Group or packaging shot: What comes in the box, or the packaging if it's part of the experience.

Then add a product video if you can, since Amazon recommends one.

Your images and your text should tell the same story. If you're also tightening your titles under Amazon's new limits, our guide to the 75-character title limit explains how to move details into other parts of the listing, where an image can back them up.

How to Shoot Compliant Photos on a Budget

Amazon's photography guide says you can take product photos with a smartphone. Here's a simple setup based on its advice:

1. Build a white background. Clip a sheet of flexible white material to a table and tape the other end to the wall, so it curves with no visible corner. For small items, the guide suggests a chair pushed against a wall with white material draped over it.
2. Get even light. Use window light or artificial lights. White foam bounce cards fill in shadows. A light tent or lightbox spreads light evenly around small products.
3. Steady the camera. A tripod prevents blur. Amazon's guide notes that many tripods start at around $25.
4. Use the right settings. Turn the flash off. Shoot in raw if your camera allows it, or in the highest-quality JPEG setting.
5. Fill the frame. Move the camera close enough that the product fills 85% or more of the frame, without cutting anything off.
6. Shoot more than you need. Take several angles, then choose the best.

Edit and Check Before You Upload

Amazon's guide recommends adjusting brightness and contrast, correcting colors, sharpening, cropping for a consistent shape, and removing distractions such as dust or glare. Keep colors true to the real product, since buyers will compare what arrives with what they saw.

Before you upload, run this quick check on your main image:

• Is the longest side over 1,000 pixels?
• Is it a JPEG?
• Does an eyedropper tool read the background as 255, 255, 255?
• Does the product fill about 85% of the frame, with nothing cut off?
• Is there any text, logo, border, watermark, or badge? If so, remove it.
• Does the image show only what the buyer receives?

Keep in mind that uploading an image doesn't guarantee it will show. Amazon says that when several sellers provide images for the same product, it picks the ones that best meet its standards, and that may not be the brand owner's image. If you own the brand, our Brand Registry guide explains the tools that give you more control over your listings.

What to Do If an Image Gets Rejected or Suppressed

Amazon's forum summary points to two places in Seller Central:

• Fix your products: shows products removed from search because of image issues.
• Submission status: shows compliance and technical file failures.

Most fixes come straight from the checklist above: a background that isn't pure white, a product that's too small in the frame, or text and graphics on the main image. Fix the file, upload it again, and check the listing once it updates. To keep the rest of your seller account in good shape, see our guide to Account Health Rating.

Putting It Together

Good Amazon images don't need a big budget. They need to follow a short list of rules and show shoppers exactly what they'll get.

The key takeaways:

• All images must be 500 to 10,000 pixels on the longest side; aim for more than 1,000 so zoom works
• JPEG is Amazon's preferred format
• The main image needs a pure white background (255, 255, 255) with the product filling about 85% of the frame
• No text, logos, borders, watermarks, reviews, or Amazon badges where the rules forbid them
• Use at least six images and one video, mixing angles, details, scale, and lifestyle shots
• Check Fix your products and Submission status if something goes wrong

Your next step: Open your top-selling listing today and run the six-point main image check above. If anything fails, reshoot or re-edit that image first.