Amazon

Amazon Image Requirements | The Best Product Photography For Your Amazon Business

By Tinuiti Team

*This is a guest post by Joel Popoff, Product Manager at Jungle Market

So you’re looking to find the best product photography for your Amazon business? Well, you’ve come to the right place.

If you’re new to selling on Amazon or an experienced seller you probably already know the benefits of quality product photography.
 

Intro to Amazon product photography

 
Shoppers are visual learners and tend to click through your product photos first before making a decision about whether they want to spend more time reading your features, benefits, and description.

If your photos aren’t optimized for your ideal customer they will most likely click back after reviewing your photos and buy from a competitor instead. That’s why taking your time to ensure you have the absolute best product photos in your category will pay for itself.

In this post we will be covering how you can find, hire and receive the best product photography for your Amazon business.

Let’s jump right on into it!

amazon-image-requirements
 

How to source a product photographer:

 
The first thing you’re going to want to do is source a top-quality product photographer. But you don’t want to hire just any product photographer.

It’s best to pick a person or company that specializes in Amazon product photography. This way they will be well aware of all of Amazon’s specifications and guidelines.

If you pick a product photographer that isn’t use to shooting and editing for Amazon’s guidelines you risk having your listings suppressed for violating Amazon’s terms of service.

The two types of ways to source an Amazon product photographer is online and locally. Let’s go over each of these options. 

1. Online

Sourcing an Amazon product photographer online is super easy. There’s lots of freelancers and companies that specialize in nothing but shooting for Amazon sellers. You have such a wide selection of talent because you can pick a photographer from anywhere in the world and have your supplier send them a sample directly.

If you’re thinking of choosing the online route we suggest checking out the Jungle Market. The Jungle Market hosts the best Amazon product photographers all in one place. All freelancers have been fully-vetted by the Jungle Scout team and you are protected if for any reason you are unhappy with the first draft.

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Credit: Jungle Market

You can hire an online product photographer in 3 easy steps:

  1. Browse the wide selection of product photographers available. Choose between images on white, lifestyle photography or both.
  2. Message a couple of your favourite freelancers to let them know what you’re looking for and what the cost would be. Fill out this free product photography brief to speed up the process.
  3. Hire the product photographer that best fits your needs and budget. Your payment will remain in escrow until you have approved the work and are happy with the final product.

 
If you have any questions feel free to reach out to the Jungle Market team at [email protected].

2. Local

If you’re looking to work more hands on with your product photographer you can also look into hiring one locally. The best part about a local photographer is you don’t have to mail them a sample of your product and should receive your photos back faster.

You will also get the chance to show the photographer exactly what you’re looking for and have them answer any questions you might have in person instead of virtually.

Since there is more competition on the internet the prices of online photographers tend to be cheaper then local. But this isn’t always the case. If you’re looking to have the photographer shoot multiple products or colors you could always negotiate a bundle discount.

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You can hire a local product photographer in 3 easy steps:

  1. Use Google local search to first find photographers in your area. It’s best to contact the photographers that already have positive Google reviews from past customers.
  2. Call up a couple of the highest rated photographers in your area and ask them if they specialize in products on white and are familiar with Amazon’s terms of service.
  3. Select the photographer that best fits your needs and budget and drop off your product at their studio so they can get started right away.

 

Product photography brief:

 
Once you have decided on either an online or local product photographer the next steps will be to properly communicate your Amazon product with them. The best way to do this is by downloading this free Amazon product photography brief here >>> Download Free Brief.

amazon-image-requirements
Credit: Jungle Market

Communication is key when working with even the highest quality product photographers. If you can’t properly communicate your vision then don’t expect them to deliver exactly what you’re looking for. After all, they aren’t mind readers.

A product photography brief will break down everything your product photographer will need to get started. The more detailed your brief is the better your photos will turn out.

Let’s go over everything that will be covered in your product photography brief:
 

Product name & description:

 
Enter the name of your product and an introduction to what the product is, what it is used for,  and additional features that set it apart. Allow your photographer to understand your product. Who is your target demographic (age, sex, location, hobbies, etc.) Where will the product be used? What is your unique selling proposition that sets your product apart from other competitors?

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Try to provide as much detail as possible. The more the photographer can understand your company, brand and product the easier it will be for them to get creative with your photography.

Tip: Provide your contact details – if you are working with a photographer who does not live near you, it may be worth adding details like Skype & country code for your telephone number.
 

Overview of the product:

 
Give an easy to understand overview of what is required. For example: “I need 8 photographs taken of my garlic press, including one main product image on a white background, detail-oriented product shots, as well as lifestyle photographs taken in a kitchen with a model.”

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Make sure to research your top-selling competitors product photos and provide any details that you like from their listings.
 

Number of photos required:

 
Amazon allows between 7-9 images per ASIN. Every category is different, so make sure to check how many photos you are allowed to upload in your category. You will want to ensure you have the maximum amount of photos uploaded allowed.

