Etsy listing photo size guide: What are Etsy’s requirements?

I've published 750+ separate listing photos on Etsy and have spun up some photo-uploading tactics. Here, I’ll share the ideal photo size for Etsy listings, cropping tips, and photo-editing tools.

What is the ideal Etsy listing photo size? The 30-second answer

Etsy recommends listing photos with both width and height of at least 2,000 pixels. This size keeps photos sharp when buyers zoom in. However, many Etsy sellers aim for a 3,000 × 2,250-pixel resolution to capture extra details of their listings.

Key details for Etsy photo listings

Nailing each Etsy listing photo keeps your listings sharp across desktop, mobile, and zoom views. These four technical details directly affect how professional your products appear:

Detail #1: Optimal pixel size

Etsy recommends using images that are at least about 2,000 pixels on the shortest side so zoom stays sharp. Each first-listing photo (which appears on your storefront) should have a height and width of at least 635 pixels – this is the bare minimum. 

However, 3,000 pixels deliver noticeably sharper zoom quality. With more pixels, buyers can better inspect details such as stitching, textures, and finishes. 

Larger files with more pixels come with a trade-off: They load slightly slower on mobile connections. For each listing photo collection, balance image quality against page speed if you're targeting budget-conscious shoppers on older devices. 

Detail #2: Aspect ratio guidelines and cropping

Etsy displays listing photos reliably when you use a 4:3 aspect ratio, such as 3,000 × 2,250 or 2,000 × 1500 pixels. This aspect ratio keeps your images sharp and easy to crop without losing too much detail. 

Because Etsy frequently shows square thumbnails in search and on desktop, you can crop any image, whether its aspect ratio is 4:3, 1:1, or 16:9. Always keep your product centered and avoid putting text or key details too close to the borders.

Square or very wide images can still work well for cover photos. But if your product’s handles, clasps, or decorative edges sit near the frame’s edge, Etsy’s automatic cropping in search results may hide them until shoppers click through to the full listing.

Pro tip: Maintain consistent 4:3 ratio across all photos
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Upload all listing images at the same 4:3 aspect ratio so your storefront grid looks cohesive instead of chaotic. Mismatched dimensions create jagged rows that make your shop feel unprofessional.

Detail #3: Color and resolution

Upload images in RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color mode at a minimum of 72 DPI (Dots per Inch) to maintain accurate colors across different screens and devices. Avoid CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key) files intended for print, as they display incorrectly on Etsy, shifting reds toward orange and blues toward purple. 

Higher DPI values, like 300, won't improve how images display online. Instead, they’ll unnecessarily inflate file sizes and slow load times without delivering visible quality gains. However, if you’re selling digital downloads or printable products (like wall art, invitations, or templates), provide customers with 300 DPI files to ensure the best printing quality for physical media.

Where Etsy displays listing photos and how compression works

Etsy displays your photos in three places: Search results (as thumbnails), your listing page, and inside each listing’s gallery with a full-screen zoom when buyers click for details. 

The platform often crops images into square or near-square thumbnails. This cropping shape allows any photo, whether 4:3, square, or wider, to have its edges trimmed in search and shop views. 

Use a horizontal 4:3 image with pixel sizes of 3,000 × 2,250 or 2,000 × 1500 and keep your product centered. Allow some space around your product and the frame, and make key details visible in both thumbnails and zoomed views.

Etsy listing photo size vs. Canva presets

Canva templates are handy for beginners, but many default sizes are designed for social media rather than Etsy’s preferred listing formats. Here’s when to use each:

Stick with Etsy if …

You prioritize maximum zoom quality

You export your designs or photos at Etsy‑friendly sizes (for example, around 2,000–3,000 px on the long side with a 4:3 aspect ratio) and upload them via Etsy’s uploader. Etsy generates high‑resolution zoom views with good detail for stitching, textures, and finishes. However, some compression still happens behind the scenes.

Color accuracy matters for your products

You work in standard RGB or RGB and want product colors to look consistent across phones, tablets, and desktops. As long as you export from any tool (including Canva) in sRGB and avoid CMYK or unusual profiles, Etsy will display colors more reliably and reduce surprises for buyers.

You want predictable thumbnails

You size and crop your images with Etsy’s display in mind, always using a horizontal 4:3 ratio, keeping the product centered, and leaving some margin around the edges. This works well when Etsy creates square or near‑square thumbnails, so essential details aren’t chopped off in search grids.

Use Canva if …

You need beginner-friendly design tools

The platform’s drag-and-drop interface, pre-made templates, and one-click background removal simplify graphic design and enable the creation of professional-looking listing photos. Text overlays, shape tools, and filters make it easy to add promotional graphics or seasonal branding without photo-editing experience.

