You can take good product photos with a phone without buying expensive gear. Use window light from the side, a plain backdrop and a steady phone, and shoot at least 5 angles. A home studio kit costs under $50 and a tripod under $30 (about ฿1,017), per Shopify Thailand's article (read on 29 September 2026). The same photo can be the starting photo for AI product and ad images. Below: a 7-point checklist, a shot list for food, cosmetics and fashion, and how to prep a photo for GenLabs.

7-Point Checklist Before You Shoot

Run these 7 checks every time you shoot a new product. Each has a section below.

  1. Window light from the side. Not harsh direct sun, and no flash (see "Get It Sharp and Bright").
  2. A plain backdrop that is not messy (see "Which Backdrop and Props").
  3. Shoot straight on or at 45 degrees, so the label is clear (see "Which Angles and How Many").
  4. A steady phone: a tripod or leaning on something, and tap the product to focus (see "Get It Sharp and Bright").
  5. At least 5 angles for each product (see "Shot List by Product Type").
  6. Edit only what you need: brightness, sharpness, crop (see "Edit Lightly and Prepare the File").
  7. Pick the best photo and give it to AI (see "What Makes a Good Starting Photo for AI").

What You Need and What It Costs

Start with what you already have: a phone, a window with light, and white paper, white cloth or a white foam board. Shopify Thailand's article says you can set up a home studio for under $50, a good tripod for under $30 (about ฿1,017) and a poster board for $7 (about ฿237) (shopify.com/th/blog/product-photography, read on 29 September 2026). No tripod? Lean the phone on a can or a box.

For small products a light box helps, but you don't need one. Window light is enough.

Get It Sharp and Bright: Light, Focus, Steadiness

A photo is sharp and bright when soft light comes from the side, the phone focuses on the product, and the phone doesn't move when you press the button.

  • Light: Shoot by a window in the morning or afternoon, when the light is soft rather than harsh. Put the product so the light comes from the side, not from above. If the sun is strong, hang a thin curtain to soften it. Don't use the flash. Direct flash flattens the light and leaves glare on labels and shiny surfaces.
  • Focus: Tap the product or its label on the screen to focus. If the white parts turn too bright, slide the brightness bar down. Wipe the lens before every shoot, because fingerprints make photos hazy.
  • Distance: Don't use digital zoom. Move closer, or use the 2x lens if your phone has one.
  • Steadiness: Use a tripod or lean the phone on something. Set a 2-3 second timer so your hand doesn't shake when you press the button.
A dark glass pump bottle of hand wash on a stone counter beside a white basin, sunlight throwing leaf and bottle shadows across the wall, made with GenLabs
Image 1

This image is GenLabs work, not a phone photo. Use it to see the direction of light: one source from the side, with the leaf shadow and the bottle's shadow on the same wall. This is direct sun, so the shadows are hard; for the softer look of a listing photo, filter it with a thin curtain as above.

Which Backdrop and Props

Use a plain, one-colour backdrop. White paper, white cloth or a white foam board suit marketplace photos. Marble, wood or textured cloth give more mood for posts. Use no more than 2-3 props that go with the product, and leave room around it.

  • Marketplace (Shopee, Lazada): white paper or white cloth. The product shows most clearly.
  • Instagram and Facebook posts: marble, wood or textured cloth. It feels premium or lifestyle, and suits beauty and fashion.
  • Props: choose things that match how the product is used, such as sunscreen with a hat and sunglasses. If the props swallow the product, take some away.
  • Where the product sits: in the middle of the frame, or use the rule of thirds and put it on one of the four crossing points.
A dark green tea tin with a gold lid and gold line art on a round table under cream cloth, beside a tea bowl and a sprig of green leaves, leaf shadows on a sage wall, with room around the tin, made with GenLabs
Image 2

This image is GenLabs work, not a phone photo. Use it to see how a backdrop is set: a sage wall and a cream tablecloth in soft matching tones, two props that belong with the product (a tea bowl and a sprig of leaves) and room around the tin.

Which Angles and How Many

Shoot at least 5 angles for each product: front, side, 45 degrees, top-down, and a close-up of the detail. Each angle serves a different use.

Angle Use it for Why
Straight from the front Most products, and the main marketplace photo The label and shape show most clearly
45 degrees Tall products such as bottles and cans You see the front and the side in one photo
From the side Products whose shape matters, such as shoes and glasses You see proportion and thickness
Top-down Flat products (flat lay) or a set of several items Every item is in one frame
Close-up of a detail Label, texture, stitching, cap Buyers see detail without asking in chat

Shot List by Product Type: Food, Cosmetics, Fashion

Each product type needs different shots. Use this table today. The example images are GenLabs work shown on our website. Use them to see how a shot is built. They are not phone photos.

