References
- https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products
- https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/product-media/add-media
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9qBZUZXQ
Introduction
Your products are the goods, digital downloads, services, and gift cards that you sell. You add a product in Shopify by entering product details and uploading product images. If your product has options, like size or color, then you can add a variant for each combination of options.
When you are adding or updating a product, you can make the product available to one or more of your sales channels.
You view, add, update, and organize all of your products and variants from the Products page in the Shopify admin.
If you want to save specialized information or files for your products, then you can add custom fields to your product pages by using metafields. If you have an Online Store 2.0 theme, such as Dawn, then you can use the theme editor to connect Metafields to your theme and customize your pages to the product or variant that's displayed.
Adding product media
You can add a maximum of 250 images, 3D models, or videos to a product. 3D models and videos have specific hosting limits based on your Shopify plan. You can also directly scan and build a 3D model directly within the Shopify Mobile app on compatible iOS devices with the 3D scanner feature.
The first media item for each product is known as the featured, or main, media item. The main media item is displayed on collection pages, the cart page, the checkout page, and your home page. You can change your main media item any time.
Add media to your products
- From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
- Click the product that you want to edit.
- In the Media section, add an image, 3D model, or video in one of the following ways:
- Click Upload new, and then select the file that you want to upload.
- Drag and drop the file that you want to upload into the Media section.
- Click Select existing to review and select from your existing media files.
- To Add from URL, click Select existing, and then click Add from URL.
Change your main product media
- From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
- Click the product that you want to edit.
- In the Media section, navigate to the media that you want to make your default media, and then drag and drop the image to the first image's place.
Deleting your media
You can delete your media individually or in bulk.
Delete media individually
If the file is being used elsewhere in your store, then the file is removed only from that product.
- From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
- Click the product that you want to edit.
- In the Media section, click the media that you want to delete.
- Click the trash can icon.
- Click Delete file
Delete media in bulk
If any of the selected files are being used elsewhere in your store, then the files are removed only from the product that you're editing.
- From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
- Click the product that you want to edit.
- In the Media section, select the media that you want to delete using the checkboxes.
- Click Click delete files.
- Click Delete.
Videos and 3D models
Note
3D models and videos can't be used for your product variant media.
You need to do one of the following to display 3D models or videos in your online store:
- Use a theme that supports 3D models and videos. If you're using an older version of a supported theme, then you might need to update your theme to the newest version to use 3D models and videos.
- Modify your current theme. If you're comfortable reading and editing theme code, then you can learn more about adding media support to your theme and media UX guidelines in Shopify's developer documentation. If you're not comfortable reading and editing theme code, then you can hire a Shopify Partner.
Video and 3D model hosting limits
There's a limit to the total number of Shopify-hosted videos and 3D models that your store can have across products and the Files page. The 3D limit depends on the Shopify plan that your store is on:
| Starter | Basic Shopify | Shopify | Advanced Shopify | Shopify Plus | | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | | 250 | 250 | 1000 | 5000 | Contact Shopify Plus Support |
Note
For all plans, only 250 media files of any type are allowed per product at a time.
Adding product media by using metafields
If you want to customize the way that product media are displayed in your online store, then you can use metafields to create a file reference metafield for your products. File reference metafields support uploading images to display your products, or all other file types for your customers to download. You can display JPEG, PNG, WEBP, SVG, HEIC, or GIF images in metafields on your online store. A metafield can contain only one file at a time.
If you have an Online Store 2.0 theme, then you can connect file reference metafields to your theme by using the theme editor. If you're using vintage themes, then you can edit your theme code or hire a Shopify Partner to help you.
Reverting edits to product images
If you want to revert a change you made to your images, whether you no longer need a prior crop, resize, or even magic edits, then you can revert an image file to its original state using the Revert to original button at the top corner of the editor.
Note
The Revert to original button will be available when previewing media that has been previously edited. Clicking this button will prompt you to confirm the revert and then will return the file back to its original form. This feature is only available for product media edits added after January 2024.
Product media types
Customers browsing in your online store view media like images on product pages. Using media like video, 3D models, and augmented reality on your product page can increase a customer's confidence in your products, leading to a better customer experience and more sales. It's important that the media that you add for your products are high quality and meet the required specifications so that they're displayed properly.
To display videos or 3D models on product pages, your online store needs to use a theme that supports the media that you want to add. All themes support adding images to your products.