Lifestyle context sells your products

Canva includes built-in mockup tools that place your products on lifestyle backgrounds like coffee tables, office desks, or styled shelves. These contextual shots help buyers visualize scale and usage.

Your shop has multiple contributors

Canva lets multiple team members access and edit the same product photo templates simultaneously. Shared brand kits, comment threads, and version history prevent miscommunication and keep visual content consistent across all your listings.

Nifty: A Canva alternative (and much more)

Nifty combines Canva-style photo editing with crosslisting and automation that’s compatible with Etsy. Here's how Nifty's tools help you create better listings while saving hours on manual uploads:

• Built-in photo-editing suite: Nifty includes free editing tools for all users, covering zoom, rotation, cropping, filters, and adjustments for brightness, contrast, and saturation. Add text overlays or shapes to highlight product details. If your photo isn't square, Nifty automatically centers it against a white background before posting to marketplaces.
• One-click background removal: The tool features a background removal tool, powered by Photoroom, that instantly strips backgrounds from product photos for a clean, studio-quality look. 
• Crosslisting and automation across platforms: Beyond photo editing, Nifty lets you publish listings on multiple marketplaces like Etsy, eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, and Depop (more on the way!) with a few clicks. You can also automate offering, relisting, and Poshmark actions like sharing. 

Should you follow Etsy’s recommended image size? My take

Following Etsy’s recommended 2,000 pixels on the shortest side and up to around 3,000 × 2,250 pixels helps your listing photos stay sharp and look good across devices. However, not all sellers need to follow Etsy’s guidelines:

Perfect for sellers who …

• Sell visual-first products: Jewelry, ceramics, and other handmade goods benefit most from high‑resolution photos because buyers zoom in to inspect details like texture and overall craftsmanship. Clear close-ups also build trust and help justify your prices before shoppers decide to buy.
• Want crisp zooming capability: Images exported around the 2,000 to 3,000 px range let shoppers examine stitching, engravings, brush strokes, and small design elements without obvious pixelation or blurriness.
• Use lifestyle photos strategically: When your main “hero” image is a clean product shot, lifestyle photos in a 4:3 aspect ratio usually display well in gallery and zoom views. 

Don’t rely on Etsy’s default sizes if you …

• Want cinematic hero images: You can crop ultra‑wide or very tall compositions to fit into square or near‑square thumbnails in search and category grids. If you don’t need to spotlight details like clasps or handles, you can ignore the size limits.
• You use square product photos exclusively: Square images can look great, but if handles, text, or decorative borders sit right at the very top or bottom, Etsy’s thumbnail crops may hide them in some views. It’s safer to design square or 4:3 photos, so all critical details stay within the central “safe area,” not tight against the frame.

How to upload the perfect Etsy listing photo in 5 steps

If you know how to upload a photo to Etsy the right way, you can prevent publishing poorly presented photos and maintain a good reputation. Follow these photo upload steps: 

Step 1: Shoot or export at optimal dimensions

Set your camera or design software to around 3,000 × 2,250 pixels in a 4:3 aspect ratio before capturing or exporting images. This size delivers crisp zoom quality and gives you room to crop for thumbnails. Resizing from smaller images later can introduce softness, so start as close as possible to your target dimensions.

Step 2: Export your images as JPGs

Export images as high‑quality JPG files, ideally under about 1 MB. (10 MB is the maximum file size, but 1 MB works best for fast uploads.) Although PNGs look similar to JPGs, PNGs create much larger uploads, which can slow browsing. JPG is recommended for smaller file sizes and faster loading, but PNG is also officially supported by Etsy. 

Note that transparent PNG files are not supported; transparency will appear as black on Etsy, so use a solid background color instead. Animated GIF files are not supported either.

Step 3: Center your products to avoid cropping

Position your main product in the middle of the frame with equal margins on all sides. Etsy's thumbnail generator crops edges unpredictably if items sit too close to borders. So, be careful that you don’t crop out handles, clasps, text overlays, or other product parts that buyers need to see.

Pro tip: Use natural or softbox lighting

Proper lighting prevents grainy shadows and washed-out colors that make handmade items look cheaper than they actually are. Shoot near windows during daytime or invest in affordable softbox kits to create even, flattering illumination that highlights product details.

Step 4: Upload your hero shot first

Your first image becomes the search result thumbnail, so upload your clearest, most compelling product angle in slot one. Use secondary slots for lifestyle shots, detail close‑ups, or packaging images that shoppers can explore after they click into the listing.

