Photo tips 6: Image size

Let's talk about the types of images that Etsy shops use, and how to use them to your advantage!

• Banners: 760 x 100 pixels
• Gallery view: 170 x 135 pixels (1.26:1 ratio)
• Main image: 570 x 425 pixels (1.34:1 ratio)
• Profile: 75 x 75 pixels

Etsy's format works best with horizontal photos. Don't worry about cropping your pictures exactly to the gallery ratio, because you can adjust the zoom of your preview image right in Etsy's listing page (the second part):

And of course, once your buyers are on your listing page, photos are not cropped at all.

HOWEVER ...

Etsy listings photos will "set" the size based on the first image. To wit:

Gah! So, make sure your biggest image is your first image!

Also, once you start cropping your images, try to stay the same. You can see in the above collage that the first picture fills out the frame, yet the next two have gray bars above and below the photos like letterboxing of widescreen movies. Most image programs will have the ability to set crop width and height, and you can draw a perfectly proportioned box every time.

If you want to get close to the correct ratio, cropping/resizing to 850x675 or 1020x810 is your best bet.

There are a few approaches you can take with your thumbnails. You can show a good overview, an interesting closeup or a nice staged photo. It all depends on how symmetrical (or not) you want your shop to look. What entices buyers into your store and listings is different for every person, so offering multiple views is good to catch every customer.

The most important part, in my opinion, is to have a cohesive look to your shop and your photos. Pick a look and stay within the general theme of it. It makes your shop look professional and instills confidence in customers to click "buy"!

— Jocelyn | paragraphloop