Amazon · checked 2026-11-04
Amazon main image requirements
The main image is the one shoppers see in search results, and it is the only Amazon image with a fixed recipe. These are the rules for it, quoted from Amazon's own pages.
The rules
Pure white background
The main image must have a pure white background: RGB colour values of 255, 255, 255.
Product fills 85% of the frame
The product must fill 85% of the image frame.
The whole product, shown once
Main images must show the entire product, and the product is shown only once.
Only accessories that are included
Main images show only the accessories that are included with the product; no props that are not part of the purchase.
No packaging unless it is a feature
Main images do not show packaging unless the packaging is an important product feature.
No mannequins
Main images cannot show mannequins of any kind, including hangers.
Adult apparel on a standing model
Adult clothing on the main image is shown on a model who is standing. The clothing style guide lists a model "sitting, kneeling, leaning, or lying down" as a failure: "models must be standing".
Shoes: one shoe at 45 degrees
Shoes are shown as a single shoe, facing left at a 45-degree angle.
Accessories laid flat
Accessories are shown flat on the main image, not worn.
No borders, logos, watermarks or inset images
The style guide lists "borders, logos, watermarks, inset images, text, color blocks, or other decorations" as not allowed on the MAIN image.
No reviews, ratings, claims or Amazon badges
No customer reviews, star ratings or claims such as "free shipping", and no Amazon logos or badges such as "Amazon's Choice", "Best Seller" or "Prime". This applies to all images, not only the main one.
Size: 500 to 10,000 pixels on the longest side
The longest side must be at least 500 pixels and no more than 10,000 pixels. Images of 1,000 pixels or more on the longest side enable zoom.
Accepted file formats
JPEG, TIFF, PNG or non-animated GIF, with JPEG recommended; at least 72 dpi; RGB colour preferred.
A failing main image can suppress the listing
"Listings with missing MAIN images or MAIN images that fail to meet requirements … may result in your ASIN being deprioritized in, or suppressed from search."
What this means in practice
In practice the main image is a cut-out job with two numbers attached. The background has to be exactly 255, 255, 255, so a light grey studio sweep or an off-white of 250, 250, 250 does not meet the rule, and neither does a soft shadow that spreads grey into the corners. Once the background is right, scale the product until its longest side reaches roughly 85% of the frame, without cropping any part of it off.
Most rejections come from things added to the photo rather than the photo itself: a prop that is not in the box, a second colourway, a "best seller" sticker, a hanger, a dress form. All of that belongs in the gallery, if anywhere. For apparel the choice is a standing model for adult clothing, a flat lay for accessories, and a single shoe turned 45 degrees to the left for footwear.
Export a JPEG in RGB with the longest side well above 1,000 pixels so zoom works; 2,000 pixels leaves room for the 85% framing without upscaling. In PicBarn the main image tab does this one job, at 1 credit per image: it takes your own product photo, sets the background to pure white and frames the product, while scenes, try-on and infographics are labelled as gallery images and never offered for slot 1.
Before you upload, run the file through a checker that reads the actual pixel values at the edges; a background that looks white on a bright laptop screen can still measure 248.
Sources
Questions
Is an off-white or very light grey background acceptable?
No. Amazon asks for pure white, RGB 255, 255, 255. A background that looks white but measures 250 or 245 does not meet the rule, and a cast shadow that turns the edges grey has the same problem.
Does the product have to fill exactly 85% of the frame?
Amazon states 85%. The practical target is the product's longest side reaching about 85% of the frame's longest side, with the whole product still visible and nothing cropped by the frame edge.
Can I put text, a logo or a badge on the main image?
No. The main image cannot carry text, logos, borders, watermarks or inset images, and no image in the listing may show star ratings, reviews, "free shipping" claims or Amazon badges such as "Amazon's Choice" or "Prime". Text belongs on gallery infographics.
Can the main image be generated with AI?
Amazon's main image rules describe the result, not the method: the entire product, shown once, on pure white, with only what is included. A cut-out of your own product photo meets that most directly. If an image shows a photorealistic AI-generated person, Amazon also requires the contains-synthetic-performer tag.
Check an image against these rules
Free, no account: upload a product image and see which rows pass as a main image and as a gallery image.
Related
- Amazon image requirements checkerFree: upload an image, see which marketplace rules it passes.
- Amazon main image rules: pure white background, 2000 px, and how to pass themThe Amazon main-image requirements in plain language — white background, product fill, size — and the fastest way to produce a compliant image plus lifestyle gallery shots.
- Amazon main image: how to get a true pure-white background (RGB 255) without PhotoshopAmazon wants the main image on pure white, RGB 255, 255, 255, with the product filling 85% of the frame. Why a white sweep is never white enough, how to check the pixels, three free ways to fix it, and the edge faults that still get an image removed.
- Amazon product image requirements: every rule in one listAll of Amazon's product image rules: formats, 500 to 10,000 px sizes, 1,000 px zoom, RGB and file settings, banned content on every image, and the MAIN/PT01 file naming.