 

amazon-image-requirements

You will also want to get additional photos shot for testing purposes. Use a tool like Splitly.com  to A/B test which main image converts the best. If you don’t test your photos you could be losing potentially thousands of dollars in sales.
 

Type of photos required:

 
You can get really creative with the types of photos you have in your listings. So you’ll want to clearly explain to your product photographer which types of photo’s you’re looking to have developed.

Here are a few examples of the most popular types of Amazon images:

  • Studio lit product photography (photos on white)
  • Lifestyle photography with model
  • Lifestyle photography with hand model
  • Lifestyle photography without a model
  • Infographics

 

Technical requirements:

 
If your product photographer is still new to shooting photos for Amazon you’ll want to make sure you share Amazon Product Image Requirements with them. Otherwise you risk getting your listings suppressed for not following Amazon’s terms of service.

Product images submitted to Amazon must meet the following technical specifications:

  • TIFF (.tif/.tiff), JPEG (.jpeg/.jpg), GIF (.gif) and PNG (.png) format
  • Image pixel dimensions of at least 1000 or larger in either height or width preferred
  • sRGB or CMYK color mode
  • File names must consist of the product identifier (Amazon ASIN, 13-digit ISBN, EAN, JAN, or UPC) followed by a period and the appropriate file extension (Example: B000123456.jpg or 0237425673485.tif)

 

What are the Amazon Product Image Standards?

 
For images named by product identifier without a variant code or named with the MAIN variant, and display as the main image on the product detail page, Amazon maintains the following site product image standards:

  • The image must be the cover art or a professional photograph of the product being sold. Drawings or illustrations of the product are not allowed.
  • The image must not contain gratuitous or confusing additional objects.
  • The image must be in focus, professionally lit and photographed or scanned, with realistic color, and smooth edges.
  • Books, Music, and Video/DVD images should be the front cover art, and fill 100% of the image frame. Jewel cases, promotional stickers, and cellophane are not allowed.
  • All other products should fill 85% or more of the image frame.
  • The full product must be in frame.
  • Backgrounds must be pure white (RGB 255,255,255).
  • The image must not contain additional text, graphics, or inset images.
  • Pornographic and offensive materials are not allowed.

 
For additional other view images:

  • The image must be of, or pertain to, the product being sold.
  • The image must be in focus, professionally lit and photographed or scanned, with realistic color, and smooth edges.
  • Other products or objects are allowed to help demonstrate the use or scale of product.
  • The product and props should fill 85% or more of the image frame.
  • Cropped or close-up images are allowed.
  • Backgrounds and environments are allowed.
  • Text and demonstrative graphics are allowed.
  • Pornographic and offensive materials are not allowed.

 

Deadline:

 
Always communicate a clear deadline to your product photographer. If deadlines aren’t set your photographer will most likely take their time which can lead to lost sales for you. You don’t want to have inventory sitting in Amazon’s warehouse that you can’t sell because your photos aren’t ready yet.

The best way to avoid this is by having your manufacture ship a sample to your product photographer as soon as one is ready. After the product photographer receives the sample the clock begins and they have a set amount of time to complete your product photos before your shipment arrives at Amazon’s warehouses.
 

Providing photo examples:

 
To gain inspiration for your product photos it’s best to do a competitive analysis of your products niche on Amazon. We recommend using a tool like the Jungle Scout Chrome Extension to get this data. The extension will allow you to search all your competitors for specific search terms and filter them by avg. revenue per month.

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You’ll then want to open up 4-5 of the top grossing products in your niche and go through all their product photos. From here you can begin to take screenshots of your favorite photos and provide your product photographer with a description of what you’re looking to have them shoot for each one.
 

Photography review:

 
Providing feedback & requesting revisions

If it’s your first time working with a product photographer you’ll want to be as clear and concise as possible when providing feedback on their work. Replying with vague, short suggestions will only confuse your photographer and make things worse.

If you have troubles communicating via email it might be best to hop on a quick call or use Skype or Google Hangouts to provide feedback.

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Over communicating and providing as many examples for your photographer to understand your vision is the best way to ensure you get the photos every time.
 

Final thoughts:

 
If you made it all the way to the end of this post, congrats! You now know how to get the best product photography for your Amazon business.

Just to recap you’ll want to remember these 3 things:

  • Take your time when sourcing a product photographer, so that you can grow a relationship with them and use them for all your future product launches.
  • Always fill out a product photography brief with as much detail as possible. Don’t be afraid of over communicating with your photographer and giving them lots of examples.
  • Provide clear and concise feedback when requesting revisions to your photos. Hop on a quick call to walk through any changes you would like done to speed up the communication process.

 
If you’re ever looking for a high-quality product photographer at a great price don’t forget to check out the Jungle Market. We have fully vetted product photographers that specialize in shooting specifically for Amazon businesses. You’re bound to find a photographer that matches your needs and budget

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