Product Photography Checklist I Use Before Launch

I used to upload product images and immediately move on to the next task. Then I'd get a customer message: "Is this the right color?" Or an Amazon suppression notice. Or I'd notice, three weeks later, that one of my images was slightly blurry.

After enough of these preventable mistakes, I made a checklist. I run through it before every listing goes live. It takes about 5 minutes and has saved me from embarrassing errors more times than I can count.

Pre-Shoot Checklist

Before you pick up the camera:

• [ ] Product is clean (no dust, fingerprints, lint, or packaging residue)
• [ ] All tags/stickers removed (unless they're part of the product)
• [ ] Product is in its best condition (steamed if fabric, polished if leather, charged if electronic)
• [ ] Shooting surface is clean and clear
• [ ] Lighting is set up and consistent (check with a test shot)
• [ ] Camera/phone white balance is set (not on auto)
• [ ] You have a shot list (which angles, which details)

The product cleaning step sounds obvious but I've uploaded photos with visible dust on a black product, a price sticker still attached, and once — memorably — a cat hair on a white candle. Check twice.

During-Shoot Checklist

For each product:

• [ ] Main image: front view, slight angle, product fills 80%+ of frame
• [ ] Back view: straight-on, labels visible if relevant
• [ ] Side view: shows depth/thickness
• [ ] Detail close-up: texture, stitching, hardware, material quality
• [ ] In-use/lifestyle: product being used as intended
• [ ] Scale reference: product in hand or next to common object
• [ ] What's included: flat lay of all items in the box
• [ ] Check each shot on the camera/phone screen at full zoom — is it sharp?

I shoot each angle 2-3 times. It takes an extra minute per product and saves me from discovering a blurry image during editing.

Post-Processing Checklist

For each image:

• [ ] Background removed cleanly (check edges at 200% zoom)
• [ ] No halo artifacts around product edges
• [ ] Product color matches the physical product (hold product next to screen)
• [ ] White balance is consistent across all images for this product
• [ ] Product is centered and fills 75-85% of the frame
• [ ] Shadow is subtle and consistent (if using shadows)
• [ ] Resolution is 2500×2500 minimum
• [ ] File format is JPEG at 85% quality (or platform-specific requirement)
• [ ] Color space is sRGB
• [ ] File size is under 5MB (under 16MB for Google Merchant Center)

The color check is the one I skip most often and regret most often. It takes 10 seconds to hold the product next to your screen. Do it.

Platform-Specific Checklist

Amazon

• [ ] Main image: pure white background (RGB 255,255,255), no text, no watermarks
• [ ] Product fills 85%+ of the frame on main image
• [ ] No borders, logos, or promotional text on any image
• [ ] At least 7 images uploaded
• [ ] At least 1 infographic image with feature callouts
• [ ] At least 1 lifestyle/in-use image

Shopify

• [ ] All images are the same aspect ratio (square recommended)
• [ ] Alt text added to every image
• [ ] Images are optimized for web (WebP if possible, lazy loading enabled)
• [ ] Zoom works on product page (requires 1600px+ on longest side)

Etsy

• [ ] First image is lifestyle/styled (not white background)
• [ ] All 10 image slots used
• [ ] Images look good when cropped to different aspect ratios (check thumbnail)
• [ ] Video added (even a simple 10-second rotation)

Google Shopping

• [ ] Resolution 2000×2000 minimum
• [ ] No text, watermarks, or overlays
• [ ] Image URLs are stable (won't change with CDN updates)
• [ ] Product fills 75-90% of frame

Pre-Upload Final Check

The 60-second sanity check:

• [ ] View all images in order on your phone (not your monitor)
• [ ] Do the images tell a story? (Overview → details → context → information)
• [ ] Is anything blurry, cropped wrong, or color-shifted?
• [ ] Would YOU buy this product based on these images alone?

That last question is the most important one. If you hesitate, something needs to change.

My Processing Pipeline

For reference, here's the tool chain I use:

1. Shoot: iPhone 14 Pro, one LED panel, phone tripod
2. Transfer: AirDrop to Mac
3. Background removal + sizing: pic1.ai with platform-specific presets
4. Touch-up (if needed): Photoshop for edge cleanup
5. Infographics: Canva with saved templates
6. Color check: Physical product next to calibrated monitor
7. Mobile check: View listing on phone before publishing

Total time per product: about 2 hours including photography. The checklist adds maybe 5 minutes but catches issues that would cost hours to fix after the listing is live.

Print this checklist. Tape it to your desk. Use it every time. The day you skip it is the day you upload a photo with a cat hair on it.

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If you're shooting with a phone, read why I switched from a $1,200 DSLR and nobody noticed. And for the editing side, here's my batch workflow for 100 images per hour.