Product type Shots to take Look at these in our work
Cosmetics and skincare (bottles, jars) 1. Front, label facing the camera, light from the side 2. 45 degrees, so the cap or pump shows 3. A close-up of the cream texture 4. In real use, such as a hand pumping the bottle Image 1 (side light, label straight), image 3 (cream texture), image 4 (in use)
Food and drink 1. The pack or can straight on, label readable 2. The food out of the pack, on a plate 3. One action only, such as tearing, lifting or pouring 4. A close-up that shows water drops or steam Image 5 (a can with water drops, the label readable), image 6 (hands tearing a bun, the pack below)
Fashion (bags) 1. Flat, top-down, on a plain surface 2. Worn or carried, cropped from the torso to the thigh, no face needed 3. A close-up of the tag and hardware 4. Held in the hand Image 7 (cropped from torso to thigh, the woven label readable), image 8 (hanging at the side, the strap and the dangling tag visible)

Selling food or drink? Shoot food and drinks so they look good

Clothes: shoot flat from the top on a plain surface, and worn, from the front and the back. Image 9 is an example of a worn shot, showing the shirt and trousers almost full length. Selling clothes? Make images and videos for your clothing shop with AI

An open peach-coloured cream jar with the cream swirled into a peak, resting on rice grains and rice stalks in front of peach cloth, made with GenLabs
Image 3
A woman with her hair tied up, in a white camisole, presses the pump of a pale green face cleanser bottle standing by a basin while her other hand, palm up, catches the clear gel, in soft bathroom light, made with GenLabs
Image 4
A chilled drink can covered in water drops, tilted among ice cubes and cut limes, the label readable, made with GenLabs
Image 5
Two hands tearing a steamed salted egg custard bun open with the filling running, the orange pack lying below, on a steamy orange background, made with GenLabs
Image 6
A cream canvas bag hanging at the side of someone in a white tee and dark jeans, one hand holding a keyring with a green tag, the woven label on the bag readable, cropped from torso to thigh with no face, made with GenLabs
Image 7
A hand hanging a small black leather pouch with a wrist strap and a dangling tag beside light blue jeans, the left side of the frame near black, made with GenLabs
Image 8
A young woman standing side-on in a lilac shirt and wide cream trousers, a small cream shoulder bag, holding a lilac umbrella with raindrops on it beside a building in the rain, seen almost full length, made with GenLabs
Image 9

(Image 1 is in the light section and image 2 in the backdrop section, above.)

What Makes a Good Starting Photo for AI

A good starting photo is one you can shoot on a phone. You don't need a white background, and you don't need to remove the background first. That is what GenLabs supports. Our site's guidance is a clear photo, a plain background that need not be perfect, the product in the middle of the frame, and enough light to see detail. This section holds only what our site and free tools state. For the rest, such as a label facing the camera or turned away, a dark photo, or a product cropped at the edge, we have not tested real photos yet, so we give no tip.

What to check in the photo What we know
A phone photo is fine, no white background, no background removal first Stated on the GenLabs site (read on 29 September 2026)
A clear photo, plain background that need not be perfect, product in the middle, enough light to see detail Our own guidance, published on our site (read on 29 September 2026)
File type and size Our free tools take JPG, PNG and WebP up to 10 MB, and our free converter takes iPhone HEIC and outputs JPG (read on 29 September 2026)

If an iPhone file won't open elsewhere, use the free image converter to change HEIC to JPG. No signup needed.

Once you have a good photo, see how to turn one photo into product images in How to make product photos with AI.

Shoot So the Background Comes Off Easily

Keep the product's whole edge in view, with no fingers or foam over it, and don't stand it on a sheet of glass. In our 5 tests, every shot we tried came off its background: a plain backdrop, a sheet of glass under the product, flying hair, a product in a hand, and a product behind foam. What differed was the edge. A sheet of glass under the product can leave its edges in the cut-out, and where something covers the product in your photo, like foam or a finger, the cut follows what is visible. Put the result on a colour and compare it with your original photo every time before you use it.

