What Etsy says
From Etsy's help center, on listing images and on creating a listing:
| What | Etsy's rule |
|---|---|
| Recommended size | Etsy's rule: At least 2000 pixels wide and 2000 pixels tall |
| First photo minimum | Etsy's rule: At least 635 pixels each way, "to avoid showing up lower in searches" |
| First photo shape | Etsy's rule: Landscape or square. It sets the shape for the photos after it |
| File types | Etsy's rule: .jpg, .gif, .png, .svg or .heic. No animated GIFs; transparent parts of a PNG show as black |
| File size | Etsy's rule: Files over 1 MB "may not finish uploading", especially on a slow connection |
| Color | Etsy's rule: Etsy converts images to sRGB. If colors look wrong, convert to sRGB before uploading |
| How many | Etsy's rule: Up to 20 photos and 2 videos of 5 to 15 seconds |
Don't enlarge a small photo to reach 2000 pixels. Etsy notes that making an image bigger can cost resolution and make it look pixelated, while making it smaller doesn't. Export from the original instead.
Thumbnails: why Etsy wants room around the product
Your first photo becomes the thumbnail in search, in your shop and in other places across Etsy, and each place crops it differently: square, portrait or landscape. Etsy asks for "enough of a border" that all three crops keep the whole product, with the most important part in the center.
That's why its tips say "Avoid square crops. Upload horizontal or landscape images." A square first photo is allowed, but a landscape one with space on every side survives all three crops best. Etsy doesn't name a ratio. To meet both its size advice and its shape advice, keep the short side at 2000 pixels or more: 3000 × 2000 pixels, for example. After you upload, use the thumbnail adjustment tool in the listing editor to check each crop.
The one unedited photo, and AI
Etsy's rule: "Your listing must include at least one unedited photo of the actual item against a real background", with some exceptions depending on what you sell. Outside that photo, Etsy allows photo-editing tools, "including AI, to adjust lighting or color, crop or resize images, or change backgrounds".
Every image still has to show the item's true color, condition, scale and materials. Etsy also suggests making the first photo "the clearest, most realistic representation of the item", and saying in your description which photos were edited. If you sell patterns, recipes or instructions, show a real result made from them, not a simulated one.
Related
Selling on Amazon too? Its rules are in Amazon product image requirements. On Shopify, the sizes are in Shopify product image size. For what to show in the photos after your first, see what each listing image should show. It's written for Amazon, but the same mix of close-ups, the item in use and a size reference works on Etsy.
Where ReddStudio fits
ReddStudio's images are AI-made: it redraws the item itself from your photo, which is more than the edits Etsy lists (lighting, color, cropping, backgrounds). It turns one photo into six 2000 × 2000 pixel images, a plain white main image and then lifestyle and infographic images in one style, built for Amazon. If you use them on Etsy, check that every image shows the true item, say in your description that they were made with AI, and never use one as your unedited photo. They're also square with the product filling the frame, so they're not the shape Etsy prefers for a first photo. Your first listing's six images are free as a watermarked preview.
FAQ
What size should Etsy listing photos be?
Etsy recommends at least 2000 pixels for both the width and the height. The first photo should be at least 635 pixels each way to avoid showing up lower in searches.
What is the Etsy thumbnail size?
Etsy doesn't give one thumbnail size. It crops your first photo into square, portrait and landscape thumbnails in different places, so leave space around the product and check each crop with the thumbnail adjustment tool.
Should Etsy photos be square or landscape?
Etsy accepts a landscape or square first photo, and its thumbnail tips say to avoid square crops and upload landscape images. The first photo also sets the shape for the photos after it, so keep them all the same shape.
How many photos can an Etsy listing have?
Up to 20 photos, plus 2 videos of 5 to 15 seconds.
Can I use AI-edited photos on Etsy?
Yes, except for one: each listing needs at least one unedited photo of the actual item against a real background. On the other photos Etsy allows editing tools, including AI, to adjust lighting or color, crop or resize, or change backgrounds. Every photo must show the item's true color, condition, scale and materials, and Etsy suggests saying in the description which photos were edited.
