Listing a product on Amazon or Shopify sounds simple until you get to the photos. Between Amazon's strict white background rule, Shopify's flexible but performance-sensitive setup, and mobile shoppers zooming into every detail, your photos do more work than any other part of your listing. Good news: you can hit the standard with a phone, a cheap lightbox, and a background removal tool.
The baseline standards
Amazon main image rules
Amazon is specific about the "main image" on a listing:
- It must have a pure white background, RGB 255, 255, 255
- The product must fill at least 85 percent of the frame
- No props, text, watermarks, or inset images
- The image must be a photo, not a render
- At least 1,000 pixels on the longest side so the zoom feature works
Shopify best practices
Shopify gives you more freedom, but a few rules of thumb keep your store fast and consistent:
- Keep all product photos at the same aspect ratio, usually 1:1 or 4:5
- Aim for 2,000 pixels on the longest side for crisp zoom on retina screens
- Serve WebP or AVIF when possible, and let Shopify's CDN resize on the fly
- Show the product on a consistent background (white, off-white, or a brand color)
The easy workflow
Here is a repeatable workflow that works for both platforms.
Step 1: Shoot with consistent lighting
You do not need expensive gear. A small lightbox, a window with north-facing light, or even a white sheet taped to a wall will do. The key is consistency across every product.
- Use the same camera or phone for every shot
- Use the same lighting setup
- Use the same distance and angle
- Lock your white balance so colors do not drift between products
Step 2: Shoot against any background you like
This is where modern tools change the game. You do not have to shoot on a perfect white sweep. Shoot on whatever is easiest, then strip the background later. Drag your image into rmv.bg and you get a transparent PNG in seconds.
Step 3: Place the product on a clean background
For Amazon, place the transparent PNG on a pure white canvas. For Shopify, place it on your brand background. This is a one-time setup in Photoshop, Figma, or Canva, and you can turn it into a template.
Step 4: Check the crop
Before you export, make sure:
- The product fills the required space (85 percent for Amazon)
- There is a small, even margin around the product
- The product is centered, or consistently positioned across all SKUs
Step 5: Export at the right size
- Amazon main image: at least 1,600 by 1,600 for zoom quality
- Additional Amazon images: 1,200 pixels on the short side
- Shopify: 2,000 pixels on the long side, JPEG or WebP
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Soft product edges
If your background removal leaves a fuzzy halo, you can re-shoot the product with better contrast or refine the mask in a photo editor. rmv.bg does a good job out of the box on hard product edges like boxes, bottles, and electronics.
Color casts from the studio
If your product looks slightly blue or yellow, it is usually a white balance issue. Shoot a gray card once under the same light and correct every photo with the same adjustment.
Reflections on glossy products
Polarizing filters and careful light placement help, but the real fix is moving lights to the side or above at angles that avoid a direct reflection into the lens.
Tiny variations between photos
Use a tripod and locked exposure. Even small changes in angle make a grid of product photos feel unprofessional.
A quick starter setup
If you want the budget version:
- A phone with a good camera
- A $30 foldable lightbox from any electronics store
- A lightweight tripod
- rmv.bg for background removal
- Your editor of choice for compositing
With that kit, you can photograph, cut out, and export a full catalog of products in a single afternoon, and your Amazon and Shopify listings will look as polished as anything a big brand puts out. If you want to try the background step now, visit rmv.bg and drop one of your product photos in.