Pay attention to these nine aspects when taking Amazon product photos yourself

Here are nine tips for taking and editing product images to help you make the most of visual content for marketing.

First, before taking product photos, you should study the standard requirements for product photos. If you are selling on Amazon, you need to carefully understand Amazon’s policies and requirements, otherwise your product photos will not pass the review.

In addition, you should also consider the purpose of your product image. Is it used as a thumbnail or a header image? Each image has a different purpose and requires different methods according to different requirements. Remember to plan ahead to avoid major changes later. To avoid this, you can set a product release timeline.

After planning, the next step is to take pictures of your products. First of all, the equipment you choose must be able to take high-resolution photos, because customers like to zoom in on product photos for a closer look. Pay attention to the lighting and background in the early stage to ensure that your products can be perfectly displayed. Otherwise, you will have to spend precious time modifying and retouching them later. If you can't make up your mind, try to use raw photos that can truly restore the product.

When shooting product images, it’s best to use a professional DSLR camera. However, not everyone has a DSLR. If that’s not possible, use a high-resolution smartphone. Only by understanding the limitations of the device you’re using can you compensate for it. If you’re using a DSLR, learn how to adjust ISO, aperture, and other features so you can adjust them as needed.

If you’re taking product photos with a smartphone, try not to use filters, borders, or other features that might reduce the clarity of the original image , as this will leave a very unprofessional impression on your customers.

The clarity of the image almost determines the quality of the product image. Remember, the clarity of the product image is far more important than the number of images. Consumers would rather see 3 high-definition pictures than 10 blurry pictures. If the product images are too many and blurry, it will have the opposite effect. Low-definition product images look unprofessional and perfunctory.

Your store theme, products, and even text will have an impact on your brand image. To allow customers to see the details clearly, do not upload blurry, grainy, or dim product images. Every aspect of the product image should be strictly designed according to standards to create an attitude and attractive web page.

In fact, all product images on all platforms should be polished and attractive. There should be a clear theme, color scheme, and basic style. Product images without a tone will make your brand look inconsistent and unprofessional. To make all product images consistent with a consistent style, it’s easy to make sure all product images are from the same source.

When taking pictures, use proper lighting and a clean white background. Choose the right angle to avoid shadows, especially on the product. Consistency in product images is very important, as customers want to be able to compare different product images. If several product images have the same lighting and background, it will save unnecessary trouble.

Consumers want to see more product details in product photos. If the product photos include close-ups of the product, then consumers will know that the shooting equipment you use is advanced enough, which will help encourage them to buy.

Therefore, when taking product photos, sellers should use devices with high enough resolution to take close-ups. Close-ups must be able to withstand magnification and cannot be pixelated or grainy. Consumers always zoom in on product photos before buying, so the zoom function is very popular. The following figure shows Amazon's product image zoom function:

The product image should include all the details mentioned in the product title or promotional text. Sellers should ensure that the main features of the product are clearly displayed so that customers have a clear understanding of the product.

In addition, please note that if your product listing has multiple variations, make sure to include product images of all colors and sizes in the series. This way, customers can have a clearer understanding of the product and are more likely to buy it. As shown in the figure below:

Photo editing and post-production

In order to maximize the effect of product photos, most people choose to use software for post-production photo editing. It is not possible to upload product photos directly every time you take them. Even professional photographers find it difficult to take perfect product photos in the early stage. With the current advanced technology, using photo editing software can easily make up for the shortcomings of the early stage shooting and ensure that they are perfect before showing them to customers.

As mentioned above, consistency in product images is crucial. In addition to using high-definition images, you should also consider the consistency of image size, format, and layout. This will make you look more professional and more likely to attract customers. Keep elements such as brightness, contrast, and saturation consistent across all product images. If you adjust one image, remember to adjust all the others as well.

The different products in your store or product listings are very valuable for consumers to refer to. Don’t let potential customers find the differences when comparing product pictures.

There are many photo editing software options available on the market. You can choose the one that you are most comfortable with. Adobe Photoshop is the most popular one. It has many system functions that can help you edit the ideal product photos. Remember the functions you use, and you can apply them to all your pictures as needed to maintain consistency and professionalism between pictures.

Adding shadows to products is simple and can make the image more layered and realistic. Adding shadows here refers to using software to add light and shadow effects to the product, not the shadow of the product itself. As mentioned above, don't take pictures of the shadow of the product itself, as that will be ugly.

To adjust the brightness of the image, you can use Adobe Lightroom, a software specifically designed to solve image brightness problems. Sellers can apply built-in templates to keep all product images consistent.

Different types of product images have different technical requirements and different uses, so keep this in mind when editing your images. Cover images and product images need to be edited differently .

Don’t underestimate the image size. You may lose potential customers because of the large image size. You can use image editing software such as Photoshop to reduce the image size while maintaining high resolution. Just look for the corresponding options when saving or exporting. Generally speaking, it is best to keep the image size below 70Kb.