Listing image glossary
Short, sourced definitions of the terms marketplaces and photographers use for listing images.
- Main imageThe main image is the first photo in a product listing, the one buyers see in search results, and on most marketplaces it must show the real product alone on a plain white background.
- Gallery image (secondary image)A gallery image is any listing photo after the main image, used for other angles, details, scale, lifestyle scenes and infographics, and held to looser rules than the first slot.
- Pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255)A pure white background is one where every background pixel has the RGB value 255, 255, 255, the colour Amazon and Walmart require behind the product in the main image.
- 85% frame fill85% frame fill is Amazon's main-image rule that the product should take up 85% of the image frame, so it reads clearly as a thumbnail while still being shown whole.
- Amazon image variant codes (MAIN, PT01, SWCH…)Amazon image variant codes are the labels, such as MAIN, PT01 and SWCH, that tell Amazon which slot an uploaded image fills: the main image, an additional image or a colour swatch.
- A+ ContentA+ Content is Amazon's feature that lets brand owners add image-and-text modules to the product description area of a detail page, with its own image sizes, file rules and an approval step.
- Premium A+ ContentPremium A+ Content is the larger tier of Amazon's A+ Content, using wider 1464 x 600 px images and allowing up to seven modules instead of the five allowed in Basic A+.
- Brand StoryBrand Story is an Amazon A+ module that tells shoppers about the brand rather than the single product, shown as a horizontal carousel of images and short text on the detail page.
- Hero imageA hero image is the single lead picture that represents a product or page, usually the first and largest image a visitor sees; on a marketplace listing it is normally the main image.
- Lifestyle imageA lifestyle image shows the product in use or in a real-looking setting, such as a kitchen, desk or garden, to show scale, context and who the product is for.
- Infographic imageAn infographic image is a gallery photo with added text, icons or callouts that explain features, dimensions or materials, placed after the main image because main images must carry no added text.
- PackshotA packshot is a plain, evenly lit studio photo of a product, often with its packaging and labels, made to show exactly what the item looks like so shoppers recognise it.
- Flat layA flat lay is a photo taken from directly above a product laid on a flat surface, common for clothing, accessories, stationery and kits whose shape reads best from overhead.
- Ghost mannequin (invisible mannequin)A ghost mannequin, or invisible mannequin, image shows a garment as if worn by an invisible body, made by photographing it on a mannequin and editing the mannequin out, often combining several shots.
- On-model imageAn on-model image shows clothing, jewellery or accessories worn by a person, real or AI-generated, so buyers can judge fit, drape and scale on a body.
- Virtual try-onVirtual try-on is a technique that shows a product, usually clothing or accessories, on a person who was not photographed wearing it, either live for shoppers or as generated on-model images for listings.
- contains-synthetic-performer tagcontains-synthetic-performer is the keyword Amazon asks sellers to write into an image's IPTC/XMP dc:subject field before uploading any photo that shows a photorealistic AI-generated person.
- XMP metadataXMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) is an ISO standard, created by Adobe, for storing descriptive data such as keywords, creator and rights inside an image file, where editing tools and upload systems can read it.
- Content Credentials (C2PA)Content Credentials are tamper-evident provenance records, defined by the C2PA standard, that travel with an image or video and record how it was made and edited, including whether AI was used.
- AI-generated content disclosureAI-generated content disclosure is the requirement to tell buyers or the platform when an image or video was made or significantly changed with AI, through a label, toggle, checkbox or metadata tag.
- Unedited photo rule (Etsy)Etsy's unedited photo rule says most listings need at least one real, unedited photo of the actual item on a real background, alongside any edited or AI-assisted images.
- Listing quality tier (TikTok Shop)TikTok Shop's listing quality tier is the grade the platform gives a product detail page, and for images its "Good" tier calls for at least five high-resolution images with no promotional stickers.
- Zoom threshold (1,000 px)The zoom threshold is the image size at which a marketplace lets shoppers magnify a product photo; on Amazon, images 1,000 px or larger on the longest side enable zoom.
- sRGBsRGB is the standard RGB colour space for screens and the web, proposed by HP and Microsoft in 1996, and the safest colour space for product photos uploaded to any marketplace.
- DPI vs pixelsDPI is a print setting that says how densely dots are placed on paper, while pixel dimensions are the actual size of a digital image; marketplaces judge product photos by pixels, not DPI.
- Aspect ratioAspect ratio is the proportion of an image's width to its height, written as 1:1 for square or 4:5 for portrait, and it decides how a photo is cropped in grids and thumbnails.
- Contact shadowA contact shadow is the small, dark shadow right where a product touches the surface beneath it, which keeps a cut-out product from looking as if it is floating.
- Background removalBackground removal is the process of separating a product from everything behind it, producing a cut-out that can be placed on pure white or into a new scene.
- InpaintingInpainting is an image-editing technique that fills or replaces a selected region of a picture so it blends with the pixels around it, used to remove objects, fix text or change part of a scene.
- ColourwayA colourway is one of the colour combinations a product is made in, such as a trainer in black and white or in red and navy, and each one usually needs its own accurate photos and swatch.