For a square Shopify product gallery, start with a 2048 × 2048 pixel original-quality image, provided your source contains that much detail. Keep the same aspect ratio across main product photos, then check your actual theme at desktop, mobile and zoom sizes.

Shopify’s product-media guidance, checked October 10, 2026, recommends 2048 × 2048 for square product images and lists a 5000 × 5000 / 25-megapixel ceiling and files below 20 MB. These are platform guidance and upload limits, not a requirement to make every product image square or use the maximum size.

Choose dimensions from the storefront

  1. Open your product template in the theme preview. Check the image-ratio or crop setting for both the gallery and collection cards. Setting names differ by theme.
  2. Preview a wide desktop window and a narrow mobile window. Inspect the image element with your browser’s developer tools and note its displayed width and height, rather than the whole column.
  3. For a hypothetical 700 × 700 CSS-pixel gallery on a 2× display, 1400 × 1400 source pixels covers the displayed image. This is a calculation, not a test of a named theme. Zoom may need more, so also open the zoom view and inspect labels and texture.
  4. Try one sample product before preparing the full catalog. Check its collection card, gallery, mobile crop and zoom. If an important detail is clipped, change the crop or theme presentation.

Resize or crop?

For an existing square original, enter 2048 for width and height in Resize Image. Do not enlarge a 900 × 900 source and expect new detail. Use better original photography if zoom matters.

For a 3000 × 2000 landscape photo, Resize Image fits the whole picture inside a 2048 × 2048 canvas and adds white padding. To fill a square edge to edge, use Crop Image first: a centered 2000 × 2000 region uses X 500 and Y 0. This removes 500 pixels from each side; check the product and its shadow before accepting.

Avoid unnecessary compression

Shopify’s image guidance says its CDN optimizes images and that manual compression before upload is unnecessary. Upload a high-quality source within the limits. Use Mediaivo when you need a deliberate crop, dimensions for another channel, or a smaller separately specified delivery copy; do not damage a product master merely to reach an arbitrary 500 KB target.

Before doing the rest of the catalog

  • Product edges, labels, texture and color are clear at the intended display and zoom sizes.
  • Main images use a consistent ratio and visual margin.
  • The phone preview keeps the whole important subject.
  • Original photography is stored separately for future crops.