AI Product Photos for Online Store
Product photos are the first thing a shopper judges in an online store. You can make AI product photos for an online store that look clean and consistent, as long as you treat them as pictures that must match a real product. This article covers the three types of photos a listing needs and a checklist to run before anything goes live.
The three photos every listing needs
The clean main photo
This is the picture in search results and on the category page. It needs a plain background, even light and the product centred with room around it.
Product photo of a stainless steel water bottle with a matte black lid, standing upright, centred on a seamless light grey background, soft even studio light, a faint shadow under the base. Square 1:1.
Keep the same background colour for all products in a collection. A grid of different backgrounds looks messy.
The lifestyle photo
This shows the product being used. It answers "what is it for?" and "how big is it?".
The same style of steel water bottle in a hiker's hand, standing on a rocky trail, forest slope in soft focus behind, early morning light. 4:5.
The detail photo
Close-ups of the material, the closure, the stitching, the print. These cut the number of questions you get.
Start from your real product
The most useful trick: attach a photo of the real item as a reference and describe the new picture. A phone photo on a table is enough. You then describe the scene, the light and the background. If you want to place the product somewhere else, read put your product in a new scene with AI.
Checklist before you publish
Run through this for every product:
- Shape, colour and proportions match the real item.
- Logos, labels and printed text are correct. Small text is easiest to get wrong.
- Counts are right: buttons, zips, pockets, wheels.
- Nothing appears that is not included in the sale.
- The scene does not suggest a feature the product lacks, such as waterproofing.
- Sizes and scale feel true. A bottle must not look like a barrel.
If any item fails, run the prompt again with more exact words about the part that went wrong.
Different platforms, different sizes
Marketplaces and shop themes often ask for square images. Social posts use 4:5 (1080 x 1350) or 9:16 (1080 x 1920). Make the main picture square and a second one at 4:5 for social, so you do not need to crop later.
Keep products looking like a family
Choose one background, one light direction and one distance from the camera. Write this once and paste it into every prompt, or save the style in your brand guidelines. For a product that must look the same in every picture, see keeping the same product in every AI image.
Transparent backgrounds
If your shop theme needs a cut-out picture, ask for a transparent background when you make the image. Always check the edges against a dark and a light page.
Doing it in Melon Cut
In Melon Cut Design, use the General setting for listing photos at any size, or Social for post formats. Attach your product photo, choose Fast to explore ideas or Quality for the version you publish, and make up to 4 pictures from one prompt.