Product photo brief template

Updated 4 September 2026 · reading time about 6 minutes

Retouching jobs go wrong in one of two ways: the brief did not say which image is the main listing image, or it did not say what must not change. Both are fixable in ten lines of text before you order.

Before you write the brief

Shoot on the real product. Phone shots are fine. Even good retouchers cannot invent a surface they have never seen, and a composite that flatters a product you do not actually ship converts once and then gets returned.
Decide the main image. It is the one doing the work in ads, search results, and listings. Name it in the brief and let the rest be secondary.
Know your platform's requirements. Aspect ratio, minimum pixel dimensions, and background rules differ by sales channel. Put the exact numbers in the brief instead of "high resolution".

The brief

PRODUCT
Name and one-line description:
Material and finish (matte, gloss, brushed, woven, translucent):
The single feature a buyer must see clearly:

FILES I AM SENDING
Number of source shots, format, and pixel dimensions:
Which file is the intended main listing image:
Any shot that must not be used:

WHAT I WANT BACK
[ ] Background removal to pure white
[ ] Background removal with transparency (PNG)
[ ] Shadow: none / natural / reflection
[ ] Colour correction to match the true product colour
[ ] Blemish and dust cleanup
[ ] Lifestyle composite: describe the setting in one sentence
[ ] Scale reference in frame (hand, common object) — name it
Output sizes and aspect ratios, exactly:
File formats: JPG for listings, PNG where transparency is needed,
  plus the layered source file

MUST NOT CHANGE
Product proportions and shape:
The exact colour of: (name the parts)
Logos, labels, and any printed text:
Visible texture — do not smooth it away:

CONTEXT
Where these images appear: listing / ads / packaging / email
Platform requirements (min dimensions, aspect ratio, background rule):
Deadline, and whether a rush fee applies:
Revisions included, and what counts as a revision:

The "must not change" block is the one that saves money. Retouchers optimise for a clean, attractive image. Left unconstrained, that means smoothing away the exact grain, weave, or brush finish a buyer is paying for — and a listing image that oversells texture is a returns problem, not a design problem.

Check on delivery

Acceptance checks to run on delivered images, and how to run each one
Check	How
Colour is true	Open the delivered file next to the physical product under daylight, not next to your original shot.
Edges are clean	Zoom to 200% on the cutout edge. Look for halos, chewed corners, and lost fine detail such as hair, fabric fuzz, or thin handles.
Transparency actually works	Drop the PNG onto a dark background. Grey fringing shows up instantly.
Dimensions match the spec	Check pixel dimensions and aspect ratio against the platform requirement you wrote down, not against "looks fine".
Source file included	Confirm you received the layered original if you asked for it. Without it, the next small change is a new order.
Mobile reality check	View the main image at listing-thumbnail size on a phone. If the key feature disappears, the crop is wrong regardless of quality.

Red flags while choosing a seller

A portfolio of only glossy electronics when your product is textile, food, or handmade. Ask for samples in your material class.
No before-and-after pairs. Finished images alone say nothing about what they started with.
Vague delivery list. "All files" is not a deliverable; enumerate formats and sizes.
Unwillingness to state whether the layered source file is included.
A promised turnaround that is dramatically shorter than everyone else's for the same scope.

What pushes the price up

Image count, composite complexity, whether a layered source file ships, rush delivery, and the number of output crops. Ask for a quote against the finished brief above rather than a rate per image — the brief is what determines the real scope.

Where to look: image editing and retouching listings. Related: the 7-task launch outsourcing checklist, briefing product page copy for the words that sit beside these images, and reading a listing and vetting a seller.