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Photos, sizing and uploading

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Image Sizes

Images on item pages can be square, landscape or portrait format.

You can add up to 5 images for each listing.
Folksy Plus sellers can add up to 10 images in each listing. 

Upload the best-quality image that you can (that meets the criteria below).
We will take care of optimising your image for mobile and desktop screen sizes. 

Ideally images should be:

  • at least 1000 pixels wide
  • between 72dpi and 300dpi
  • between 1MB - 5MB
  • saved as a jpg
  • images over 5MB may fail to upload

(There are lots of free apps you can use to reduce image sizes or compress photos, like https://bulkresizephotos.com/) 

Ideal image formats and sizes on Folksy

There are no hard rules about what size or shape your images should be on Folksy, as long as they measure at least 1000 pixels wide and are under 5MB. However, these are some of our recommendations:

  • Use a square image measuring at least 1000 x 1000 pixels as the main (first) image for your listing. (Square images are easier to share on our social media channels and in our newsletter).
  • The rest of your images can be any shape (square, wide or tall) but think about including one tall one as these work particularly well on Pinterest, which helps if you are pinning a product image directly from your Folksy shop to Pinterest (see how to do that here) 
  • Use these additional images to show your customers different angles, details of your product, how it can be worn, styled or used, how it will be packaged, and even how it was made. 
  • A photograph of your product on a white background (also called a cut-out shot) can be useful to have too, as magazines often ask for this kind of image so they can drop it directly into a page (there are free apps you can use to remove backgrounds, like https://www.remove.bg/). 

Examples of types of images to use on your listing


Below are examples of the types of images that might work well on a product listing. 

First (main) shot: a square photograph where the product is the star, but the dimensions and use are also clear.




Additional photos, including a tall Pinterest-friendly image, additional angles, an image highlighting the detail and finish, images showing the plastic-free packaging and gift-wrap, the maker in her studio, and a white-background (magazine-friendly) cut-out shot. All images should all be at least 1000 pixels wide (the ones below are just examples and are smaller than that). 

  

  

 

How images are displayed across Folksy 

Images are displayed at different sizes and in different formats across Folksy. It's worth remembering that they are often cropped to a square (for example, in searches), so when listing your product either use a square image as your first product photo or check your first photo crops well to a square, and that no important details are missed out.

The images you upload are automatically re-sized and cropped to work in the different areas of the site.
These are how images are displayed on different pages across Folksy:
  • Product pages: images shown in their original proportions 
  • Product page thumbnails: square
  • Featured Items in shops: square
  • Collections in shops: landscape (wide)
  • Search results: square
  • Category pages, gift guides, Folksy Favourites: square
  • Recently listed items: square

Example
This square image has been uploaded by the user as the main (first) product photo:



The user has also uploaded this landscape-format (wide) image as one of their additional photos for the same listing:



When viewed as a thumbnail, this additional image appears cropped to a square like this:




Another example:

In this example, the user has uploaded a portrait-format (tall) image as their main image for a listing.



When cropped to a square (in search results, gift guide and category pages etc), the image looks like this:




As you can see from these examples, it's important to ensure your products sit centrally within your image in both landscape-format and portrait-format photos.

Photography tips

Good images are crucial in selling things. It can be hard to take good photos when you’re starting out, but it really is worth taking time to do this right. You don’t need expensive equipment – some simple tips can help you to improve your photos:

  • Focus – make sure your images are in focus and are very clear. Blurry photos are a real turn-off.
  • Natural light – use daylight (if you can) and don’t use a flash
  • Background – your product should be the star of the photo, so make sure the background isn't overwhelming or distracting. Simple, light backgrounds are easier to work with, but well-styled product shots or flat-lays are worth the effort. Background with a little texture can add interest to your product shots, for example wood grain or linen. Avoid shooting on carpets or reflective surfaces. Have a look through our featured sellers and Folksy Favourites to see some good examples
  • Composition and framing – think about the best way to show your product. Consider using one ‘square-on’ shot as your main photo and then showing different angles in your additional images.
  • Detail – handmade products can be particularly tactile, with maker's marks and beautiful imperfections, but these are difficult to see online. It's also tricky to get across the tactile nature of products when you can't hold them. So use your extra product shots to hone in on the details and texture of your pieces. 
  • Variety – Generally your main (first) image should show the whole product, and your additional photos should give extra details, show it being worn, modelled or in situ, as well as different angles, packaging or how you have made it.

Please visit out blog for loads more photography tips >


Image upload problems?


If you see an error message when trying to upload your images on Folksy, it could be an issue with our image servers. Have a look at our Status Blog, forums and Facebook Group for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FolksyClubhouse/

If there are no problems reported there and images look ok on the rest of Folksy, it could be an issue with your images or browser. Try doing the following.

  1. Images that are too big are the most common reason for image problems. So make sure that your images are not too large or too small. Images files under 5MB will upload more quickly and put less strain on slower connections. Images that are too small will not upload either.
  2. Keep your browser up-to-date. Whether you use Internet Explorer, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Chrome or any other browser, keeping the latest version helps.
  3. Log out of Folksy and then log in again and / or delete the Folksy ‘cookie’ (further information about cookies) from your browser.

If the problem persists, please email us at support@folksy.co.uk, and tell us what you were trying to do when you saw the error and at what time. It helps if you can also let us know which kind of device you're on (computer, smartphone, tablet), which operating system you use (Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, etc.) and which browser (e.g. Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari etc) including version numbers where possible, and the particular error message/s you saw.

Not sure which operating system and browser you are using? Check here:
https://www.whatismybrowser.com/ 

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