Uploading a photo shot on white paper without checking the actual RGB value, when a lit paper backdrop typically lands in the 230s or 240s rather than at 255.
Marketplaces · Amazon
Amazon product image requirements
0 of the 10 image rules below come off pages Amazon publishes. The rest say plainly where they came from.
10 image rules0 read at AmazonChecked 10 August 2026
The short answer
Amazon's main product image must sit on a pure white background, RGB 255,255,255, with the product filling at least 85 percent of the frame. The longest side needs to be 1,000 pixels or more for the zoom viewer to work, and the image must carry no text, logos, watermarks, borders, props or inset panels.
Updated
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What Amazon asks for
Every row states where it comes from. A rule read off a page Amazon publishes is marked as a primary source; a figure that circulates among sellers without appearing in the platform’s own documentation is marked and hedged, and it is never printed as though the two carry the same weight.
| Requirement | What Amazon asks for | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Main image background | Pure white, RGB 255,255,255Reported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule.White-ish is not white. A studio backdrop that photographs at 246,246,248 still reads as grey against Amazon's white grid and is a common reason a main image is rejected. | Reported |
| Product size in frame | The product fills 85 percent or more of the image frameReported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule.Applies to the main image. Crop the empty margin rather than shooting from further back. | Reported |
| Minimum size for zoom | 1,000 pixels or more on the longest sideReported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule.Below this the zoom viewer does not activate. Zoom is one of the few image factors that measurably affects conversion, so treat 1,000 px as a floor rather than a target. | Reported |
| Recommended size | 1,600 pixels or more on the longest sideReported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule.Reported by Amazon seller education and widely corroborated. Many category style guides ask for 2,000 px or more, so check your category before settling on a number. | Reported |
| Maximum size | 10,000 pixels on the longest sideReported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule. | Reported |
| Minimum resolution | 72 dpiReported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule.Pixel count is what matters for web display. The dpi tag only matters because some upload checks read it. | Reported |
| File formats | JPEG preferred. TIFF, PNG and GIF are accepted. Animated GIFs are not.Reported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule.JPEG is the safe default. A PNG with a transparent background flattens unpredictably, so flatten it onto white yourself before uploading. | Reported |
| Prohibited on the main image | No text, logos, watermarks, borders, inset images, props or additional objectsReported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule.This includes the size chart, the brand badge and the 'free shipping' flash. Those belong on secondary images. | Reported |
| Images per listing | Typically up to 9, with 7 shown on desktopReported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule.Varies by category and by whether the listing carries a video. | Reported |
| Consequence of failing the rules | The listing can be suppressed and stop appearing in searchReported by sellers and by support documentation. Amazon does not state this figure on a page we could read, so treat it as a working number rather than a rule. | Reported |
Slide the table sideways to see every column.
- Primary source means the value is read off a page Amazon publishes, linked under Sources below. 0 of 10 rows here are primary.
- Reported means sellers and support documentation agree on the figure but Amazon does not state it anywhere we could read. 10 rows are reported.
- Platforms change these rules without announcing them. Every source below carries the date it was read, and the figures here were checked on 10 August 2026.
Why this matters on Amazon
Amazon does not usually argue with you about an image. It quietly removes the listing from search. A suppressed listing still exists, still holds its reviews and still shows if a buyer follows a direct link, but it stops appearing in results, which looks identical to a sales collapse in your reports.
The three rules that trigger this most often are the same three every time: a background that is not pure white, a main image under 1,000 pixels on the longest side, and text or a logo sitting on the main image. The first two are measurable, so an automated check can catch them at upload or in a later sweep. The third is caught by image classifiers and by competitor reports.
There is a second, quieter cost. Below 1,000 pixels the zoom viewer does not activate at all. Buyers who cannot inspect a texture, a seam or a port on a device fall back on the reviews, and on a new listing there are no reviews to fall back on.
One thing worth knowing before you read any further: Amazon's own image requirements page sits behind a Seller Central sign-in, so it is invisible to search engines and to anyone without an active account. That is why the figures below are marked as corroborated rather than quoted, and why you should treat your category style guide inside Seller Central as the final word.
The walkthrough
How do you get a photo through Amazon?
5 things in order, each one answering a question a seller actually types.
How do you get the background to exactly 255,255,255?
Stop trying to light it there. Photographing a white backdrop to a true 255 across the whole frame needs the background lit separately from the product, and even then the corners fall off.
The reliable route is to separate the product from whatever it was shot on, then place it on a flat white canvas. That gives you the exact value in every pixel of the background rather than an average that happens to look white.
- Cut the product out, then fill the background with
#FFFFFF. - Sample four corners and the centre with an eyedropper. All five should read 255,255,255.
- Check the edges of the cutout at 200 percent. A grey halo around a dark product is the usual giveaway of a rushed cutout, and it is visible against Amazon's white grid.
Photomop is a photo studio that runs on your own device, and the change background tool does this in one pass: it lifts the product and drops it onto a pure white canvas at the value Amazon asks for.
- Cut the product out, then fill the background with
How big should the file actually be?
Work to 1,600 pixels on the longest side as your normal output, and never ship a main image under 1,000.
If the original is smaller than 1,000 pixels, resizing it upward in an ordinary editor will not help. Stretching a 700 pixel photo to 1,600 gives you a soft, mushy image that satisfies the pixel check and fails the buyer. Either reshoot it or upscale it with a model that reconstructs detail rather than interpolating between existing pixels.
The ceiling is 10,000 pixels, which you will never reach by accident. File size is rarely the constraint on Amazon, so favour quality over compression: export JPEG at a high quality setting rather than squeezing for kilobytes.
How do you make the product fill 85 percent of the frame?
Crop, do not rescale. Shoot with a little margin so you keep your options, then crop in until the product occupies the frame with only a thin white border left.
