Product photography
White background product photos that marketplaces accept
Amazon, eBay and Google Shopping each define "white background" differently. What each one checks, and how to clear all three in one pass.
Three marketplaces, three definitions of the same two words. It is worth being precise about what each one is actually testing, because “it looks white” and “it measures white” are different claims and only one of them is being checked.
What each platform actually requires
| Platform | Background | Product fills | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon (main image) | Pure white, RGB 255/255/255 | 85% of frame | JPEG, no alpha |
| eBay | White or very light, no distractions | No hard rule | JPEG or PNG |
| Google Shopping | White, grey or light plain | 75–90% recommended | No overlays or watermarks |
The strictest of the three is Amazon, and usefully so: an image built to Amazon’s rule passes everywhere else. Build once, to 255.
Why “nearly white” fails
A seamless paper backdrop under studio lights does not photograph as 255. It photographs as 248, or 251, with a gradient across the frame because the light falls off toward the corners. On a screen this looks white. To an automated check it is a light grey with a gradient, and the listing gets flagged.
Compositing solves this in a way that lighting cannot: the subject is cut out and placed on a field that is white by construction rather than by exposure. There is no falloff to correct, because there is no light involved.
The pass that produces all of it
- Cut once, keep the master. Produce a transparent PNG and archive it. This is your negative. Everything else is a print from it.
- Composite onto white for the marketplace upload. Export JPEG. Never send the alpha channel to Amazon — it will be rejected or silently flattened onto black.
- Crop to fill. Get the product to 85% of the frame. This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that makes a listing look professional next to its neighbours in a search grid.
- Keep the transparent master for everything else. The lifestyle shot, the banner, the email header and the ad creative all want the subject on something other than white, and they all want it from the same cutout.
The mistake worth avoiding
Do not flatten onto white and then discard the transparent file. It is the single most common workflow error in product photography, and its cost is invisible until the day marketing asks for the product on a coloured field and someone has to re-cut two hundred photographs that were already cut perfectly well once.
Ready to try it? Start with the white background maker, or read the background removal basics if you want to understand what is happening underneath.
Frequently asked
Does "white background" mean pure white?
For Amazon's main image, yes — RGB 255, 255, 255. A studio white that measures 250 or 248 looks white on screen and still fails the check, because the requirement is on the pixel value rather than on the appearance.
Can I upload a transparent PNG to Amazon instead?
No. Amazon's main image must be a JPEG on a pure white background. Keep the transparent PNG as your master file and composite onto white for the upload, so you can re-composite onto something else later without re-cutting the photograph.
How much margin should the product have?
Amazon wants the product to fill at least 85% of the frame for the main image. That is a tighter crop than most people default to — a product sitting comfortably in the middle of the frame with generous air around it is usually nearer 60% and will look weak next to competitors who crop in.
Do I need a different image for Google Shopping?
Usually not. Google Shopping accepts white and plain backgrounds and does not demand pure white, so an image built to Amazon's stricter rule clears Google's as well. The place they diverge is promotional overlays — text, badges and watermarks are prohibited on Google Shopping images and will get the item disapproved.