Product Photo Guide
Great photos sell products. Here's how to shoot, frame, and upload images that show your work at its best — without needing a professional camera.
What you'll learn
Good to know
If you only remember one thing:
Shoot your product in portrait orientation (4:5 ratio) with natural daylight from a window, against a plain background. Upload at least 3 photos including a close-up.
Get the size and shape right
Chiblu displays your photos in a 4:5 portrait container — slightly taller than wide. Photos shot in this shape look full and undistorted; photos shot in other shapes (especially landscape) will have white space around them.
4:5 portrait
Recommended
1:1 square
Also works
Resolution targets:
Tip
On your phone: Switch the camera to 4:3 photo mode (close enough to 4:5 — Chiblu will display it cleanly). Shoot vertically (portrait), not horizontally. iPhone's default photo mode is already 4:3.
Use natural daylight
Natural daylight is free, flattering, and shows your product's real colors. You don't need a studio setup — a window does the work.
When and where to shoot:
Important
Avoid: Yellow indoor bulbs (tungsten lighting) cast a warm, unflattering color over fabric, paint, and metal. If you must shoot indoors at night, your photo will look more orange than reality. Daylight is always safer.
Plain background, product centered
Your product is the hero. A clean background lets the buyer focus on what they're actually buying.
Good backgrounds:
Framing tips:
Upload 3-5 photos from different angles
One photo is rarely enough. Buyers want to see your product from multiple sides before committing to buy. Chiblu lets you upload up to 5 photos per product — use them.
Recommended set:
Tip
Your first photo is your storefront. It appears on your store page, the marketplace listings, search results, and shareable product cards. Choose the most striking image as your first upload — you can re-order them later by clicking and dragging in the Edit Product page.
Common mistakes to avoid
Watermarks and text overlays
Buyers read watermarks as "this seller doesn't trust me" — and your Chiblu URL already protects against image theft. Skip them.
Heavy filters
Buyers want to see the real colors. A purple-tinted Instagram filter might look cool, but it's misleading and increases returns when the actual product arrives.
Blurry or low-resolution photos
If you have to zoom in to read the details, the photo is too small. Re-shoot rather than upload a bad photo.
Distracting backgrounds
Pets, family members, your TV remote — anything competing for attention. Move the product, or move the clutter.
Mirror selfies
Phone visible in the photo, you in the reflection. Use a tripod or prop your phone against books instead.
Photos taken from too high or too low
Top-down works for flat items (jewelry on a tray) but distorts 3D objects. Shoot at eye level with the product.
Before you upload — quick checklist
Great photography is a small effort that pays back many times over. A clean 4:5 portrait shot in good light, with the right details, makes a product feel worth the price — even before the buyer reads a word about it.