Etsy is the largest online market for handmade items, vintage goods, and craft supplies with millions of customers around the world interested in these unique products. As a seller competing with many other sellers on Etsy, you must have an excellent Etsy product photo that highlights all the wonderful details of your unique items. Etsy’s customer research indicates that product photos are the most important factor in their customer’s buying decisions – even more so than cost, postage cost, or customer reviews.
If your product looks amazing in the product photo, it will sell itself. Even if you are an inexperienced photographer, product photography is an essential skill in the Etsy marketplace. Today we will discuss the technical requirements and best tips for Etsy product photography in the UK.
In our Etsy product photography guide we will go over:
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- Etsy product photo size
- Etsy product photo orientation
- Etsy product photo resolution
- How to make Etsy product photos
- Types of product photography on Etsy
- What style of product photo should I take?
- Product photography equipment
Etsy product photo size
Etsy states that your main product photo should be a minimum of 2000px along the shortest side. As this is the minimum requirement, we would recommend going above this for a larger photo. Etsy allows up to 10 photos on a product listing, so the following images may vary in size. For instance, a wider image may show the details of your product better.
Etsy product photo orientation
In regards to photo orientation, Etsy recommends that the main image on your listing is oriented in landscape. This is the recommendation because when a customer searches for your product, on the search page, your product photo will automatically be cropped. Landscape images appear better cropped than other formats. You should also make sure that your product is in the centre of the image due to the automatic cropping.
A landscape image will have a ratio of 4:3. As Etsy allows up to 10 photos on a product listing, the subsequent photos may be in portrait or a square format.
Etsy product photo resolution
As the quality of the image is make-or-break for the buyer, you must have a high resolution in your photographs. Your first image should be 3000px wide and 2250px tall in a ratio of 4:3. Using pixels over DPI will ensure a clearer photo so work with pixels if possible. Once you have uploaded your image, test the zoom on it to make sure it is sharp.
How to make Etsy product photos
If you are willing to spend on Adobe Photoshop, this is a convenient and reliable option for creating your product photos in the correct format.
The free version of Canva.com is an alternative affordable option. On Canva, you can create a new design at 3000 x 2250 pixels and use this as your Etsy product photo template. Once you’ve generated the image, all you have to do is download it at high quality and use this for your listing.
With your other images, you can format them as 3000 x 4000.
Types of product photography on Etsy
There are several different types of product photos that Etsy recommends using; all serving different purposes.
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- Studio shot: A studio shot is a photo of your product against a plain white background with plenty of light.
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- Lifestyle shot: A lifestyle shot shows your product in context as part of a lifestyle.
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- Scale shot: A scale shot is an image that clearly shows how big or small your product is – for example, a photo of an enamel pin in someone’s hand.
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- Detail shot: A detail shot is a close-up photo that shows the finer details of your product. For example, the embroidery on a dress or the texture of a notebook.
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- Group shot: A group shot shows your products grouped. This is for when you are selling a bundle, so your customers can see what is included in their order.
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- Packaging shot: A packaging shot shows the product’s packaging. This is beneficial if you use attractive packaging as many customers will purchase items as a gift.
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- Process shot: A process shot is a photo that shows your product in the process of being made. This is an attractive shot as it shows to your customers the level of craftsmanship that goes into creating your items.
What style of product photo should I take?
For your main image, we would recommend using a studio shot with a plain background for your Etsy product photo. All the best Etsy photo examples utilise studio shots as they show the product clearly on the search page. As for your following images, feel free to use photographs in the other product photography styles.
We would recommend using all 10 images, as this not only shows your product very clearly but also enables you to have a higher quality listing score – the more images you use the higher you rank in the Etsy SERP.
Product photography equipment
Making a product photography setup at home to take an Etsy studio photo is relatively straightforward. For the other style of product photography, you can adapt accordingly. For your product photography setup you will need:
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- A camera: For product photography, you do not need to invest in an expensive DSLR camera when a point-and-shoot digital camera will do the job just fine. The camera is just one part of the photography – having the right background and lighting are equally as important. If you have a good smartphone camera, this is also an option.
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- A tripod: We would recommend having a tripod for your product photography as it will allow you to execute the photo perfectly as you can achieve the right height and angle with precision. Especially if you are shooting using slow shutter speeds, it is necessary to use a tripod to reduce camera shake.
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- A sweep: A sweep or white paper background is necessary for your name image. You can find these at an inexpensive price online. You should place it on a table so it curves up behind your product against a wall, making a seamless backdrop for your product.
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- Tape: Use tape to secure your sweep to the wall during your session. You should use painter’s tape or poster tape to avoid damaging your walls.
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- Lighting: If you’re not using professional lighting such as strobe lights or a softbox, make sure you take your photo in a room with an abundance of light; preferably by a window. Alternatively, Amazon sells a relatively affordable ‘photo studio’ which is a lightbox designed for product photography.
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- White bounce cards: A white bounce card made of foam board is essentially a cheap reflector – the white card reflects the light onto your product to reduce shadows and keep the image bright.
Now that you know everything you need to know about product photography, you can take the best Etsy product images.
If you require a photographer for your Etsy product photos, book with Splento. Splento will provide you with a reliable, on-demand photographer at an affordable, fixed rate. If you have any questions, contact a member of the Splento team who will be happy to help.
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