AI Product Shots
Product shots Korea expects: what to add
A Korean listing runs five types of photo together: product only, size reference, full contents, in use, and a close-up of the labeling. Here is how to tell which of your home-market files can go up unchanged, how to fill the gaps, and what file specs to hand over.
A product listing in Korea usually carries more types of photos than the set you use at home. One product-only shot is not the end of it: a size reference, a full contents shot, an in-use shot and a close-up of the printed labeling run down the same page. Some of the images you already own can go up unchanged, and some have to be made new. Sorting them into those two groups first tells you how many frames to reshoot and how many units to ship to Korea.
Which shots do Korean listings ask for most often?
Five. No channel writes this into a rule; it is simply where the questions before purchase collect. When one of the five is missing, that question arrives as an inquiry instead, and a slow answer usually ends the visit.
| Shot | What it shows | The question you get without it |
|---|---|---|
| Product only | The item alone on an emptied background, front and side | Is this the real color and shape? |
| Size reference | The item placed next to a hand or a familiar object | Is it smaller or larger than it looks? |
| Full contents | Everything found inside the box | What is included, and how many? |
| In use | The item where it is actually used | Where and how do I use it? |
| Labeling close-up | The markings printed on the package, enlarged enough to read | Where are the volume, quantity and importer written? |
Where can home-market shots be used as they are?
Slots that show nothing but the shape of the product usually go up unchanged. Slots where text appears in the frame, or where the product is being used, need work.
| Slot | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| List thumbnail | As is, recropped to a square | Only the shape has to read, and there is almost no text |
| Main image at the top | As is | The same reason |
| Full contents | As is if the contents match | Bundled items get dropped or added market by market |
| In use | Reworked | Text, season and interiors inside the frame get noticed |
| Labeling close-up | Shot again | It has to match the package that is actually sold |
Why does a shot with Korean labeling have to be taken separately?
Imported goods sold in Korea usually go out with markings in Korean on them. What has to be written and where is confirmed with the authority responsible for that product type and with whoever handles the import procedure — this article covers the photography side only.
When the picture on the page and the item in hand look different, inquiries go up. If the marking is applied as a sticker, shoot the item with the sticker on. If the package is being reprinted, shoot after the printed package exists. That single frame can push the whole session back, so set the packaging schedule and the shooting schedule together.
Text placed inside an image is not read by search. Whatever you write into the picture, write it once more in the description text below it.
How do you fill in the shots you are missing?
You mix three methods. Pick out what your current files already cover, keep only the shots that need the physical product on a list, and build the rest. Building means taking the originals you hold and drawing a new background or scene around them.
| Method | Fits which shots | Prepare in advance | What it cannot do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full reshoot | Making all five types as one new set | 2–3 units exactly as they will be sold in Korea, plus a shot list | A product whose package is not printed yet |
| Add-on session | Labeling close-ups and size references — shots that need the real item | The original files of the existing shots and their lighting notes | If the lighting is far off, the tones clash when the shots sit side by side |
| Built images | Background swaps and in-use scenes — shots where the shape is unchanged | High-resolution originals with no background, from several angles | Printed markings and true size comparison |
You do not have to do all three at once. What gets noticed first is the product-only, size reference and labeling close-up; fill those three, and the page stands even if the in-use shots wait for the next round.
What changes with the nature of the item?
Three properties add shots.
Fits in a palm — without a size reference, buyers are surprised when the parcel is opened. A hand reads faster than a ruler. Put the width, depth and height in mm on the image.
A reflective surface — glass, metal and smooth coatings pick up the lights and the photographer. If what is reflected in your home-market shot is a building or a sign from that country, the file is hard to reuse. Check first whether retouching removes it; if it does not, reshoot that one frame.
Several loose pieces inside — you need the full contents shot and a single-piece shot both. In the contents shot, keep the pieces apart so the count can be read off the screen.
What file specs do you hand over?
When the side sending files and the side receiving them sit in different countries, the time is lost on the settings nobody fixed. Agree on these six lines first.
| Item | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Format | JPG; PNG for shots on an emptied background | Most listing screens take these two |
| Size | 1,000–1,500px on the long edge; 1:1 for list images | Holds up when enlarged without making the page heavy |
| Color | RGB | A CMYK print file uploaded as is comes out dull |
| Weight | 500KB–1MB per image | A page that loads late does not get scrolled to the end |
| Naming | productcode_shottype_number, lowercase Latin | Names with spaces or non-Latin characters sometimes break on upload |
| Originals | The unretouched file and the version before text was added | Wording can be changed later without shooting again |
Channels differ a little in what they take. Check that channel's own guidance once before uploading, and where it differs, follow its numbers.
What to do today
Put every product image you hold into one folder, make a table with the five types as rows (product only, size reference, full contents, in use, labeling close-up), and fill in a file name for each. The empty cells are your production list. Mark the cells that need the physical item, and you also know how many units to ship to Korea. Thirty minutes is enough.