Images
Product images are used to display products across Shopify's sales channels, including on your online store and in Shopify POS. The best file type for most product images is PNG
, followed by JPEG
. Other accepted file types are PSD
, TIFF
, BMP
, GIF
, SVG
, HEIC
, and WebP
. Shopify's Imagery service determines which image formats are supported by your customer's web client, and then automatically displays the image in the best format available. The exact way that images appear on your store depends on your online store theme, but all themes support adding images.
Your product and collection images can be any size up to 5000 x 5000 px, or 25 megapixels. Product and collection images need to have a file size smaller than 20 MB to be added to Shopify.
High resolution photos look more polished and professional to your customers. For square product images, a size of 2048 x 2048 px usually looks best. For more advice about photographing your products, read The definitive DIY guide to beautiful product photography in the Shopify Blog.
Note
When product images are shown side by side on collection pages, they have different sizes. To make your images appear to be the same size, you need to use a consistent aspect ratio, or height-to-width ratio, for all the images that you add as your featured, or main, images.
When you add an image, different sizes are automatically created for use in different areas of your online store theme. For example, a product image's large version might be used on the product detail page, where the customer wants to see the product in detail. The compact version of the same image might be used on the collection templates, where a larger image isn't necessary.
Grow your business
Are you looking for royalty-free images to enhance your online store? You can download high resolution product and lifestyle photos from Burst.
3D models
3D models are virtual representations of an object in three dimensions. 3D models can provide your customers with a better sense of the size, scale, and the details of your products.
A customer who is browsing your store can view 3D product models from the product page. The models use the device's camera and screen to show the product in the customer's environment. Using the 3D model, the customer can view the object from any angle.
You need to make sure that your 3D model files meet the following requirements before you add them to your online store:
- File size: Up to 500 MB
- File type:
GLB
,USDZ
If you upload a 3D model file that exceeds 15 MB, then Shopify will optimize the file. Optimization reduces file sizes and increases loading speeds.
| Model size | Optimization | Conversion | | -- | -- | -- | | Smaller than 15 MB | 3D model isn't optimized. Model geometry and materials aren't changed. | Files are converted to ensure both a .USDZ and .GLB version of the model is available. Conversion ensures compatibility with both Android and iOS based devices. | | Larger than 15 MB | 3D model is optimized. Model geometry and textures are optimized, while preserving the visual output of the original file. | Files are converted to ensure both a .USDZ and .GLB version of the model is available. Conversion ensures compatibility with both Android and iOS based devices. |
You can hire a Shopify Partner to help you create quality 3D models to display your products.
Videos
You can add videos for your product in two ways: uploading a video file, or embedding a YouTube or Vimeo video link. If you're uploading video files, then make sure that they meet the following requirements:
- Video length: Up to 10 minutes
- Video size: Up to 1 GB
- Video resolution: Up to 4K (4096 x 2160 px)
- Video file type:
.mp4
or.mov
You don't need to meet these requirements for embedding YouTube or Vimeo videos, however URLs other than YouTube or Vimeo URLs aren't supported.
In browsers that support streaming, videos display in either 480p, 720p, or 1080p, depending on the viewer's connection speed and the resolution of the uploaded video. In browsers that don't support streaming, videos display in the highest resolution available.
You can add images, 3D models, or videos for your products from your Shopify admin or the Shopify mobile app.
You can hire a Shopify Partner to help you create custom videos and animations that feature your products.
Supported themes for 3D models or videos
Your theme might already support 3D models or videos. You need to ensure that your theme is updated with the right version.
The following themes by Shopify support the display of 3D models or videos on your online store.
Online Store 2.0 Themes:
Certain themes have also been updated to provide an enhanced experience for Vimeo video playback. If you want to feature Vimeo videos in your theme, then consider updating your theme to one of the following versions:
Most third-party themes have recent versions that include 3D models or videos. If you use a theme developed by a third party, then you can contact the theme developer for support, or refer to your theme's help documentation.
Adding product media by using metafields
If you want to customize the way that product media are displayed in your online store, then you can use metafields to create a file reference metafield for your products. File reference metafields support uploading images to display your products, or all other file types for your customers to download. You can display JPEG, PNG, WEBP, SVG, HEIC, or GIF images in metafields on your online store. A metafield can contain only one file at a time.
If you have an Online Store 2.0 theme, then you can connect file reference metafields to your theme by using the theme editor. If you're using vintage themes, then you can edit your theme code or hire a Shopify Partner to help you.