How do I turn a rectangular product photo into a square with white space, without cutting anything off?
Type a square size such as 1080 by 1080, choose the 'Fit inside' mode and keep the background white. The whole photo is scaled down until it fits the square, centered, and the leftover strips are filled white. Nothing of the product is lost, and you see the result before you download.
Why typing the two numbers is not enough
A rectangular photo has a different width to height ratio from a square. Force it into 1080 by 1080 with 'Stretch' and the product gets squashed, so a box looks wider than it really is. Pick 'Fill and crop' and the square is covered, but the edges of the photo are cut away, and that might be the lid of a jar or the handle of a bag. The option that keeps everything adds white space instead of removing anything.
A 1600 × 1200 product photo, with a target of 1080 × 1080 in 'Fit inside' mode.
The photo is scaled to 1080 × 810, so its width fills the square exactly.
It is placed 135 px from the top, leaving a white band 135 px tall above it and the same below.
The steps in the tool
- Open the Image resizer and choose the product photo as JPEG, PNG or WebP.
- From 'Common sizes (editable)' pick 'Square', or type the width and height yourself. Choosing a common size switches the ratio lock off for you; if you type both numbers by hand, untick the lock first, or the height will follow the width.
- Check the fit mode is 'Fit inside'. It is the default.
- The background color is white by default. Change it only if your photo's own backdrop is another color.
- Choose JPEG for ordinary photos, check the dimensions and size table, and download.
Where the white bands appear
A landscape photo gets bands above and below; a portrait photo gets them on the left and right. The further your photo's shape is from a square, the wider the bands. If they look wider than you like, trim the empty space around the product before converting, rather than stretching the picture.
If the photo was shot on a truly white backdrop, the bands blend into it and a shopper cannot tell where the original ends. On a light gray backdrop you will see a line where the two meet; in that case set the background color to match the backdrop instead of pure white.
After the conversion
- The tool warns you if the square is larger than your photo, because enlarging adds no detail.
- The downloaded file name ends with the new size, such as -1080x1080, so versions are easy to tell apart.
- If the file is still heavy, lower the quality a little, or run the set through the Image compressor.
Common questions
Does this work for every photo in my store?
Yes, as long as you use the same size and background color for each one, so products line up evenly in the grid.
Can the bands be transparent instead of white?
Yes when saving as PNG or WebP, by ticking the transparent background option. JPEG cannot store transparency.