# How Do You Take Product Photos for Dropshipping? Published: 2026-10-19 URL: https://www.merchantfloor.com/blog/how-do-you-take-product-photos-for-dropshipping --- ![how do you take product photos for dropshipping](https://ywmhfmsmhspbszgdyqua.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/blog-content/1792398015409-image.png) **Short answer:** Dropshippers take product photos in one of four ways: use supplier photos with permission, order a sample and shoot it on your phone, turn a permitted photo into new AI images, or get photos from customers and creators. Test with the first and third, then shoot your winners for real. Route Need the product? Cost Looks unique? Best for Supplier photos (with permission) No Free No Day-one testing AI images from a permitted photo No Low Yes Most products Order a sample and photograph it Yes Sample + an afternoon Yes Branded imagery for specific look and feel. Requires expertise or budget to hire a photographer Customer and creator photos Someone does Discounts or free product Yes Social proof once orders come in ## Are supplier photos safe to use? Only with permission. A supplier photo isn't automatically yours to use, and plenty of supplier agreements don't mention images at all. On Shopify Community, one dropshipper reported their Meta accounts were barred for copyright infringement, and their supplier disclaimed responsibility for IP disputes ([Shopify Community](https://community.shopify.com/t/how-to-avoid-copyright-infringement-claims-as-a-new-dropshipper/418128)). Shopify's own policy says it generally removes content after a valid copyright notice and can terminate stores for repeat infringement ([Shopify copyright policy](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/compliance/intellectual-property/copyright-policy)). I'm not a lawyer, but this part is easy. Send one email: "Can I use and edit your product images for my store and ads?" Save the reply. If a supplier won't put it in writing, I'd treat that as your answer and order a sample. Don't use photos copied from another store, even as a reference, and don't use customer review photos without asking. ## How do I take product photos at home with my phone? You don't need a studio when the sample arrives. Shopify's photography guide says you can use a smartphone on automatic settings ([Shopify Help](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/product-media/product-photography)). This setup follows that guide: - **Shoot next to a window.** Shopify says indoor bulbs and built-in flash create harsh contrast. Turn off the room lights and keep direct sun off the product. - **Use a white background.** White poster board or a paper sweep, a roll of paper that curves from the table up the wall. Tape or clamp it down. - **Kill the flash and digital zoom.** Shopify says digital zoom just crops your image and reduces quality. Move the phone closer instead, or use optical zoom if your phone has it. - **Lock the phone in place.** A cheap tripod keeps every shot framed the same. Rotate the product, not the camera. - **Get your angles.** Straight-on, a close-up of the detail that sells it, the back, and one shot that shows scale (in a hand, on a wrist, next to something familiar). - **Fix shadows with cardboard.** A white card bounces light into dark sides. Shopify suggests black foam board to add contrast when you're shooting a white product on white. - **Clean it up and size it.** Brighten the background to pure white. Shopify says square images at 2048 x 2048 px usually display best on product pages ([Shopify Help](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/product-media/product-media-types)). ## Can I use AI to make dropshipping product photos? Yes. It's the cheapest way to look like a real brand. Start from a photo you're allowed to use, either a supplier image you have permission for or your own phone shot of a sample. Remove the background, then generate a clean main image and two or three [lifestyle scenes](https://www.merchantfloor.com/lifestyle-image-generator) that match your store. Reuse the same two or three scenes across every product, like "linen on a sunlit wooden table" or "marble vanity, soft morning light", so the catalog looks like one brand instead of a pile of supplier listings. Where AI falls down is detail. Sometimes it can miss details in a product. For example, you see 10 stripes on a wallet when there are only 9. So check every image before it goes live - ☐ Color matches the real product - ☐ Counts match: stones, buttons, stripes, links, pockets - ☐ Hardware matches: clasp, zipper, buckle - ☐ Logo or print isn't warped or changed - ☐ Size looks right (a ring isn't huge, a clutch isn't tote-sized) - ☐ No invented features on the back or sides - ☐ No leftover supplier text or watermark - ☐ Props don't suggest something that isn't included If an image fails any of these, regenerate it or don't use it. Photos that don't match the product invite returns. If you list on Google Shopping, keep the file's metadata intact. Google requires AI-generated images in Merchant Center to carry the IPTC trainedAlgorithmicMedia tag and says not to strip it ([Google Merchant Center Help](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/14572008)). ## How do I get photos from customers and creators? Once you have orders, ask for a photo in your post-purchase email and offer a small discount on the next order. With creators, trading free product for photos you can reuse works at small scale. Get usage rights in writing either way, same as with suppliers. ## What's the best order to do all this? If I were starting a dropshipping store today: - **Get permission** from the dropshipper to use their images - **Use AI to generate better photos.** Even if the supplier images are good, I wouldn't use them as-is because everyone buying from that dropshipper likely uses the same photo. I would use AI to differentiate my listing. - **Images I'd create: **I would create white background photos, pics to show the product in use e.g. clothing on a model or a gadget being used, both in a studio setting and in lifestyle scenes - these work better to promote on social channels and emails. - **Write an original product description.** Generate first with AI, then review and tweak to make it my own. - **Add customer photos** as reviews come in. ## Where MerchantFloor fits I built MerchantFloor for this workflow. Upload a permitted supplier image or your phone shot of a sample, and the [product listing agent](https://www.merchantfloor.com/product-listing-agent) turns it into a white-background main image, lifestyle scenes or on-model shots using a preset scene, a text prompt or a reference image. It writes the product description too. On Shopify, the app publishes straight to your products. If you sell on other marketplaces, download the images and use them on any storefront, marketplace or ad. ## FAQ ### Do dropshippers take their own product photos? Some do, usually after a product starts selling and they order a sample. At the start, most use supplier photos with permission or AI images made from them, because there's nothing to photograph yet. ### Can I use AliExpress photos for my store? Only with permission from whoever owns the images, which isn't always the seller you order from. Ask in writing and keep the reply. If you can't get it, order a sample and shoot your own. ### Do I need a professional camera to take product photos? No. Shopify's photography guide says you can use a smartphone on automatic settings. Window light, a white poster board and a cheap tripod get you most of the way. ### How many photos should a dropshipping product have? There's no fixed number. For a test product, I'd start with a clean main image and one or two lifestyle shots, then add close-ups, scale shots and customer photos once it sells. ### Are AI product photos allowed on Google Shopping? Yes, but Google requires AI-generated images to keep the IPTC trainedAlgorithmicMedia metadata tag. Make sure your editing or compression tools don't strip it. ### Is it worth ordering samples just for photos? For products that are selling, yes. You get photos nobody else has, and you see the product quality before you scale.