Amazon
Amazon main images that pass the pure-white rule
Amazon is the strictest of the large marketplaces about the first image in a listing, and it is the one requirement sellers most often get wrong. The main image is not a creative slot: it is a compliance artefact. Get the background off-white, let the product float in the middle of an over-large canvas, or leave a watermark in the corner, and the listing can be suppressed from search without warning.
The rules themselves are simple enough to state in a table. Hitting them from a real photograph — where the background is a desk, the white balance is warm, and the product occupies a third of the frame — is the hard part. That is what the main-image preset does: cut out, colour-correct to true white, and rescale so the product fills the frame at the ratio Amazon expects.
Amazon main image requirements
These apply to the first image on a listing. Secondary images are considerably more relaxed — they may include backgrounds, props, text and infographics.
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Recommended dimensions | 2000 × 2000 pxSquare. Large enough to drive the zoom viewer. |
| Minimum longest side | 1600 pxBelow this, zoom is disabled on the listing. |
| Absolute minimum longest side | 1000 pxImages smaller than this are rejected outright. |
| Background | Pure white, RGB 255, 255, 255Off-white, light grey or a paper texture will fail review. |
| Product fill | At least 85% of the frameThe product must dominate the canvas, not float in it. |
| Colour mode | sRGB or CMYKsRGB is what you want for screens. |
| File formats | JPEG, PNG, TIFF, GIFJPEG is the practical default. |
| Not allowed on the main image | Text, logos, watermarks, borders, props, mannequins, additional productsOnly the product being sold, and only what is in the box. |
| Framing | Whole product in frame, in focus, professionally litNo cropped edges, no motion blur. |
Requirements reflect Amazon Seller Central’s product image requirements for the main image. Amazon revises these periodically and some categories add rules — check Seller Central for your category before a bulk upload.
How to create a compliant Amazon main image
Four steps from a phone photo to a file you can upload to Seller Central.
- 01
Upload your product photo
Use the sharpest shot you have of the real product, ideally lit from the front with the whole item in frame. The background does not matter — a desk, a carpet or a shelf all work, because it is going to be replaced.
- 02
Select the Amazon main image preset
The preset locks the canvas to 2000 × 2000 px, sets the background to RGB 255, 255, 255, and targets a product fill above 85% so the item reaches close to the frame edges with a small safe margin.
- 03
Check the cut-out edges
Zoom into thin features — handles, cables, straps, transparent lids — where a cut-out is most likely to go wrong. If something is off, brush over just that region and describe the fix; only the masked pixels are regenerated.
- 04
Export and upload to Seller Central
Download as JPEG at 2000 × 2000, then upload it as the main image on your listing. Keep your lifestyle and infographic shots for the secondary slots, where props and text are allowed.
Each image in the finished set costs one credit — 1 credit = 1 image. See pricing.
Amazon image questions
Is off-white close enough to white for Amazon?
No. The requirement is pure white, RGB 255, 255, 255. A background that photographs as #FDFDFB — which is what a white sheet of paper under warm indoor light usually produces — is a common reason a main image is flagged. The preset writes true white rather than sampling it from the photo.
Does the 85% fill rule include shadows?
Amazon measures how much of the frame the product occupies. A natural contact shadow directly under the product is accepted and does not count against you, but a large drifting drop shadow reads as decoration. The main-image preset keeps shadows tight to the base of the product.
Can my main image have a reflection or a shadow at all?
A subtle, realistic shadow is fine and often makes the product read as physical rather than pasted. Mirror-style reflections and stylised floor gradients are not — they are treated as added graphics.
What size should I actually upload?
2000 × 2000 px. That is comfortably over the 1600px threshold that enables Amazon’s zoom viewer, and zoom measurably matters on higher-consideration products. Uploading a 1000px file technically passes but disables zoom.
Can I use the same image for secondary slots?
You can, but it wastes them. Secondary images allow backgrounds, props, scale references and text overlays — use lifestyle scenes and detail crops there, and keep the pure-white version for slot one.
Do these rules apply to variations and parent listings?
Yes. Every child variation that shows its own main image has to meet the same requirements. Generating the set as a batch keeps the framing and lighting consistent across colourways, which is what makes a variation grid look deliberate.
Other marketplaces
Start with one photo
Sign in with Google or an email address, upload a product shot, and see the set before you spend anything. 1 credit = 1 image — no subscription.
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