How to create professional photos for your Etsy digital product listings

How do you create Etsy listing photos for digital or print on demand products

We all know that Etsy product photos are one of the main factors in determining if your products will be successful or not. If you’re designing digital products or print on demand products getting good listing photos can be a challenge. Etsy shops that carry physical inventory have the benefit of taking one of their products to shoot their listing photos. Unfortunately if you sell digital products or print on demand products you often don’t have a physical item that you can take photos for your Etsy store. So what can you do to get professional product photos? In this guide we’re going to talk about how you can create listing photos for digital or print on demand products.

Why are professional product photos important for your Etsy store

Professional Etsy listing photos help you to sell

Let’s first talk about why professional product photos are important for your Etsy listing. Professional photos help a buyer envision how a product looks in the real world when they are shopping online. Imagine if you’re buying a graphic t-shirt. Would you purchase the t-shirt that just shows you the artwork by itself, or would you purchase the product that shows you what the actual artwork looks like on the t-shirt. Of course you’d purchase the version that shows you what the real t-shirt looks like. A good product photo can help bridge the gap when a buyer can’t see or touch the product in person. Professional product photos can also help buyers better understand details like the size, scale, color and materials of your products.

How to create professional photos for digital products and print on demand products

While there are many different ways to get photos created for your Etsy listing, we’re going to talk about some of the most popular ways you can get professional photos for your digital or print on demand products.

Professional photo shoot for digital or print on demand products

The first way to get professional photos for your digital or print on demand products is to actually do a photo shoot. What you will need to do is get your digital product or print on demand product made and then use the physical product to do a photo shoot. This can definitely result in higher quality photos if you use a professional photographer or have the proper equipment to take good photos. However, having a product made and hiring a photographer can be an expensive and time consuming process for many of us. If you are selling inexpensive digital products you may want to consider if this approach is worth the time or investment.

Photoshop product mockup for digital or print on demand products

Another alternative to create professional product photos is to use a Photoshop product mockup template. You can purchase Photoshop product mockups on sites like Etsy, Creative Market, or Envato Elements. The benefit of using a Photoshop product mockup is that you can get realistic product photos without doing a photo shoot. There are Photoshop mockups for almost every product you might want to sell. You can find mockups for t-shirts, poster frames, phone cases, mugs, and more. Using a Photoshop product mockup requires some technical knowledge of working within a layered Photoshop file and understanding how to place your artwork into a smart object. Before you purchase a Photoshop mockup make sure you have a good understanding of how they work so that you don’t end up wasting your money.

Product mockup websites

Another approach to creating professional product images is to use a website service like Placeit by Envato or Canva. Your print on demand service may also offer this service but you may want to explore other services like Placeit or Canva to give you more mockup options. With these types of websites all you have to do is to simply pick a mockup template and upload your artwork and the site will create a professional product image for you. It’s a simple way to create great looking images without having to do a photo shoot or use a Photoshop template. One thing to note is that you will need to pay a subscription to use images for commercial purposes or to get access to some additional features and options. What you’ll often find is that the time you save will be worth the money you spend.

Canva product mockup template for digital or print on demand products

While Canva has product templates that you can use through their website, another option is to purchase product mockup templates that people design for Canva. There are two approaches to this. The first way is that sellers will sell product images on Etsy that you can upload into Canva and then use Canva’s tools to add your product design onto the mockup. The second way is that a seller will create a template that is made in Canva and sell the template on Etsy. After you purchase the template you will receive a link to the Canva template where you will be able to use Canva’s tools to create your product photos. With Canva’s simple interface this becomes a quick and easy way to create professional looking photos without having to spend a lot of money.

Get more sales on Etsy with professional product photos

You don’t need a lot of money or time to create professional looking product photos for your Etsy shop. There are many options when it comes to creating professional photos for your digital products or print on demand products. With product mockup templates you can create beautiful images for your Etsy store and improve your ability to drive sales.

If you’re looking for product mockup templates to sell your poster designs or wall art we offer Canva frame mockups. Our templates give you the ability to choose between different wall colors and frame styles so that you can perfectly match your artwork to the environment. You can even adjust the wall colors to be lighter. All you have to do is drag and drop your design over the poster frame area to create your beautiful Etsy listing photos. All of our templates can be edited using a free Canva account. To learn more about our Canva poster frame mockup templates, visit our Etsy shop.