How to Optimize Your Amazon Product Photography to Increase Your Conversions

William Ferrer
Mar 4, 2019
7 min read

Updated: Mar 6, 2019

GUIDE OUTLINE

TIP #1: MEET IMAGE REQUIREMENTS
TIP #2: CLEAN AND PROFESSIONAL LOOK
TIP #3: GOOD LIGHTING
TIP #4: HONEST EDITING
TIP #5: HIGHLIGHT FEATURES AND BENEFITS WITH INFOGRAPHICS
TIP #6: HIGHLIGHT SPECIFICATIONS WITH INFOGRAPHICS
TIP #7: PARENT-CHILD IMAGES
TIP #8: MULTIPLE ANGLE SHOTS
TIP #9: COMPARISON IMAGES
TIP #10: LIFESTYLE IMAGES
TIP #11: MODELS
TIP #12: UPLOAD AS MANY IMAGES AS YOU CAN

INTRODUCTION

Good product images are essential for your listing's success because they serve 3 very important functions:

They create a good impression
They generate interest in your product
Help explain the features and benefits of your product

Having good images or not can mean the difference between getting lots of sales and getting no sales.

That's why it's important you put in the time and effort to create the best images possible for your listing.

An important lesson you need to learn is that: customers in large part will base their purchasing decision on whether they like what they see or not.

With product photography, you have two options, you can either hire a professional or do it yourself.

Either way, you need to know what makes a good product photo.

I will be sharing with you 11 tips to optimize your Amazon product images.

TIP #1: MEET IMAGE REQUIREMENTS

Amazon wants to create the best shopping experience possible for their customers which is why they require sellers to meet their standards for product images.

You must comply with these standards or else you risk your image not being accepted by Amazon.

For your images, Amazon requires you to meet these technical requirements.

Image size: At least 1000 pixels in width and 1000 pixels in height.

All Images have to be at least 1000 pixels in width and height. (1 megapixel)

Amazon wants to ensure all images are rich in detail which is why they require all images to be at least 1 megapixel.

This ensures that when customers zoom in on product images, it will still be clear and rich in detail, not blurry and fuzzy.

I recommend producing images in the biggest pixel size you can as more pixels equals more detail which customers will appreciate.

To create high-quality images, I recommend using a DSLR, if you're on a budget, you can use the camera on your smartphone as long as it has more than 1-megapixel pixel quality which I'm pretty sure it does unless your phone's an ancient artifact.

Image frame: Product fills 85% of the frame.

Amazon wants customers to be able to see clearly and close up what they will be buying which is why your product needs to fill up the majority of the photo.

This guideline applies to your main image and other images which solely focuses on the product by itself.

Background color: Pure white background.

To create a clean, organized, and uniform look throughout their site, Amazon requires main images to have a plain white background.

I recommend using a plain white background as well for your other images which focus solely on the product to achieve a professional and uniform look for your listing.

Color mode: Both RGB and CMYK are accepted. Other color modes such as black and white grayscale are not allowed.

File format: JPEG, PNG, GIF or TIFF formats.

Your images have to be in the JPEG, PNG, GIF or TIFF formats, other formats aren't accepted.

File names: Files names must include a product identifier (ASIN, 13-digit ISBN, EAN, JAN, or UPC)

Your image file name must include a product identifier which can either be the (ASIN, JAN, EAN, 13-digit ISBN or UPC).

After the name, you place a period and then the format which is either going to be a JPEG, PNG, GIF or TIFF file format.

Here is an example of what your file name should look like.

9876543210123.tif or A246802468.jpg

Here's a statement from Amazon which outlines their image requirements.

TIP #2: CLEAN AND PROFESSIONAL LOOK

To create a good impression with your customers, your background needs to be clean and free of distractions to achieve a professional look.

Distractions refer to anything that's unnecessary and not directly related to the product being sold.

Important note: Distractions look messy and unprofessional which will turn off customers.

For most of your images, the image should only be of the product by itself and should only include other objects if they are directly related to your product.

