--- title: "Product photo prompts when your real product is in the shot" canonical: https://withicarus.com/blog/product-photo-prompts site: Icarus description: "How to write product photo prompts once you upload your real product: what to describe, what to leave out, before-and-after rewrites and a simple fix loop." --- # Product photo prompts when your real product is in the shot How to write product photo prompts once you upload your real product: what to describe, what to leave out, before-and-after rewrites and a simple fix loop. _October 7, 2026. Written with AI from the sources listed below, and checked automatically before it went live._ ![Candle jar on an oak counter next to a folded linen cloth in soft morning window light](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/product-photo-prompts/candle-oak-counter-morning-light.png) _Made with Icarus_ If you've uploaded a photo of your real product, your prompt should describe the scene around it and almost nothing about the product itself. The photo already shows the colour, the logo and the shape. Your words only need to cover the place, the light, the mood and how close the camera sits. This post covers what to write and what to leave out. It also shows three before-and-after rewrites, explains how to fix a shot one change at a time, and lists the sizes to check before you publish. **Key takeaways** - Describe the scene, the light, the mood and the camera. Leave the product to the photo. - Don't repeat the product's colour, material or logo in words. - One or two plain sentences work better than a pile of style words. - Fix a shot by changing one thing at a time. ## Why the prompt changes once you upload the product Most prompt lists you'll find were written for tools that have to invent your product from words. So they tell you to describe it in detail: the amber glass, the gold lid, the brushed finish. Once you upload the real thing, that advice works against you. You're now giving two descriptions of the product, a photo and a sentence, and they can disagree. If you write "red bag" and your bag is burgundy, you're asking for a mismatch. In Icarus, [product pinning](https://withicarus.com/features/exact-product) keeps your real colour, logo and stitching in every image. It needs one clear photo of the product, taken from one angle. Several angles of the same product make the results less consistent, so pick your best single shot. That changes your job. You're not describing a product anymore. You're briefing a photographer who already has it in hand: where to shoot, in what light, with what feeling and from how far away. ## What to write: a five-part brief A good brief answers five questions. You won't need all five every time, but each one you answer gives the result less room to drift. ![Candle on a stone bathroom ledge with a rolled white towel and eucalyptus in warm lamp light](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/product-photo-prompts/candle-bathroom-ledge-eucalyptus.png) _Made with Icarus_ - **Scene:** where the product sits. A kitchen counter, a bathroom shelf, a park bench, a plain studio backdrop. - **Surface and props:** what's under and around it. Oak, marble, linen, a folded towel, a few sprigs of rosemary. - **Light:** where it comes from and how it feels. Soft window light from the left, low evening sun, bright even studio light. - **Mood:** one or two words. Calm, warm, fresh, crisp, playful. - **Camera:** angle and distance. Eye level, overhead, close up, product filling most of the frame. Put it together in one or two sentences, the way you'd say it to a person: > On a pale oak kitchen counter with a folded linen cloth beside it, soft morning window light from the left, calm and warm, shot at eye level with the product filling most of the frame Try this prompt in Icarus: https://withicarus.com/dashboard?prompt=On%20a%20pale%20oak%20kitchen%20counter%20with%20a%20folded%20linen%20cloth%20beside%20it%2C%20soft%20morning%20window%20light%20from%20the%20left%2C%20calm%20and%20warm%2C%20shot%20at%20eye%20level%20with%20the%20product%20filling%20most%20of%20the%20frame You can reuse that brief. Swap the scene and the light and keep the rest. ## What to leave out Cutting words is half the work. Leave these out: - **Colour, material and shape of the product.** The photo already shows them. Repeating them in words only adds a second version that may not match. - **Brand names and logo text.** Your logo is in the photo already. - **Empty style words.** "Stunning", "high quality" and "award-winning" don't tell anyone where to put the light. - **Headlines and badges on listing images.** Google Merchant Center says a product image must give [an unobstructed, clean view of the item](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en). Keep sale text for ads. - **Crowded props on a main image.** Google asks that the product [take up no less than 75% and no more than 90%](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en) of the frame. Ask for a close shot, then check the crop yourself. One more check for Google listings: images made with generative AI [must carry metadata saying so](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en). Look at the file before you upload it, and check each result against the rules of the place you sell. ## Before and after: three rewrites Here's the same idea written badly and then well. Each weak version describes the product. Each strong version describes the shot. ![White leather sneakers on wet pavement at dusk with blurred warm lights behind them](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/product-photo-prompts/sneakers-wet-pavement-dusk.png) _Made with Icarus_ **A scented candle** Weak: "Beautiful luxury scented candle in an amber glass jar with a gold lid, high quality, aesthetic." > On a stone bathroom ledge beside a rolled white towel and a sprig of eucalyptus, warm evening lamp light from the right, quiet and cosy, shot slightly above eye level Try this prompt in Icarus: https://withicarus.com/dashboard?prompt=On%20a%20stone%20bathroom%20ledge%20beside%20a%20rolled%20white%20towel%20and%20a%20sprig%20of%20eucalyptus%2C%20warm%20evening%20lamp%20light%20from%20the%20right%2C%20quiet%20and%20cosy%2C%20shot%20slightly%20above%20eye%20level