Printable checklists: product photos, ID photos, logos, and headshots

The guides on this site explain the reasons behind each step. These checklists are the short version: the things to tick off before you shoot and before you upload, distilled from those guides. To print them, use your browser's Print command (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P); the site's header and footer are not essential, so you can choose "Pages 1-2" or print to PDF and keep a copy on your phone.

Checklist 1: marketplace main image

Use for Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Etsy, and similar stores. Details in Amazon main images and marketplace image sizes.

Before you shoot

• Only the product that is for sale, with no props, packaging, or extra items (unless they are included).
• A plain, matte backdrop that contrasts with the product's edges.
• Soft side light from a window, a white card reflector on the other side, room lights off, no flash.
• Phone at a fixed position, product sharp, highest resolution, a small margin around the product.
• For glass, chrome, and jewelry, white card around the product to keep reflections clean.

Before you upload

• Background exactly white (RGB 255, 255, 255) for Amazon main images; consistent across the store elsewhere.
• Product fills about 85% of the frame for Amazon; centered with even margins elsewhere.
• At least 1000 pixels on the longest side (2000 is a safe choice), square for most stores, 4:3 for Etsy.
• No text, badges, borders, or watermarks on the main image.
• Edges checked at full size on both a dark and a light preview: no halo, no missing straps or handles.
• Shadow subtle (Ground or Soft) or none, the same style for every product.
• JPG for marketplaces, under any file size limit; files named by SKU.

Checklist 2: passport and ID photo

Details in passport and ID photos. Always confirm the current official requirements for your document.

Before you shoot

• Someone else takes the photo, from 1 to 1.5 meters away, camera at eye level. No selfies.
• Stand about half a meter in front of a plain, light wall, facing a window.
• Neutral expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible, looking at the camera.
• No glasses (for US passports and many others), no hat, hair away from the eyes.
• Even light on both sides of the face, no shadows on the face or behind the head.

Before you submit or print

• Background plain and the required color (white, off-white, light gray, or the color your document specifies).
• Retouching off: Smooth skin and Brighten skin at zero.
• Cropped with the preset for your document (for example US passport 2 × 2 in, or 35 × 45 mm).
• Head size and position within the document's rules.
• Printed at 100% scale on photo paper, size checked with a ruler before cutting.
• Photo taken within the last six months, if your document requires it.

Checklist 3: transparent logo or signature

Details in transparent logo and signature PNGs.

Source

• Asked the designer for a vector file (SVG, AI, EPS, PDF) first.
• Otherwise, the largest version of the logo available, on a background that contrasts with it.
• Signature: dark felt-tip or gel pen on white unlined paper, about 10 cm wide, photographed square-on in even light, or scanned.

Result

• Every piece of the logo kept; if not, all pieces painted with Select object.
• Holes in letters such as O, A, and B transparent.
• Checked on both black and white: no gray or white fringe.
• Saved as PNG and kept as the master copy.
• Signature file stored privately and used only where an image signature is acceptable.

Checklist 4: professional headshot

Details in professional headshots.

Before you shoot

• Taken by someone else with a 2x or 3x lens, at eye level or slightly above.
• Soft window light on the face, no overhead office lights.
• Head and shoulders in the frame, with room above the head.
• Clothing that contrasts with the background you plan to use.

Before you upload

• Edges around hair and shoulders checked with the compare slider.
• A quiet background: light gray, a muted brand color, or a soft gradient; the same color for the whole team.
• Retouching subtle, then reduced by a third.
• Cropped to a centered square (1:1) with space around the head, so circular avatars do not clip it.
• At least 400 × 400 pixels; 1000 × 1000 for speaker pages.

Summary

Most failed cutouts and rejected uploads come down to a handful of avoidable issues: a busy or low-contrast backdrop, poor light, the wrong size or color, or a skipped final check on a dark and a light background. Keep the relevant checklist next to you when you shoot and when you upload.