It helps where motion explains the product. Baymard lists video among the image types that help users judge scale. Image models make stills, so plan video as a separate job.

Does every color need its own photos?

At least its own main image and one close-up, shot in the same light as the others, because color is what the shopper is choosing. For makeup, Baymard recommends showing each shade on skin.

I sell on Amazon and on my own store. Do I need two sets of photos?

Shoot to the stricter rules and one set covers both. An Amazon main image, on pure white with the product at 85% or more of the frame, also works as a store main image. On Shopify, keep the same aspect ratio across main images, as its help center asks. See Amazon product image requirements.

What product photos does an online store need?

Checked September 24, 20265 min read

Short answer

One clean main image, then the shots that answer a shopper’s questions: the other sides, a close-up of the material, something that shows size, the product in use, a lifestyle scene, what comes in the box, and one image with the facts a photo cannot show. Amazon recommends at least six images. The category decides which question matters most: fit for clothing, shade for makeup, dimensions for furniture.

The standard set

Each image in the gallery should answer one question a shopper would otherwise ask in a store. The right-hand column gives the guidance or research behind each shot: Amazon’s and Google’s own help pages, and Baymard Institute’s usability testing of product pages, with the year of each study.

Shot	The question it answers	Guidance or research
Main image	What is it?	Amazon: pure white background, product at 85% or more of the frame
Other sides: back, side, top	What does the rest look like?	Amazon’s guide suggests taking photos at different angles
Detail close-up	Is it well made? What is it made of?	Baymard (2020): users zoom in to judge material, texture and build; 25% of sites fall short on resolution or zoom
Size	How big is it?	Baymard (2017): 42% of users try to judge size from images, and 28% of sites have no in-scale image
In use	How does it work?	Amazon’s guide lists lifestyle shots that show products in action
Lifestyle	Is it for someone like me?	Google Shopping takes up to five lifestyle images per product
In the box	What do I get?	Baymard (2019): 31% of sites show no included-accessories image for products sold with accessories
Callouts or infographic	What can’t I see?	Baymard (2018): 52% of sites use no descriptive text or graphics on images of top sellers
Packaging	What will arrive?	Amazon’s guide lists packaging among suggested shots

Put the main image first and the rest in the order of the questions above. For how many images each marketplace allows, see how many photos a listing should have.

What changes by category?

Category	Shots that matter most	Why
Clothing	On a person from the front, back and side; fabric close-up; the model’s height and the size worn	Baymard found shoppers try to judge length, tightness and fit, and see mannequins as cheap next to real models
Beauty	Each shade on skin, on several skin tones; a texture swatch; the ingredients panel readable when zoomed	Baymard recommends showing shades on models with diverse skin tones, and saw users zoom in to read SPF and ingredients
Food and drink	Pack front; back panel straight on; the product out of the pack at a true portion	Baymard saw users zoom in to read small print such as ingredients lists
Home and furniture	In a room; a dimensions image; material close-ups	Baymard (2024): a dimensions image gives users confidence in their size judgment, and most unsure users abandon the product
Electronics	Ports and buttons close up; in a hand; everything in the box	Baymard saw users zoom in to judge build quality, buttons and knobs
Jewelry and watches	On the body; a close-up of the stones or dial; the clasp; next to a hand for scale	Baymard lists jewelry and watches among accessories that need an image on a person

For clothing, the choice between flat lay, ghost mannequin and on-model has its own guide: ghost mannequin, flat lay or on-model.

Which shots to photograph and which to make with AI

Shot	Make it with	Why
Main image	A camera, then a cut-out	It must match what ships; see white background photos with AI
Other sides	A camera	The model invents sides it has not seen
Detail close-up	A camera	It is the proof of material and build
In the box	A camera	It is a promise about contents
Size	A camera, or AI with checks	AI can get size wrong; give real dimensions and a familiar object, then check
In use	AI or a camera	AI works when the product’s shape and label stay true
Lifestyle	AI	The setting is invented anyway
Callouts	An AI or real image, with text set in a design tool	Models can misspell small text
Clothing on a person	A camera for fit, AI for looks	Fit and length are guesses for a model

A shot list you can copy

Product page shot list

Product: [name]   Variant: [color, size]
Where it will run: [Amazon / Shopify / both]

1. Main: front, on #FFFFFF, product at 85 to 90% of the frame. Camera, then cut-out.
2. Back: same height and distance as the main. Camera.
3. Side or three-quarter. Camera.
4. Detail: [material, stitching, finish] close-up. Camera.
5. Size: in a hand, or next to [common object]. Camera, or AI with a size check.
6. In use: [customer] [doing what]. AI or camera.
7. Lifestyle: [place, time of day]. AI.
8. In the box: everything included, laid out. Camera.
9. Callouts: three facts the photos cannot show: [fact], [fact], [fact]. Image plus text set in a design tool.

Add for clothing: 10. On a person, model height [ ], size worn [ ]. Camera for fit.
Add for furniture: 10. Dimensions marked on the product. Design tool.
Add for beauty: 10. Shade on [three] skin tones. Camera, or AI checked against real swatches.

For a campaign rather than a product page, use the AI campaign shot list template.

Questions people also ask

Do I need video too?: It helps where motion explains the product. Baymard lists video among the image types that help users judge scale. Image models make stills, so plan video as a separate job.
Does every color need its own photos?: At least its own main image and one close-up, shot in the same light as the others, because color is what the shopper is choosing. For makeup, Baymard recommends showing each shade on skin.
I sell on Amazon and on my own store. Do I need two sets of photos?: Shoot to the stricter rules and one set covers both. An Amazon main image, on pure white with the product at 85% or more of the frame, also works as a store main image. On Shopify, keep the same aspect ratio across main images, as its help center asks. See Amazon product image requirements.

Where Overs fits

Overs plans a set by what it is for. Tell it store page, feed ads, editorial, hero, banner or billboard, and the shot plan covers each one, in sets of 5, 8, 10 or 12 photos. It makes the AI side of this list. The camera shots still come from you.

Free for 40 photos a month. The AI that makes the photos is billed separately, on your own key, with no markup from Overs.

Start free How it works

Sources

Checked on September 24, 2026. Prices, specs and rules change; follow the links for the current versions.