How to Take Product Photos for Etsy (Fill All 10 Slots Properly)

Etsy allows ten photos per listing and rewards sellers who use them. Here is exactly what to shoot for each slot, Etsy's image size rules, and how to fill the gallery from one hero photo.

2026-07-27 · 7 min read

Etsy rewards a full gallery

Etsy gives every listing ten photo slots. Most sellers use two or three. That gap is one of the easiest competitive advantages available on the platform, because Etsy's own seller handbook is explicit that listings with more, better images perform better in search and in conversion.

The reason is simple: Etsy buyers are usually purchasing something handmade, vintage or one-of-a-kind. They cannot compare against a known brand-standard product, so they rely entirely on your photographs to judge quality, scale and material.

Etsy's technical requirements

Shoot in a square frame from the start. Cropping a landscape photo into an Etsy thumbnail is how sellers end up with the product's top sliced off in search results.

What to put in each of the ten slots

1. Hero shot — straight on, plain background, product filling most of the frame

2. Three-quarter left — shows depth and form

3. Three-quarter right — the mirrored view a buyer would turn the item to

4. Top-down — layout, proportions, contents

5. Low angle — gives presence and shows the base or underside

6. Detail / macro — stitching, grain, hardware, finish

7. Scale shot — the product next to a common object or in a hand

8. In-use / lifestyle — the product in its intended setting

9. Variations — other colours, sizes or finishes offered

10. Info card — dimensions, materials, care instructions as clean text on an image

Slots 1 to 5 are pure photography and are where almost all of the conversion lift lives.

The realistic problem for a solo Etsy seller

Shooting slots 1 to 5 properly means re-levelling the camera, re-checking the light and re-editing five times per product. For a shop with forty listings that is a full week of work, and it is why most Etsy galleries stop at three photos.

The shortcut that still shows your real product

Shoot slot 1 properly — one sharp, well-lit, square hero photo on a plain background. Then upload it to AngleAI, which generates slots 2 to 5 as genuine alternate camera views of the same item, with the same colour, materials and lighting.

You are not inventing a product. You are showing the item you actually made from the angles the buyer wants to see. Keep the hero shot as your true photograph, add the generated angles as supporting images, and use your remaining slots for detail, scale and lifestyle shots that only you can take.

Every new AngleAI account gets 12 free credits — one complete four-angle set, no card required.

Related reading: How to take product photos step by step · Marketplace image requirements

Frequently asked questions

How many photos should an Etsy listing have?

Etsy allows up to ten photos per listing and its own seller guidance recommends using at least five. Listings that fill more slots consistently convert better because buyers can assess scale, material and detail before purchasing.

What size should Etsy listing photos be?

Etsy recommends at least 2000px on the shortest side, in JPG, PNG or GIF format, under 1MB where possible. A square 2000x2000px JPEG is the safest all-round choice because Etsy crops the thumbnail square.

Does Etsy allow AI-generated product photos?

Etsy does not prohibit AI-edited or AI-generated imagery, but the listing must accurately represent the item the buyer receives. Use AI angles of your real product as supporting shots, and keep your first photo a true photograph.

What should the first Etsy photo be?

A clean, well-lit, straight-on hero shot of the product filling most of a square frame on a plain background. It is the thumbnail buyers see in search, so it has to read clearly at about 200px wide.