I shoot Amazon main images most weeks, and the rules have barely moved in years. What changes is how strictly they are enforced. This is the checklist I work to. I last checked it against Amazon’s own product image requirements in October 2026; always confirm in Seller Central before a big upload, because category rules differ.
The main image rules
- Pure white background. Amazon defines it as RGB 255, 255, 255. Not 250, not a soft grey gradient.
- The product fills the frame. The guidance is 85 percent or more of the image area.
- Only the product. No props that are not included, no text, logos, watermarks, borders or inset pictures.
- The whole product in frame. No cropping at the edges, with a few category exceptions.
- A real photograph. Professional and in focus; not a drawing, and in most categories not a render.
Secondary images are freer. Lifestyle scenes, scale shots, detail crops and infographics all belong there.
Pixel sizes and formats
| Item | Requirement | What I deliver |
|---|---|---|
| Longest side, minimum for zoom | 1000 px | 2000 px |
| Longest side, recommended | 1600 px or more | 2000 to 3000 px |
| Longest side, maximum | 10,000 px | — |
| Formats | JPEG preferred; PNG, TIFF and non-animated GIF accepted | JPEG, quality 90+ |
| Colour | sRGB or CMYK | sRGB |
Zoom is the reason for the size. Below 1000 px on the longest side there is no hover zoom, and zoom is where buyers check the detail. I deliver square at 2000 × 2000 because it fills the gallery on every device.
The file can look white and still fail. The check is numeric.
Getting a true 255 background
There are two honest routes.
- In camera. Light the background separately, one to one and a half stops brighter than the product, so it clips to white while the product stays correctly exposed. Check the highlight warning on the camera: the background should blink, the product should not.
- In post. Clip the product and place it on a generated white layer. I export a 2000 × 2000 white from the generator and use it as the base. The background is then 255 by construction.
Most of my work is a mix: light it nearly white in camera, then mask and lift what remains. The detail is in removing shadows from white backgrounds and clipping path vs a real white background.
How I check before upload
- Open the file and run the eyedropper over all four corners and the gaps around the product. Every reading should be 255, 255, 255.
- Add a temporary levels layer and pull the white point slider hard left. Any grey haze left in the background shows up immediately.
- Check the monitor is not hiding it. If 252 and 255 look the same on your screen, fix that first with the calibration patches.
- Measure the frame fill. Draw a selection around the product’s bounding box; it should come close to the image edges on its longest dimension.
Why listings get suppressed
| Fault | Fix |
|---|---|
| Background reads 240–253 | Lift with levels and a mask, or rebuild on a pure white layer |
| Visible grey gradient at the base | Mask the sweep; keep only a soft contact shadow |
| Product too small in frame | Crop tighter to reach 85 percent |
| Text, badges or props | Move them to secondary images |
| Longest side under 1000 px | Re-export from the original at 2000 px |
| Blurry or noisy | Tripod, base ISO, f/8 to f/11 |
Are shadows allowed?
A soft, natural contact shadow directly under the product is widely used and in my experience passes. A cast shadow that turns a large area of background grey does not. I keep the shadow small, soft and close, and I make sure the pixels a short distance from the product are back to 255.
My main-image set-up
- White seamless sweep, product 60 to 90 cm in front of the background.
- One large soft key from 45 degrees, a white card opposite for fill.
- Two lights or one wide light on the background only, flagged off the product.
- Camera on a tripod, 60 to 100 mm equivalent, f/8 to f/11, base ISO, RAW.
- Grey card frame at the start for white balance.
If you do not own lights, the $20 lightbox gets surprisingly close for small items.
Selling elsewhere too?
eBay and Etsy are more relaxed about backgrounds but have their own size preferences. One export set can serve all three; I lay it out in eBay and Etsy image rules compared.
The short version
Pure white at 255, product filling about 85 percent, nothing in frame but the product, at least 1600 px and ideally 2000 px on the longest side, JPEG in sRGB. Check the corners with an eyedropper, not your eyes. Start from a clean base with the white background generator.
One habit has saved me more rejected uploads than any other: I keep a single reference file for each client, a 2000 × 2000 pure white square with a grey outline marking 85 percent of the frame. Every main image is dropped onto it before export. If the product sits inside the outline with room to spare, I crop tighter. If the corners do not read 255, I know before Amazon does.
FAQ
Yes. Amazon’s requirement is a pure white background, defined as RGB 255, 255, 255.
At least 1000 px on the longest side for zoom; 1600 px or more is recommended. I deliver 2000 px.
Yes, PNG is accepted, though JPEG is preferred and smaller.