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Product photography with a smartphone and AI: an ecommerce guide

By ReadyStore TeamPublished 21 October 20264 min read

Good product photography doesn’t need a studio or an expensive camera: a recent smartphone, a window and a simple background are enough for most products sold with cash on delivery. AI tools can then cut out, clean up or create a scene, as long as they never show anything other than the real product.

This guide explains how to get your smartphone photos right, which angles a COD product page needs, how to use AI product photography without misleading customers, and which free and paid tools to choose.

Smartphone product photography: the minimum kit

What you need, and what you can skip
Item	Simple solution	Why
Camera	A recent smartphone, clean lens	Today’s sensors are enough for the web
Light	A side window, no direct sun	Soft light, gentle shadows
Background	Curved white card or paper	No visible corner behind the product
Reflector	White card facing the window	Fill in the shadows
Stability	A small tripod or phone stand	Sharp photos and consistent framing

The must-have angles for COD product photography

Product photography: front, detail, scale, parcel contents, in use — Five photos that answer the customer’s questions.

Front, on a neutral background: the reference photo, sharp and well lit.
Detail: material, finish, buttons, stitching, whatever reassures on quality.
Scale: in a hand, on a familiar table, or with dimensions shown.
Parcel contents: everything the customer will receive, no more, no less.
In use: the product being used; often the first photo on the page and in the ad.

With COD, the parcel contents photo plays a special role: a customer who receives exactly what they saw accepts the parcel. These photos fit the structure described in our guide on how to write product descriptions.

Settings and shooting

Turn off flash and portrait mode for reference photos; keep exposure steady.
Shoot square or 4:5 for the mobile page and ads.
Keep the same distance, light and background across the whole catalog.
Take several shots per angle and keep the sharpest.
Compress images before publishing (WebP) for a fast mobile page.

AI product photography: what helps, what’s off limits

AI uses for product photos
Use	Helpful?	Watch out for
Background removal and white background	Yes	Clean edges, natural shadow
Clean-up (dust, reflections)	Yes	Don’t alter the product itself
Lifestyle scene	Yes, carefully	Faithful scale and colors
Changing the product’s color or shape	No	The customer would receive something else
Generating a product that doesn’t exist	No	A misleading practice

In the European Union, Directive 2005/29/EC prohibits misleading commercial practices, including on product characteristics. An image that doesn’t match the delivered product leads to refusals, returns and penalties.

Product photography tools
Need	Free option	Paid option
Remove backgrounds and retouch	Photoroom (free plan)Background removal and templates; limited exports, check usage terms.	Photoroom ProFull AI features, batch processing.
Advanced editing	SnapseedFree mobile photo editor.	Adobe LightroomEditing and presets by subscription.
Compress for the web	SquooshWebP conversion in the browser.	TinyPNG (Web Pro)Batch compression.

Summary

Effective product photography can be done on a smartphone with a window, a simple background and a stable stand, in five angles: front, detail, scale, parcel contents and in use. AI saves time on cut-outs and scenes, never on the truth about the product. For video, see our video ad guide, and to test your visuals, the product test campaign. Create your ReadyStore store to publish your photos.

Sources

EUR-Lex — Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices (accessed 21 October 2026)
Photoroom — AI product photography (accessed 21 October 2026)

By ReadyStore Team

The ReadyStore team builds the cash on delivery store platform and writes these guides from how the product actually works and from verified public sources.

Frequently asked questions

How do I take good product photos with a smartphone?

Place the product by a window in indirect light, on a curved white background, with a white card to fill shadows. Stabilize the phone, turn off flash, and shoot several angles with the same framing across your catalog.

Can I use AI for product photography?

Yes, to remove backgrounds, clean up or create a lifestyle scene, as long as the product stays faithful: same color, size and contents. Altering the product or generating one that doesn’t exist misleads customers and leads to refusals and returns.

Which background is best for product photos?

A white or neutral, slightly curved background for the reference photo: it highlights the product and keeps the catalog consistent. Then add lifestyle photos in a real setting that show use and scale.

How many photos per product?

At least four or five: front, detail, scale, parcel contents and in use. Add a short video if the product demonstrates well. With COD, the parcel contents photo reduces bad surprises at the door.

Can I use the supplier’s photos?

Only if the supplier allows it, and they’re rarely enough because many sellers use the same ones. Add at least one photo of the real product you received, to check it matches and to stand out.

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