Glossary · Etsy
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.
The rule is set out in Etsy's help article on how its listing image requirements apply to listings. It reflects Etsy's position as a marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, where buyers want to see the actual object.
Etsy allows editing, including with AI: adjusting lighting and colour, cropping and resizing, and changing backgrounds, as long as the item does not look different from what the buyer receives. Sellers must not use AI to hide damage. There are exceptions by category. Print-on-demand sellers may use a stock mockup if authorised. Digital items without a visual component may use representative images, including AI images. Printables should show an actual preview. For craft patterns, recipes and seeds, AI images cannot be the only images of the finished result.
The common mistake is a listing made entirely of white-background cut-outs or generated scenes, with no photo of the item where it actually stood. Another is retouching away scratches or wear on vintage pieces, which Etsy's rule on hiding damage covers directly.
Etsy's technical rules still apply to the real photo: the first photo must be at least 635 px in both directions or it ranks lower, 2,000 px is recommended, and transparent PNGs are not accepted.
PicBarn's gallery pack puts your own photo in slot one; for Etsy, keep that photo as you shot it on its real background and use the generated images in later slots.
See also
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Related
- Etsy listing photo requirements: sizes, formats, the unedited-photo rule, and how to export them from one photoEtsy’s photo rules from its own help pages: 2,000 px recommended, 635 px floor for the first photo, 20 photos and 2 videos per listing, jpg/png/gif/svg/heic, the new rule that most listings need one unedited real photo, and what AI edits are allowed.
- AI product photography vs a photo shoot: real costs per SKUWhat a lifestyle product shoot costs per image, what AI product photography costs, where each one wins, and a decision rule for small catalogues.