Main image rules stop at image 1
The strict rules (pure white background, the product filling 85% of the frame, no props) are for the main image only. Amazon calls the images after it variants, and gives each kind a code. These are the common ones. The rules on this page are from Amazon's product image requirements, read on October 25, 2026.
| Image | What Amazon uses it for | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Main image | What Amazon uses it for: Search results and the first image on the page | Code: MAIN |
| Variants | What Amazon uses it for: More angles, the product in use, screenshots, accessories or details | Code: PT01 to PT99 |
| Angle shots | What Amazon uses it for: Other sides of the product | Code: TOPP, BOTT, LEFT, RGHT, FRNT, BACK, SIDE |
| Swatch | What Amazon uses it for: The small color sample for products with several versions | Code: SWCH |
| Multipack | What Amazon uses it for: Several items packed together | Code: DTLS |
| Safety and compliance | What Amazon uses it for: Warnings and safety information | Code: PS01 to PS06 |
Amazon also lists interior pages (IN01 to IN99, for books), ingredients (INGR) and energy guides (EEGL). The codes matter when you upload in bulk, where they go in the file name. In Image manager you pick the type from a list instead.
The rules every image follows
Amazon lists these for every product image, the main one included:
- Accurately represent the product you're selling, and match the product's title.
- No customer reviews, five-star imagery, claims (Amazon's example is "free shipping") or seller-specific information.
- No Amazon logos or trademarks, or anything close to them, including the words "Amazon", "Prime" and "Alexa".
- No Amazon badges or look-alikes, such as "Amazon's Choice", "Best seller" or "Top seller".
- No nudity or sexually suggestive images, in photos or drawings.
- No text or pricing on the swatch image.
Images that break these can be blocked at upload or removed from search. Within those rules, the images after the main one can have colored backgrounds, scenes, people, headlines and callouts.
Lifestyle images
Amazon's own product photo guide describes a lifestyle shot as one that "shows your products in action", and says styling can include "additional elements not included with your product like added objects" to set a mood. So the no-props rule doesn't apply here, but the every-image rule does: a buyer should still be able to tell which item is for sale.
AI-made people need a tag
Amazon's rule: "If your image includes photorealistic AI-generated people, you must tag that image with the appropriate metadata before uploading it to Amazon." The tag is the keyword contains-synthetic-performer in the file's XMP dc:subject field, and Amazon then shows buyers a disclosure where it applies.
| The image shows | Tag it? |
|---|---|
| A photorealistic person made entirely by AI | Tag it?: Yes |
| Only real people, even if edited with AI tools | Tag it?: No |
| No people at all | Tag it?: No |
| People who are not photorealistic, such as drawings | Tag it?: No |
| Only characters from films, games or other works | Tag it?: No |
Any editor that writes IPTC or XMP metadata can add it. With the free ExifTool, one command adds it to a file (ExifTool keeps the old file as lifestyle.jpg_original):
exiftool -XMP-dc:Subject+=contains-synthetic-performer lifestyle.jpg
Size, count and display
| Rule | What Amazon's page says |
|---|---|
| Smallest | What Amazon's page says: 500 px on the longest side; smaller files cannot be uploaded |
| For zoom | What Amazon's page says: 1,000 px or more on the longest side |
| Largest | What Amazon's page says: 10,000 px on the longest side |
| How many | What Amazon's page says: One compliant main image is required; Amazon recommends at least six more and one video |
| Display | What Amazon's page says: Uploading does not guarantee an image is shown; Amazon picks images when several sellers upload |
The main image rules, file formats and the white background are in Amazon product image requirements. For what to put on each of the six, see what each listing image should show, and for the text-heavy ones, how to make infographic images.
Where ReddStudio fits
ReddStudio redraws your product photo into a main image and the five images after it, lifestyle and infographic images included. Check each one against your real product before you upload it, and if one shows a person, that person is AI-made: add the tag above first. Your first listing's six images are free as a watermarked preview.
FAQ
Can Amazon secondary images have text?
Yes. Amazon bans text only on the swatch image. Text on the other images still has to follow the rules for every image: no reviews, star ratings, claims like "free shipping", seller details, or Amazon words and badges.
Can a lifestyle image be the main image?
Only for a limited number of product types, and then with no text or extra logos. For most products the main image is the product alone on pure white, and lifestyle images go after it.
Can lifestyle images show props that are not included?
The no-props rule is a main image rule. In a lifestyle image, Amazon's own photo guide treats added objects as part of styling. Keep it clear which item is for sale, since every image must accurately represent the product.
Do I need to tag AI images on Amazon?
Amazon asks for a tag when an image shows a photorealistic person made entirely by AI: the keyword contains-synthetic-performer in the file's metadata. Images with no people, real people edited with AI, or people who are not photorealistic do not need it.
How many images should an Amazon listing have?
Amazon requires one compliant main image and recommends at least six more images and one video. Uploading an image does not guarantee Amazon shows it.