Step 5: Test mobile display before publishing

Before you hit publish, preview your listing on both desktop and mobile. Make sure thumbnails, gallery images, and zoom views all show the full product without awkward crops or unreadable text on smaller screens.

Step 6: Publish and maintain consistency

Hit publish once you’ve confirmed all images display correctly on mobile and desktop views. Check your storefront grid once a week to verify that thumbnails still align properly after Etsy’s periodic algorithm updates.

Etsy photo sizing mistakes

Photo sizing mistakes typically result in fewer buyers clicking on your products. Avoid these mistakes to publish more appealing pictures.

Mistake #1: Uploading photos of uncentered products

Both square (1:1) and 4:3 horizontal images work well on Etsy, but 4:3 horizontal format is generally safer because it minimizes unexpected cropping across different devices. Regardless of aspect ratio, always center your product with adequate margins, at least 10–15% empty space on all sides. Use Etsy’s built-in crop tool to fine-tune how your images appear in thumbnails before publishing.

Mistake #2: Choosing the wrong file format

Exporting well‑optimized JPGs at a reasonable file size gives you more control over quality. PNG files are more likely to be recompressed by Etsy in ways you can’t control, sometimes leading to more noticeable degradation. For most product photography, sticking with JPG is the safest choice. 

Mistake #3: Letting Etsy auto-crop lifestyle shots

Wide or vertical lifestyle images are more likely to be cropped at the edges in Etsy’s square or 4:3 thumbnails, which can cut off the context that makes them effective. If you want to use non‑standard ratios, keep a clear, standard 4:3 or square image as your main photo.

Overall, I recommend sticking with a 4:3 ratio and 3,000 pixels on the shortest side for the best search ranking and zoom quality. Experiment with different aspect ratios for photos in each listing’s set. Etsy allows up to 20 photos now, which many sellers believe is enough to thoroughly showcase their products.

Move more Etsy listings with Nifty

Now that you know Etsy's photo size requirements, it’s time to add some rocket fuel to your listings with Nifty. You’ll be able to edit product images, remove backgrounds, and list across Etsy, eBay, Poshmark, and other marketplaces all from one interface.

Here’s why Nifty’s so helpful:

• Built-in photo editing: Crop, rotate, adjust brightness and contrast, and add text overlays without switching to Canva or Photoshop. Nifty automatically centers non-square images against white backgrounds before posting to marketplaces, keeping your listings clean and professional.
• AI listing generation: Snap a pic and let Nifty’s AI build complete listings with SEO-optimized titles, descriptions, and trending hashtags. The tool analyzes your image and suggests keywords that match buyer search behavior across every platform.
• Crosslist to Etsy and beyond: With a couple of clicks, post your items across Etsy, Poshmark, eBay, Mercari, and Depop. No copy-paste, no multi-tab juggling, and no reformatting images for different platforms. (More marketplaces coming soon!)
• Automatic delisting handled: When you make a sale, Nifty's sales detection auto-delists that item from every marketplace. Say goodbye to double-selling disasters and “sorry, it's already gone” apology messages.
• Bulk tools save hours: Update photos, adjust prices, or refresh dozens of listings at once. Schedule drafts to go live while you sleep, so your inventory stays fresh without manual daily uploads.

See why over 10,000 sellers are using Nifty and start your 7-day free trial today. 

FAQs

1. What is the ideal Etsy listing photo size?

The ideal Etsy listing photo size is 3,000 × 2,250 pixels in a 4:3 aspect ratio. This resolution delivers sharp zoom quality so buyers can inspect product details like stitching, textures, and finishes without pixelation. Etsy recommends at least 2,000 pixels on the shortest side, but 3,000 pixels provides noticeably crisper images.

2. Can I upload square images on Etsy?

Yes, you can upload square images on Etsy. But if important product edges or details sit too close to the borders, Etsy’s thumbnail crops may cut them off in some views. Square photos often work better as secondary gallery images unless you’ve designed them with extra breathing room.

3. Does Etsy compress listing photos?

Yes, Etsy compresses listing photos automatically and resizes them for compatibility with shoppers using mobile devices. This feature keeps pages loading quickly across different devices and connection speeds. For the best results, start with larger and cleaner files for better zoom quality and detail retention compared to uploading smaller images.

4. How does compression affect photo quality? 

Compression affects fine details, patterns, gradients, text, and line art. Minimize quality loss by using high-quality source files of 2,000+ pixels (3,000+ for intricate details like jewelry or embroidery). Consider manually compressing before uploading for better control, and test after uploading to preview compression effects on your products.