# E-commerce packshot on white

> The product alone on pure white: centred, filling most of the frame, sharp from front to back and lit by large soft sources so its shape and colour read truly, then cut out or clipped to white and cleaned of dust, with no shadow or only a soft contact shadow or reflection. Marketplace rules (pure white RGB 255,255,255, the product filling about 85% of the frame, no text, props or watermarks) set the look, so that thousands of listings sit side by side in a uniform grid and nothing distracts from the purchase.

- Period: 2000–present
- Where it began: Online retail from about 2000
- Kind: Fashion & commercial
- Also called: Packshot, Product shot on white, White-background product photo, Marketplace main image, Cut-out (German: Freisteller)
- Page: https://lumogeny.com/styles/ecommerce-packshot/

## How the look is made

- Put the product alone on a seamless white sweep, overexpose the background slightly and clip it to pure white (RGB 255, 255, 255) in editing.
- Centre the product and let it fill most of the frame (about 85%), whole and unobstructed; keep other angles and details for the secondary images.
- Light with large soft sources (two softboxes, or a light tent for small goods) so the form reads without harsh shadows; keep at most a soft contact shadow or reflection.
- Work on a tripod at a small aperture (about f/8–f/16) so every edge is sharp, and check colour against a grey card so the product looks as it will arrive.
- Show only what is sold: no added text, logos, watermarks, borders, props or accessories that are not in the box.
- Shoot every item in a range the same way (angle, distance, light and crop) so the catalogue grid stays uniform.

## How it is lit

- Two large softboxes, one at about 45 degrees as key and one as fill, with the white sweep lit or overexposed until it clips to pure white.
- A light tent or overhead softbox for small and shiny goods, white cards to fill and black cards to put the edges back.
- Window light on a white sweep for small sellers, the background brightened to white in editing.

### The rendered set-up

Two large softboxes as key and fill, the white sweep lit until it clips to pure white. Rendered in Blender Cycles on a synthetic clay figure or still life, with the lights exactly where the plan on the page puts them.

### A light plan from its choices (schematic)

- Key: a softbox, about 25° to the camera’s left, high, soft.
- Fill: a softbox, about 25° to the camera’s right, high, soft.
- Background light: a softbox, from behind the subject, soft.

## Camera settings

50–170 mm · f/8–f/18 · 1/250–1/60 s · ISO 100–200 (on full-frame), documented. Shopify's guide: tripod, f/8–f/11, ISO 100–200, a 50 mm or macro lens, flash at or below sync speed.

## Directing people

Usually nobody at all: the product stands alone, and clothing is laid flat or shown on an invisible form. When a model wears the garment, they stand straight and square to the lens, weight on both feet, arms relaxed at the sides so nothing hides the cut, face neutral, against the same white.

## Styling

Only the product, new, cleaned of dust, fingerprints and creases and retouched flawless, set alone on a seamless white sweep or clipped to pure white; no props and nothing that is not in the box, clothing steamed and pinned so it shows whole.

## Before you shoot it

Show the actual product: marketplaces require the real item for sale, so never use a generated image as the listing photograph of a real product or to hide its flaws; use generated packshots only as clearly labelled mock-ups or layout tests.

## Photographs

- Evan-Amos, Nintendo Entertainment System console, 2016. Public domain (PD-self), via Wikimedia Commons. Shown on the page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nintendo-Entertainment-System-NES-Console-FL.jpg
- Evan-Amos, Atari 2600 four-switch wood veneer console, 2011. Public domain (PD-self), via Wikimedia Commons. Shown on the page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atari-2600-Wood-4Sw-Set.jpg
- Schlaumaier0815, Single box Geratherm classic, 2023. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Shown on the page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Single_box_Geratherm_classic_1pc.jpg
- Soundifical, Roland SH-32 product photograph, 2016. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Shown on the page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roland_SH32_-_Product_Photography.jpg

## Sources

- Main image requirements, Amazon Seller Forums post by TaylorR_Amazon, Amazon Seller Central: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/13af96ea-6b07-4bf9-8dbe-a13292c2e3b1 (pure white RGB 255,255,255; product filling 85% or more of the frame; 1000 px on the longest side for zoom; no text, graphics, watermarks, or props not included; the actual product, no illustrations)
- Product image [image_link] specification, Google Merchant Center Help: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350 (product 75–90% of the image; no promotional overlays, watermarks or borders; show only the item for sale)
- Picture policy, eBay: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/picture-policy?id=4370 (no added borders, text, artwork or watermarks; at least 500 px on the longest side)
- Product photography, Shopify Help Center: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/product-media/product-photography (pure white background, sweep, window light, rotating the product for consistency, lightening the background to pure white)
- Product media types, Shopify Help Center: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/product-media/product-media-types (square product images at 2048 × 2048 px; a consistent aspect ratio)
- Lizzie Davey, Product Photography: A DIY Guide for Beginners, Shopify blog, 2026: https://www.shopify.com/blog/12206313-the-ultimate-diy-guide-to-beautiful-product-photography (marketplaces require white-background main images; sweep, softbox, tripod, f/8–f/11, overexposing 1–1.5 stops and clipping the background to white)
- Produktfotografie, German Wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Produktfotografie (most product photography is now made for online shops; cut-out technique, Freistellen; softbox and reflector set-ups)
- Amazon Marketplace, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Marketplace (launched 6 November 2000)
- Product Photography: A DIY Guide for Beginners, Shopify blog: https://www.shopify.com/blog/12206313-the-ultimate-diy-guide-to-beautiful-product-photography ('Mid-range apertures (around f/8-f/11) typically deliver sharp results from front to back'; ISO 'around 100 to 200', 'Set your ISO to 100 for minimal noise'; 'a 50mm lens can work well', 'For small items, use a macro lens'; tripod 'essential', slower speeds fine on a tripod; with flash stay at or below the sync speed; slightly overexpose by 1–1.5 stops for a white background)
- Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console and Atari 2600 four-switch 'wood veneer' console, Evan-Amos, Wikimedia Commons (EXIF): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nintendo-Entertainment-System-NES-Console-FL.jpg (Nikon D7000 at 112 mm, 168 mm equivalent, f/18, 1/250 s, ISO 100; Sony DSLR-A700 at 75 mm, 112 mm equivalent, f/20, 1/250 s, ISO 100)
- Roland SH32 - Product Photography, Soundifical, Wikimedia Commons (EXIF): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roland_SH32_-_Product_Photography.jpg (Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 100 mm, f/6.3, 1/100 s, ISO 400)
- Lizzie Davey, Product Photography: A DIY Guide for Beginners, Shopify blog, 2026: https://www.shopify.com/blog/12206313-the-ultimate-diy-guide-to-beautiful-product-photography ('Set your white balance (WB) to Auto'; 'Ensure your camera's white balance is set to match your light source'; 'Turn off all other lights in the room to avoid contaminating your set'; 'Fix color casts so white, gray, and neutral areas look accurate'; a gray card in a test shot to calibrate later)

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From Lumogeny (https://lumogeny.com/), a service of Van Riel Online Services. The shoot sheet for your own camera, lenses and lights is on the page: https://lumogeny.com/styles/ecommerce-packshot/#sheet