Product photo prompts: how to write AI prompts for e-commerce shots

Product photography has a narrow job: show the object clearly, make it look desirable, and look like it belongs with the rest of the catalogue. That makes it a good fit for AI image models, as long as the prompt is written like a photographer’s shot list rather than an advert slogan.

A prompt that says “beautiful premium product photo of a water bottle” leaves every decision to the model. A prompt that names the surface, the background, the light, the angle and what surrounds the product leaves almost nothing to chance.

One caveat before starting: an AI image of a product is an illustration, not a photograph of the item you sell. For listings, details such as logos, labels, proportions and colours must match the real product, so use generated images for concepts, mood shots and backgrounds, and check every detail before publishing.

Start with a product description that does not drift

Describe the product the same way every time: material, finish, colour, shape and size cues. This short block becomes the anchor you reuse across the whole set.

Before: a nice candle
After:  a squat amber glass candle jar with a brushed brass lid, cream wax, plain kraft paper label

Material and finish words matter most: matte, satin, glossy, brushed, frosted, ceramic, anodised aluminium, recycled paper. They control how light behaves on the surface, which is what makes a product look real.

Backgrounds and surfaces

Seamless backdrops

A “seamless white backdrop” or “seamless paper background” gives the classic marketplace look: no horizon line, no distractions. Coloured seamless paper (sage green, terracotta, pale blue) keeps the clean look while adding brand mood.

Surfaces

What the product sits on sets the price signal. Polished marble and travertine read as premium; raw oak, linen and slate read as natural and handmade; brushed steel and acrylic read as technical. Name one surface and one background, not several.

a matte black ceramic pour-over coffee dripper on a pale travertine plinth, warm beige seamless background

Pure cutout

If you need a product on pure white for a marketplace, ask for “isolated on pure white background, no shadow” or “soft contact shadow only”. Expect to clean the edges in an editor; generated cutouts are rarely perfect.

Studio lighting setups

Product lighting borrows directly from studio photography. The terms below are well understood by current models; the lighting prompts guide goes deeper into each one.

• Large softbox from the side: soft, even, gentle gradient across the product. The default for most items.
• Overhead diffused light: flat, shadow-light look, ideal for flat lays.
• Hard directional light: crisp, graphic shadows for a bold, editorial feel. Popular for cosmetics and drinks.
• Back light through liquid or glass: makes bottles and glassware glow. Say “backlit” and name the liquid colour.
• Strip lights: long, narrow highlights along the edges of glossy or reflective products such as phones, bottles and watches.

a clear glass bottle of pale green olive oil, backlit by a large softbox, two vertical strip-light reflections along the bottle edges, dark grey background

Angles that sell

Hero shot

Slightly below or at the product’s eye level, so it looks substantial. A hero shot usually has one product, a simple background and plenty of space around it.

hero shot of a stainless steel insulated bottle, low angle at product level, centred, deep teal seamless background, soft gradient light from the right

45-degree angle

The most informative angle for boxy products such as speakers, shoes and packaging, because it shows the front, the side and the top at once. Say “three-quarter view from a 45-degree angle, slightly above”.

Flat lay

Shot from directly overhead, with the product and a few props arranged on a surface. Mention “top-down flat lay” explicitly, or the model may tilt the camera.

top-down flat lay of a leather notebook, fountain pen and a small potted succulent on light oak, soft overhead daylight, neat negative space on the right for text

Detail and macro

For texture: stitching, fabric weave, brushed metal, droplets. “Macro close-up” and “shallow depth of field” are the key terms.

Props and context

Props should explain the product, not compete with it. Choose two or three that suggest use or ingredients: coffee beans around a grinder, citrus slices next to a juice bottle, a folded towel beside a soap bar. Say “minimal props” if the model keeps crowding the frame.

Lifestyle shots put the product in a setting, such as a kitchen counter, a bathroom shelf or a desk by a window. Keep the setting slightly out of focus so the product stays the subject.

Reflections and shadows

These two details separate a convincing product image from an obviously generated one.

• Reflections: “subtle reflection on glossy black acrylic” or “mirror reflection below the product” for a classic tech look.
• Contact shadow: a small, soft shadow where the object meets the surface. Without it, products look like they float.
• Cast shadows: “dappled window-light shadows” or “palm leaf shadow pattern” add a warm, natural mood without extra props.

Keeping a catalogue consistent

The hardest part of AI product imagery is making twenty images look like one shoot. A few habits help:

1. Write a template and change only the product. Keep background, surface, light, angle and palette identical, word for word.
2. Fix the aspect ratio for the whole set, for example --ar 4:5 in Midjourney.
3. Use a style reference where your tool supports one. Midjourney’s --sref and the reference-image inputs in Gemini and Flux help keep colour and light steady. The Midjourney parameters guide explains how --sref works.
4. Reuse seeds in Stable Diffusion when you want the same composition with a different product.

A reusable template might look like this:

[PRODUCT DESCRIPTION], centred on a pale travertine plinth, warm beige seamless background, large softbox from the left, soft contact shadow, 45-degree angle slightly above, clean minimal styling --ar 4:5 --style raw

If you already have one image whose look you want to repeat, upload it to the image to prompt app to get a written description of its background, light and angle, then turn that into your template. If you are starting from an idea rather than an image, text to prompt expands a short brief into a full prompt.

Product prompt checklist

• Product described with material, finish and colour, reused verbatim.
• One surface and one background.
• A named lighting setup, not “professional lighting”.
• A named angle: hero, 45-degree, flat lay or macro.
• Two or three props at most, or “no props”.
• Contact shadow and, for glossy items, reflections.
• Same template, ratio and reference for the whole catalogue.
• Every label, logo and detail checked against the real product before use.