The Primary Image is the first photo a shopper sees for your product on Macy's: it fills the tile on category and search pages and opens the product detail page. Macy's requires one per colorway, and it has the strictest image rules of any field in the listing. The standard is an on-figure, front-facing photograph of the product on a pure white background, cropped tight to the product, that shows exactly the color being sold.
Shoppers compare tiles in a grid, so a gray backdrop or a group shot of every color makes your product look off next to compliant tiles even before Macy's review sees it.
Image requirements
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Subject | The product worn by one standing model, facing forward |
| Background | Pure white, RGB 255, 255, 255; a softly lit studio backdrop does not count |
| Crop | Tight to the product, about 10 pixels from the product to the edge, nothing cropped into the product |
| Orientation | Portrait, 4:5 (Macy's documents 140:171 and accepts 4:5) |
| Minimum size | 800 x 1000 pixels |
| File size | Up to 10 MB |
| Text and graphics | None, unless the text is on the product itself: no logos, badges, promotional messaging or "Coming Soon" overlays |
| Color | Must show this colorway; no images of other colors or of every colorway together unless nothing else exists |
| Model | Matches the size group: Plus Size listings show a plus-size model, infant month sizes show an infant, not a toddler |
| Source | Photographs only; AI-generated and computer-rendered images are rejected |
Customization previews and annotated measurement photos are skipped unless nothing else qualifies. Anything with text, a second model or a colored background can still be an Alternate Image.
Category-specific primaries
| Category | Primary image |
|---|---|
| Women's Tops & Tees | The cropped on-figure shot ("crop for top"). The full-length image goes in the alternates |
| Women's Dresses | Front-facing on-figure shot |
| Women's Intimate Apparel | Front-facing on-figure. Sleepwear and loungewear sets use a full-length front-facing shot |
| Women's Swim | Front-facing on-figure. Swim bottoms are cropped to the bottom; a swim top may show coordinating bottoms as long as the top is the focus |
| Men's Underwear & Socks | Single packs: front-facing on-figure. Multi-packs may use an off-figure image showing the full color assortment or pack contents |
| Kids & Baby | Either the cropped on-figure image (crop for top or crop for bottom) or the off-figure front. Infants and toddlers use a full-length on-figure shot or the off-figure front. On-figure converts better when both exist |
| Women's, Men's, Kids and Baby Shoes | Front view of a single right shoe, angled slightly to the right with the toe pointing to the lower-right corner. A pair as the primary is rejected. For adult shoes, a flipped left shoe is acceptable when only the left was shot |
| Bags & Purses | Front view of the handbag, wallet or bag on a white background |
Examples
| Primary image | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Model in the navy blazer, facing camera, cropped chest to hip, white background | Good | On-figure, front-facing, tight crop, shows the colorway |
| Same blazer photographed flat on a table | Weak | Off-figure is only allowed for kids, multi-packs, shoes and bags |
| Model turned three-quarters toward a window, warm gray wall | Weak | Not front-facing, background is not pure white |
| Right loafer angled toward the lower right, white background | Good | Matches the shoe rule exactly |
| Both loafers side by side | Weak | A pair as the primary is rejected |
| Model in the dress with a "New arrival" badge in the corner | Weak | Overlaid text is not allowed on the primary |
| Three models in the same tee in red, blue and green | Weak | Shows every colorway; the primary must show only the color being sold |
Common mistakes
- Off-white or studio-gray backgrounds. Macy's wants flat RGB 255, 255, 255.
- Loose crops with the product floating in white space. About 10 pixels of margin is the target.
- Using the full-length shot as the primary for a top. Macy's wants the cropped shot for tops; the full-length view goes in the alternates.
- Sharing one primary across colorways. Each colorway needs a photo of that color.
- Small source files. Below 800 x 1000 pixels the image fails, and upsizing a small file is not a fix.
- A toddler modeling an infant size, or a standard-size model on a Plus Size listing.
How Osello fills this field
Osello treats the Primary Image as a required, variant-level field set once per colorway and shared by every size of that color. An image is only considered when its background is white (a studio backdrop is not enough for Macy's) and the product faces the camera straight on, with no allowance for a slight turn. Images that show a customization preview are excluded. The chosen image is cropped to 4:5, and when a good photo has an off-white background Osello can replace it with white, with the edited image waiting in the approvals queue before it is used. Alternate Images are filled after the primary, so the same photo is never used twice. See how Osello chooses your listing images, crop listing images to the required shape and approve AI-edited images.
Frequently asked questions
Does the primary image have to be on a model?
For most apparel, yes: one standing model, facing forward, wearing the product. Kids and baby apparel may use the off-figure front instead, multi-pack underwear may show the pack contents off-figure, and shoes and bags are shot off-figure by definition.
For all accessories except scarves, the primary image should be off-model, focused on the product being sold. Only use an on-model shot if you don't have the off-model one, but note that it's likely to be rejected in that case.
Can I use a 140:171 image instead of 4:5?
Yes. 140:171 is the ratio in Macy's documentation and 4:5 is accepted; both are portrait and nearly identical in shape. Osello crops to 4:5.
Is a light gray studio background acceptable?
No. The primary needs a pure white background, RGB 255, 255, 255. A softly lit studio white that reads as gray does not qualify, though it can still be used as an alternate image.
Can the primary show the brand logo?
Only when the logo is on the product itself, such as a printed chest logo. Overlaid logos, badges and text are not allowed on the primary.
How should shoes be photographed for the primary?
A single right shoe, front view, angled slightly to the right with the toe pointing to the lower-right corner, on white. A pair is rejected. For adult shoes, a mirrored image of the left shoe is acceptable when only the left was shot.