What changed: the jar and lid are gone, because the photo already shows them. The prompt now says where the candle sits, what the light is and what the mood is. **A pair of sneakers** Weak: "White leather sneakers with a green logo, cool street vibe, trendy." > On wet city pavement at dusk with blurred shop lights behind, low camera close to the ground, cool blue evening light with a warm glow on the toe, energetic Try this prompt in Icarus: https://withicarus.com/dashboard?prompt=On%20wet%20city%20pavement%20at%20dusk%20with%20blurred%20shop%20lights%20behind%2C%20low%20camera%20close%20to%20the%20ground%2C%20cool%20blue%20evening%20light%20with%20a%20warm%20glow%20on%20the%20toe%2C%20energetic What changed: "cool street vibe" became a real place, a camera height and two kinds of light. **A skincare serum** Weak: "Skincare product photo, clean, minimal, nice." > On a white marble tray with a few drops of clear liquid beside it, bright soft daylight from above, fresh and clean, overhead shot with the bottle in the centre Try this prompt in Icarus: https://withicarus.com/dashboard?prompt=On%20a%20white%20marble%20tray%20with%20a%20few%20drops%20of%20clear%20liquid%20beside%20it%2C%20bright%20soft%20daylight%20from%20above%2C%20fresh%20and%20clean%2C%20overhead%20shot%20with%20the%20bottle%20in%20the%20centre What changed: "clean" and "minimal" became a surface, a light source and an angle that someone could actually shoot. ## Fix one thing at a time You'll rarely keep the first result. The fastest way to a keeper is to change one thing per try, so you know what made the difference. 1. Make a small batch from your brief and pick the one closest to what you want. 2. Name the single thing that's wrong: the light is too harsh, the prop is too big, the angle is too high. 3. Open that shot and [describe the change in one sentence](https://withicarus.com/features/ai-photo-editor), such as "make the light softer and warmer". An edit costs $0.05, or $0.07 at 4K. 4. Look again. If something else is off, repeat with one new sentence. 5. When the scene is right, save it as a [studio](https://withicarus.com/features/brand-studios) so the next product lands in the same light and setting. If you rewrite the whole prompt after each miss, you change five things at once. You might fix the light and lose the angle you liked. Testing doesn't cost much. A 1K image with a saved product in it costs $0.03, so a batch of test shots stays cheap. ## Check size and file before you publish A good prompt still needs the right file at the end. Stores and marketplaces set different limits, so check where each image is going. ![Frosted glass serum bottle with a dropper cap on a plain white background](https://icarus.b-cdn.net/blog/product-photo-prompts/serum-bottle-white-background.png) _Made with Icarus_ For Shopify, square product images at [2048 x 2048 px usually display best](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/product-media/product-media-types). Images can be [as large as 5000 x 5000 px, or 25 megapixels](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/product-media/product-media-types), and each file must be [smaller than 20 MB](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/product-media/product-media-types). Google Merchant Center will require [at least 500 x 500 pixels for all products from January 31, 2027](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en). Icarus makes each shot at 1K unless you pick another size. With a saved product in the shot, a 1K image costs $0.03, a 2K image $0.05 and a 4K image $0.11. If your store shows large photos that buyers can zoom into, pick a bigger size and check the pixel count of the file you download. For 4K product shots that stay consistent across a set, start with this model: GPT Image 2, from $0.02 an image. Every price is on the [pricing page](https://withicarus.com/pricing). Before you upload: - [ ] The product matches the real one: colour, logo, stitching - [ ] No added text on listing images - [ ] The product fills most of the frame - [ ] The pixel size and file size fit the place you sell - [ ] You've checked the file's AI metadata where it's required To test a brief like this on your own product, try it in Icarus. ## Questions ### Should I describe my product in the prompt if I upload a photo of it? Mostly no. The photo already shows the colour, material and logo, and if you describe them again you can end up with a second version that doesn't match. Spend your words on the scene, the light, the mood and the camera angle. ### How long should a product photo prompt be? One or two plain sentences are usually enough. Say where the product sits, what the light is like, how the shot should feel and how close the camera is. Extra style words rarely change the result. ### Can I put text on my product photos? Keep text off your listing photos, since marketplaces want a clean view of the item. Save headlines and sale badges for ad creatives, and check each platform's rules before you publish. ### How many product photos do I need to upload? In Icarus, one clear photo from one angle works best. Several angles of the same product make the results less consistent. ### Can I use AI product photos in my store and ads? Every image and video you make in Icarus is yours for commercial use, with no licensing fees and no attribution. Check each result against the rules of the store or ad platform before you publish. ## Sources - [Image link [image_link] - Google Merchant Center Help](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324350?hl=en) - [Product media types - Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/products/product-media/product-media-types) - [62% of People Say Customer Photos Influence Purchase Decisions - Search Engine Journal](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/62-of-people-say-customer-photos-influence-purchase-decisions) --- Site: Icarus (https://withicarus.com) Canonical: https://withicarus.com/blog/product-photo-prompts Contact: tanmay@onai.studio