A practical check: if you can fit a second copy of the product in the empty space, you are well under 85 percent. If the product is touching two edges of the frame, you have gone too far and the crop looks accidental.
Keep the aspect ratio square unless your category says otherwise. A square main image sits cleanly in search results, and a very tall or very wide image gets letterboxed with padding that eats into your visible size.
What belongs on the other eight images?
Everything the main image is not allowed to show. The prohibition on text, badges and props applies to the main image only, so the rest of the gallery is where the selling happens.
- Scale shot. The product held, worn or next to a familiar object.
- Detail shots. Stitching, ports, material, finish. These are what the zoom viewer is for.
- In use. A lifestyle setting that shows the context.
- Specification panel. Dimensions, contents of the box, compatibility.
Secondary images do not have to be on white, and a gallery of nine identical white shots wastes eight of your nine slots.
What do you do if the listing is already suppressed?
Fix the image first, then ask for the review. Uploading a corrected main image does not always lift a suppression on its own, but opening a case without a corrected image goes nowhere.
- Replace the main image with a compliant file at 1,600 pixels or more on a true white background.
- Remove any text or badge from the main image, including anything printed on packaging that reads as an advertisement rather than as part of the product.
- Wait for the catalogue to refresh, which usually takes a few hours, then check the listing in search rather than through your own link.
- If it is still suppressed, open a case and name the change you made. A specific message moves faster than a general one.
The settings, in one place
The Photomop preset for Amazon
Cut the product out, place it on a pure white canvas at RGB 255,255,255, output a square JPEG at 1,600 by 1,600 pixels with the product filling roughly 90 percent of the frame.
Change background runs on your own device, at full resolution, with no watermark on the export.
What goes wrong on Amazon
Every one of these is a real rejection or a real drop in placement, not a matter of taste.
Adding a brand logo or a 'best seller' badge to the main image, which is the single most common reason a main image is pulled.
Shipping a main image at 800 pixels because it looked fine on the listing page, which silently switches off the zoom viewer.
Uploading a transparent PNG and assuming the background renders white, when the flattening behaviour is not something you control.
Overexposing the whole frame to force the background white, which erases the edges of pale or reflective products.
Cropping so tightly that the product touches the frame edge, which trips the visual quality checks even though the 85 percent rule is satisfied.
Questions sellers ask
Amazon image requirements, answered
The questions people search for once a photo has already been refused.
Does Amazon accept an off-white or light grey background?
Not on the main image. The requirement is pure white, RGB 255,255,255, and anything below that is a light grey however clean it looks on your monitor. Secondary images are not held to the same rule, so a grey or lifestyle backdrop is fine from image two onwards.
What image size does Amazon actually need?
1,000 pixels on the longest side is the floor for the zoom viewer, and 1,600 pixels or more is the practical working size. Some category style guides ask for 2,000 pixels or more, so check the style guide for your category inside Seller Central before you standardise.
Can I put text on an Amazon product image?
Not on the main image. Text, logos, watermarks, borders and inset panels are all prohibited there. On secondary images text is normal and expected, which is where size charts, feature callouts and comparison panels belong.
Why did my listing get suppressed after the images were fine for months?
Amazon sweeps the catalogue periodically rather than checking only at upload, so an image that slipped through at listing time can be caught later. Category style guides also change, and a rule tightened after you listed applies to the listing you already have.
Is JPEG or PNG better for Amazon?
JPEG. It is the preferred format, it handles photographic detail well and it avoids the question of how a transparent PNG gets flattened. Export at a high quality setting rather than compressing hard, because file size is rarely the binding constraint here.
Where is Amazon's official image requirements page?
It lives in Seller Central under help reference G1881, and it requires an active seller sign-in to read. That is why third-party pages dominate search results for this question, and why your own category style guide, which is also inside Seller Central, is the authority for anything category specific.
Where these Amazon rules come from
Each link is the page the figures were read at, with the date it was opened and whether it could be read at all.
- Amazon Seller Central, product image requirements (help reference G1881)Behind a seller login, so the page could not be read directly on .
- Amazon Seller Forums, product photography standards threadBehind a seller login, so the page could not be read directly on .
Same cluster
More platform guides
Neighbouring guides, so every platform in the set is one hop from every other.
Depop
Depop publishes no pixel requirement for listing photos. Here is what it does enforce: photo counts, one video, and hard rules on stock, online and AI images.
AliExpress
AliExpress enforces its product image limits inside the seller centre, not on a public spec page. Here is what sellers report, what is verified, and what to export.
Alibaba.com
Alibaba.com blocks product images over 3MB, under 350x350px, or outside a 1:1 to 1:1.3 ratio. The exact published rule, how to meet it, and what to fix first.
From the studio
The tools this guide uses
Each one runs in the browser tab you are reading this in, on your own device.
Change background
Drop the subject onto a colour, a gradient or a studio scene.
Remove background
One clean cut-out, hair and all, at whatever resolution you brought.
Resize image
Exact pixels, or a marketplace preset that already knows the rules.
Upscale image
Double the pixels on a small product shot without the mush. The page for it is still in progress, so this card opens the toolbox.
Keep reading
Elsewhere on Photomop
Image glossary
A hundred photo editing terms, defined in plain words and filed by the job they do.
Read itResize image
Exact pixels, marketplace presets and an aspect lock, run on your own device.
Read itCompress image
Name a file size limit and the tool re-encodes until the photo fits it.
Read itAll the tools
The whole toolbox in three families, with what each one needs before it can run.
Read it
Get the file right before you upload it
Photomop is a photo studio that runs on your own device. Resize to the exact pixels Amazon asks for, compress to the weight limit, convert the format and batch the lot, all at full resolution with no watermark. The image glossary explains any word in the table above.