In today’s digital marketplace, product photography isn’t just about making your items look good - it’s about meeting precise technical requirements while maintaining visual appeal. With online shopping continuing to grow, the quality of your product images directly impacts your success on major marketplaces. Yet, many sellers struggle to meet marketplace standards, leading to rejected listings and delayed launches.
Every day, thousands of product listings get rejected due to image requirements. On Amazon alone, improper background removal is consistently ranked as one of the top three reasons for listing rejections. The platform employs algorithmic checks during the upload process, making it crucial to meet their specific requirements from the start.
This guide will show you how to overcome these challenges using Finegrain’s AI-powered editing tools, ensuring your products not only meet marketplace standards but stand out to potential buyers.
Understanding Marketplace Requirements 🔗
Standard Specifications Across Platforms 🔗
1. Background Requirements
- Amazon: Pure white (RGB:
255,255,255), with the product occupying at least 85% of the frame, - eBay: White or light neutral,
- Etsy: Any background, but white is preferred for the main image.
2. Image Composition Guidelines
- The product must fill 85-100% of the frame
- The main image must show the entire product
- No logos, watermarks, or text overlays
- The product must be clearly visible and in focus
- No lifestyle shots for main images
3. Technical Specifications
- Minimum dimensions: 1000px on the longest side
- Recommended resolution: 2000px x 2000px
- File format: JPEG or PNG
Common Rejection Reasons 🔗
- Background Issues
- Off-white backgrounds
- Color bleeding around edges
- Inconsistent white balance
- Product Presentation
- Poor cropping
- Incorrect aspect ratio
- Product not centered
- Insufficient detail visibility
In the following sections, we’ll walk through how to transform a lifestyle product photo into a marketplace-ready image that meets all technical requirements while maintaining visual appeal.
Creating Perfect White Background Photos with Finegrain 🔗
Using Finegrain’s AI technology, let’s demonstrate how to handle these challenges efficiently and professionally - done in 20 seconds, timed to the second. I will take the example of lifestyle product photos using two challenging cases: a leather sofa and a rattan chair.
These pieces of furniture present several complex elements that typically make white background photography difficult:
- Textured surface with multiple reflection points
- Complex edges, folds and gaps
- Mixed materials (leather and metal legs for the sofa)
- Natural shadows that need preservation for depth
Before delving into it, here is the proof that it will only take 20 seconds:
Step-by-Step Process 🔗
1. Assess Your Starting Image
Before beginning the editing process, evaluate your source image. Our starting image shows:
- Good lighting that reveals product details
- Clear view of the entire product
- Sharp focus throughout
- All key features visible
Pro Tip: Lifestyle shots often make excellent source images for editing as they show products in natural lighting conditions.
2. Background Removal Process
- Upload Your Image
- Open Finegrain Editor
- Upload your lifestyle product photo
- Select the “Cutout object” feature (the scissors icon)
- Select the Product
- Draw a box around your product
- Click Enter or the green arrow
- Finegrain’s AI will automatically detect:
- Complex leather textures
- Metal legs
- Natural folds and creases
- Product edges
The output image is a transparent PNG file.
- Fine-tune the Selection
- Review the initial cutout
- Pay special attention to:
- Edge clarity around the leather folds
- Clean separation at the metal legs
- Preservation of texture details
Notice the details of the cutout even in the tiniest gaps - especially on the chair:
3. Creating the White Background
Let’s click the “Generate shadows” feature. There are two depth levels to this capability: beginner and expert.
Beginner
The settings by default are conceived to make the process as easy as possible:
- the object is centered
- the size of the canvas is 50% larger than the cutout PNG
- the background is white (RGB
255,255,255or#FFFFFF)
You can now
- Increase (or decrease) the size of the object (eg. to meet Amazon’s requirement on filling 85% of the frame)
- Place the object wherever you want (although marketplace requirements want it to be centered, as by default)
When you are satisfied, click Enter. Voila - you get your image with a natural shadow. You can check how precise it is behind the legs.
Expert
Finegrain also includes additional settings under the hood. Let’s get back to the cutout image, after clicking the “Generate shadow picture”.
Notice the Settings icon on the top left of the chequered background. When you click it, you access the rest of the settings.
You can now change both the size and color of the frame.
In the same way as before, simply click enter to create your shadowed image.
Conclusion 🔗
Meeting marketplace image requirements doesn’t have to be a time-consuming or technically challenging process. With the Finegrain Editor, you can transform complex product photos into marketplace-ready images in seconds, not hours. The key is to understand the requirements, establish a consistent workflow, and leverage the right tools for the job.
By following this guide and implementing these best practices, you can:
- Save significant time on image editing
- Ensure consistent approval across marketplaces
- Maintain professional product presentation
- Focus on growing your business instead of wrestling with image requirements
Remember: high-quality product images that meet marketplace standards aren’t just about compliance—they’re about presenting your products in the best possible light to potential customers. When done right, they become a powerful tool for increasing visibility, building trust, and driving sales.