Our free background remover takes PNG, JPG and WebP files up to 10 MB and is free 3 times a day with no signup (the tool page, read on 29 September 2026). Wait about 9 seconds for each image. The file you get back is a PNG with a transparent background, the same pixel size as the image you send (1086x1448 came back 1086x1448), and the subject's pixels are unchanged from your photo. Partly see-through pixels are 1.0-5.8% of each image. We sent 5 images made in GenLabs through the tool on 29 September 2026, not logged in, after we updated the tool. They are not phone photos.

Shot we sent What the result shows
1. A tea tin with a gold lid, a cup and a sprig of leaves on a cloth-covered table (opaque product) The tin is cut out cleanly, the cup and the leaves beside it are kept, and the label text is readable
2. Gold-framed sunglasses on a sheet of glass (dark lenses, thin frame) The gold frame and lenses are cut out completely and the reflection is gone. But two dark edges of the sheet of glass stay
3. A woman in sunglasses and a scarf with wind-blown hair (fine edges) The flying strands of hair are kept as strands, and the scarf, earring and lenses are intact. On a dark background the finest outer strands show a faint blue cast (the original background is sky)
4. A dark green bottle held in a hand (glossy, with a hand) The bottle is cut out solid and the text on the bottle is readable. The hand is not in the result, and the bottle's edge has a small notch where the fingers covered it in the photo
5. A laundry jug in a basket full of foam (glossy plastic, foamy edge) The jug and its label are solid and the label text is readable. The lower edge of the jug is ragged where foam hid the jug in the photo
Left: a dark green tea tin with a gold lid, a cup of tea and a sprig of green leaves on a cloth-covered table, against a pale green wall with a leaf shadow. Right: the tool's result, the tin, cup and leaves cut out and shown on white, the label text readable, made with GenLabs
Sample images made in GenLabs, sent through this free tool. Each result is shown on white because the file is a real transparent PNG.
Left: gold-framed dark-lens sunglasses resting on sheets of glass with sky and clouds behind. Right: the tool's result, the sunglasses cut out and shown on white, with two dark glass edges left beside them, made with GenLabs
Sample images made in GenLabs, sent through this free tool. Each result is shown on white because the file is a real transparent PNG.
Left: a woman in sunglasses and a printed scarf with long wind-blown hair, against a wall and sky. Right: the tool's result, the woman cut out with her flying hair still in strands, shown on white, made with GenLabs
Sample images made in GenLabs, sent through this free tool. Each result is shown on white because the file is a real transparent PNG.
Left: a dark green bottle held up in a hand, with a blurred forest behind. Right: the tool's result, the bottle cut out and shown on white, no hand, the text on the bottle readable, a small notch in the edge where the fingers covered it, made with GenLabs
Sample images made in GenLabs, sent through this free tool. Each result is shown on white because the file is a real transparent PNG.
Left: a blue laundry jug in a wicker basket full of foam, with a blue cloth beside it. Right: the tool's result, the jug and its label cut out and shown on white, the label text readable, a ragged lower edge where foam hid the jug, made with GenLabs
Sample images made in GenLabs, sent through this free tool. Each result is shown on white because the file is a real transparent PNG.

We have not yet tested a phone photo with a cluttered background.

This tool gives you the cut-out as a transparent PNG, with no new-background or white-background option. If you want a full set of product images, see How to make product photos with AI.

Edit Lightly and Prepare the File

Edit only what you need: nudge the brightness and sharpness, remove dust or fingerprints, and crop so the product sits in the middle. Free apps that work: Snapseed, Lightroom Mobile and VSCO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which phone takes good product photos?

Use the phone you have. Before you think of a new one, fix three things first: shoot by a window, keep the phone steady and wipe the lens.

Which camera mode should I use for product photos?

Portrait mode or the 2x lens helps the product stand out because the background blurs. If you use portrait mode, check that the product's edges are not blurred too. Don't use digital zoom, move closer instead, and turn off filters and beauty mode.

Do I need a flash?

We don't recommend it. Window light is better, because direct flash flattens the light and leaves glare on labels and shiny surfaces.

Do I need a light box?

For small products it helps, but you don't need one. Window light is enough.

How do I make a product look premium?

Use a plain, one-colour backdrop, light from one direction, room around the product, and no more than 2-3 props. Let the product be the one focal point of the photo.

What should I shoot if I'm going to give the photo to AI?

A phone photo is fine. You don't need a white background, and you don't need to remove the background first. Take a clear photo, with a plain background, the product in the middle and enough light to see detail. What we know is in "What Makes a Good Starting Photo for AI".

Try It with the Photo You Just Took

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