title: "Amazon Product Background Removal: How Is It Done?" date: 2024-09-21 slug: /amazon-product-background-removal-hows-it-done word_count: 1900 images: 6
Amazon Product Background Removal: How Is It Done?
Table of Contents
- Amazon Product Photography: Quick Tips
- Choosing a Background Removal Tool
- Select Your Top Product Photos
- Upload and Mark Your Amazon Images
- Edit and Enhance Your Results
- Amazon Photo Guidelines and Requirements
- Download Your Result and Reupload to Amazon
- Pixel by Hand's Background Removal Services
- FAQ
Ensuring your product images look their best on Amazon is essential — it's one of the world's largest eCommerce marketplaces. A strong starting point is hiring a top-notch Amazon product photographer who can create high-quality images on a clean white background.
However, if you're working with a limited budget or just starting out, you may be handling product photography yourself. In that case, you'll almost certainly benefit from a photo background removal service.
These services take your photos and remove the background, leaving a clean white space that meets Amazon's requirements. Having your images professionally edited by specialists like Pixel by Hand helps your products stand out from the competition.
In this guide, we'll outline the steps involved in background removal and how services like Pixel by Hand can improve the quality of your product photos.
Short on time? Start your free trial — send us your Amazon product images and we'll return professionally edited samples at no cost.
Amazon Product Photography: Quick Tips
Before we discuss background removal, let's cover some tips for taking great product photos in the first place. If you're doing DIY product photography, getting the shot right in camera will save you significant time in post-production.
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Use a tripod: Keeps your camera steady, prevents blur, and ensures consistency across multiple shots of the same product from different angles.
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Invest in a good camera: A DSLR or mirrorless camera will produce far better results than a smartphone. If budget is tight, consider smartphone attachments like clip-on lenses and mini tripods.
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Set up a white backdrop: A roll of white paper or a white bedsheet works well. Place it behind your product and ensure there's ample lighting so the product is well-lit and the background is bright.
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Use natural light: If you have large windows, take advantage of soft, diffused natural light — it's ideal for product photography.
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Use artificial lighting if needed: Inexpensive LED lights positioned either side of your product create even, consistent lighting.
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Shoot in RAW: This gives you far more flexibility when editing your photos later.
Choosing a Background Removal Tool
There are several photo editing tools available — Photoshop, InDesign, and even Microsoft Paint. Web-based tools like Remove.bg or Photo Scissors specialise in background removal. However, whilst these tools can do a quick job, the results may not be as accurate or clean as what a professional delivers.
Some images require techniques that AI tools simply can't replicate to produce a realistic result. This is where Pixel by Hand excels — our team of designers tackle even the most complex images and remove backgrounds by hand using Adobe Photoshop.
Photoshop is the industry standard for product photo editing, offering a wide range of selection tools for accurate background removal. Combined with our team's years of experience, we can also offer suggestions on how to make your photos look even better.
Select Your Top Product Photos
Decide which product images you want edited. Ideally, select your strongest photos — the ones that will make the biggest impact on customers.
When choosing product photos for your Amazon listing or marketing campaigns, look for images that:
- Best represent your product
- Showcase the key features
- Are in focus with good lighting
- Have a reasonably clean background to start with
Also ensure you have images from multiple angles. Customers want to see what your product looks like from all sides before committing to a purchase.
Upload and Mark Your Amazon Images
Once you've finalised your selection, upload your files in popular formats such as .PNG, .JPG, or other supported formats — either to your background removal software or directly to your editing service.
When using software, you'll need to mark the areas you want to keep and those you want to remove. For product photos, you'll typically keep the product in focus whilst removing everything else.
If there are additional elements in the photo you want to keep or remove, this is the stage to specify that.
Edit and Enhance Your Results
After marking is complete, it's time to fine-tune. Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and other settings to ensure your product looks its best. Once you're satisfied with the results, download the edited photo.
For Amazon product images, quality matters enormously. The better your photos, the more likely customers are to purchase.
Amazon Photo Guidelines and Requirements
Amazon's guidelines state that product photos must depict the specific item in your inventory — not generic product images. Photos should be taken from different angles to show all sides.
Core image requirements:
- The image must relate to the product for sale
- Must be in focus, well-lit, with realistic colours and smooth edges
- White backgrounds are strongly preferred
- No gratuitous or confusing objects
- No additional text, graphics, or inset images
- No profane or offensive material
Additional requirements:
- Props are permitted if they demonstrate product use
- Cropped or close-up images are acceptable
- Lifestyle backgrounds are allowed on secondary images
Technical specifications:
| Requirement | Single Items | Book Loader Feeds |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted file types | JPEG (.jpg), GIF (.gif) | JPEG (.jpg), GIF (.gif) |
| Maximum file size | 10 MB | 10 MB |
| Image resolution | 72 pixels per inch | 72 pixels per inch |
| Minimum dimensions | 200 x 200 pixels | One side at least 200 pixels |
| Maximum dimensions | 2000 x 2000 pixels | 10,000 x 10,000 pixels |
| Maximum dimension ratio | 5:1 (2:1 or 1:1 preferred) | 5:1 (2:1 or 1:1 preferred) |
Submissions are proportionally scaled to 500 x 500 pixels regardless of original size. Photos without a 1:1 ratio will be padded with white space on the shorter sides.
Download Your Result and Reupload to Amazon
Once you've achieved the image quality you're after, download your images in your preferred format (.PNG, .JPG, or .JPEG). Store your product image files in an easily accessible folder so you can retrieve them quickly when uploading to Amazon.
You can replace your existing product images with the improved versions directly through your Seller Central account.
Pixel by Hand's Background Removal Services
Now that you understand the background removal process, you can either edit your own images or outsource to professionals. With high-quality images, you significantly increase your chances of making sales on Amazon.
At Pixel by Hand, we offer professional background removal services backed by over 10 years' experience and 380+ clients worldwide. Our team of experienced image editors removes backgrounds precisely, so you can focus on growing your business.
Beyond background removal, we also provide photo retouching for eCommerce businesses, clipping path services, colour correction, and more. Our quick turnaround time and consistent delivery of high-quality results make us one of the most reliable image editing services available.
See our quality for yourself. Send us your images for a free sample edit — no obligation, no credit card required.
FAQ
Does Amazon require a white background on product images? Yes, Amazon strongly recommends (and in most categories requires) a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255) for the main product image. Secondary images have more flexibility.
Can I use AI tools to remove backgrounds for Amazon listings? AI tools like Remove.bg can work for simple products, but they often struggle with complex edges (hair, jewellery, transparent objects). For professional results, manual editing or a specialist service like Pixel by Hand produces cleaner outcomes.
What image dimensions does Amazon recommend? Amazon recommends images of at least 1600 pixels on the longest side for the zoom function to work. The maximum is 10,000 pixels on either side.
How many images should I upload to my Amazon listing? Amazon allows up to 9 images per listing (1 main + 8 supporting). Use all 9 slots — listings with more images consistently see higher conversion rates.
What file format is best for Amazon product images? JPEG is the most commonly used format for Amazon. It provides good quality at manageable file sizes. PNG is useful if you need transparency, though Amazon's white background requirement makes this less relevant for main images.