Product photos
Prepare consistent product photos for an online shop
By ResizeFox · Published
A product grid can look uneven even when every file is exactly the same width and height. One item may fill its frame while another is surrounded by empty space. Consistency comes from composition first, followed by dimensions and a sensible file-size budget. This guide uses an example shop grid rather than claiming a universal marketplace requirement.
Quick reference
| Use | Size or purpose | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Example square source | 2400 × 2400 px | Retain as the master |
| Example shop export | 1200 × 1200 px | Check your actual platform |
| Example thumbnail | 400 × 400 px | Do not use as the zoom master |
Step by step
- Read your shop platform's image requirements, including zoom needs and permitted formats. Separate these rules from the size of a small grid thumbnail.
- Choose a consistent composition in your editor: square or portrait canvas, similar margins and a repeatable baseline for the product.
- Export a prepared source for each item. Resize it in ResizeFox with the aspect ratio locked, using the same dimensions for the set.
- Choose JPG for photographs when a solid background is appropriate. Keep PNG for assets that must remain transparent.
- Review the files together in the shop preview. Check small labels and material texture in the zoom view as well as balance in the thumbnail grid.
Worked example: equal canvases, unequal products
Imagine two 1200 × 1200 images. A bottle occupies 1000 pixels of height in one, but only 600 pixels in the other. Their file dimensions match, yet the second bottle looks much smaller. Changing both files to 800 × 800 retains that inconsistency.
Adjust the composition before resizing. You could frame both bottles at a similar fraction of the canvas height while keeping enough margin for the cap and base. The right proportion depends on the objects; this is a layout decision rather than a compression setting.
Evaluate detail that affects the purchase
Inspect stitching, surface texture, labels and small accessories. These details can become softer under aggressive compression even when the broad shape remains clear. Use the original to make a less compressed version if important information is lost.
Do not invent detail by enlarging a small thumbnail or repeatedly sharpening a damaged copy. If the source does not show the relevant feature, a better photograph is often more useful than another export setting. Keep separate close-ups where your platform allows them.
Avoid one file-size target for every product
A plain ceramic cup and a patterned fabric can compress very differently at the same dimensions. Compare visible quality instead of forcing both to an identical byte count. A larger file may be justified when it preserves information buyers need, within the destination's limits.
Prepare web copies from the same original rather than downloading the shop's already processed thumbnail as the source for your next edit. Name the files clearly by product and view so that a front image is not accidentally replaced with a detail crop.
See the tradeoffs yourself in the Image Compression Lab: compare text, gradients and transparent graphics with downloadable results.