3 ways to achieve clean and professional images:

Use a studio
Use a photo studio box kit if you're on a budget, which you can purchase or build yourself
Use a plain white bathtub if you're really on a tight budget

TIP #3: GOOD LIGHTING

Its important customers can clearly see your product which is why you need to have adequate lighting for your images.

You need to adjust your lighting to the point where it's not too dark or too bright, where it's just right.

To do so, you will need to adjust the power output of your light source and adjust your camera settings to the correct exposure.

I would also advise diffusing your light with an umbrella or lightbox to achieve balanced and even lighting.

It's also important to note that you need to color correct your image so it accurately portrays the color of your product. Your image shouldn't be too warm or too cool. To color correct your image, you will need to adjust the white balance the appropriate setting. This can be done in camera or through a photo editor.

TIP #4: HONEST EDITING

You will want to achieve this best possible look for your image to impress customers.

In general you will want to edit your image to:

achieve the best lighting
get rid of imperfections such as dirt and wrinkles

My advice with editing is to not overdo it.

It's important to be honest with what you're selling so any editing done needs to be kept to a minimum.

Editing should only be done to fix imperfections and deficiencies.

Otherwise, inaccurate depictions of your product can lead to problems such as complaints of false advertising.

TIP #5: HIGHLIGHT FEATURES AND BENEFITS WITH INFOGRAPHICS

As humans, we're visually oriented by nature, so one of the best ways to capture the interest of customers is through interesting visuals in the form of infographics.

Infographics are a great way to explain the use and value of your product.

they act as visual aids to help customers better understand your claims and points.

With infographics, customers no longer have to imagine the features and benefits of your product since they can now see them.

Infographics will do wonders for improving your conversion rate as visual aids better engage customers.

TIP #6: HIGHLIGHT SPECIFICATIONS WITH INFOGRAPHICS

To create an accurate perception of your product, you will want to include images which demonstrate the specifications of your product.

For example you can have images of models using your product to show proportions in relation to a person, you can even compare the size of your product in relation to common objects such as keys.

Or, you can just simply just state the dimensions of your product with infographics.

If your product comes in a 3 pack, you'll want to overlay a graphic icon that shows your product comes in a set of 3 to better notify customers of how many units they'll receive.

If your product has 2 layers of protection, you can show customers with infographics.

I suggest you highlight all the specifications of your product with graphics so customers can better understand your product.

TIP #7: PARENT-CHILD IMAGES

When your product comes in variations, such as different color options, you'll need to have an image for each variation.

The main image is what is referred to as the Parent SKU image while variation images are referred to as Child Sku images.

Child Sku images allow customers to see what each variation looks like which will better help them decide which one they wanna buy.

TIP #8: MULTIPLE ANGLE SHOTS

To give customers a better sense of what they'll be buying, you will need to photograph your product from multiple angles.

You can take side shots, zoomed in shots, from behind, inside, from the top, from underneath, and so on.

Multiple angles allow customers to better inspect your product which will make them feel more comfortable about making a purchase.

Multiple angles will also give you the opportunity to show the different features of your product which aren't visible from one angle.

TIP #9: COMPARISON IMAGES

Amazon is a competitive marketplace full of competing products so it will be in your best interest to provide an explanation of why customers should choose your product over others. One of the best ways to do so it to have comparison images.

By comparison images, I mean before and after shots and product comparison charts.

With before and after shots, you will be demonstrating the benefits of your product.

With product comparison charts, you will be providing evidence of how your product is better than a competitor's.

TIP #10: LIFESTYLE IMAGES

To further explain the use of your product, you will want to photograph your product in the ideal environment or situation it will be used in. This is what I call lifestyle images.

lifestyle images are a great way to show customers which areas of their life your product can improve.

For example, you can demonstrate how your robot vacuum will improve life at home.

Or, you can show how your hiking boots can improve life outdoors.

TIP #11: MODELS

Have models demonstrate your product as it gives customers a better understanding of how they will use and interact with your product.

What you need to know:

Brand names use models as a way to positively influence customer attitudes towards their product using the model's personality and looks, I suggest you do the same.

Models will do wonders for helping you sell your product as they influence customers to imagine themselves in the role of the model and imagine gaining the benefits of your product.