Add product media to a product in Shopify
Product media is the photos and video a shopper sees on the product page. This tutorial adds images to the Trail Crew Tee and matches one image to each colour variant, so a shopper who picks Blue sees the blue shirt.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 5 minutes read
The worked example
| Product | Trail Crew Tee |
| Images added | 4 |
| Media limit per product | 250 items |
| Variants with an image | 6 |
| Image per variant | 1 |
Download the record: trail-crew-tee-media-list.csv (158 bytes).
A media list for the Trail Crew Tee: 4 photos, which variant colour each one serves, and the 250 item limit noted for reference.
1Open the product
From your Shopify admin, go to Products and click Trail Crew Tee. The Media section sits near the top of the product page.
2Upload the images
In the Media section, click the upload control and select the product photos from your computer. Add a front view, a back view, and one photo of each colour, so the set shows the shirt as a shopper would see it.
3Wait for the uploads to finish
Leave the page open until each image shows in the media list. A product can hold up to 250 media items, so a set of 4 photos is well inside the limit.
4Match an image to the Red variants
In the Variants section, open a Red variant and pick the red photo from the product media list. Each variant can have one media item, and it must come from the product media list, not from a fresh upload.
5Match an image to the Blue variants
Open a Blue variant and pick the blue photo the same way. All three Red variants share the red photo and all three Blue variants share the blue photo, which is 6 variants covered by 2 colour photos.
6Save and preview the page
Click Save, then click Preview to see the product as a shopper sees it. Switch between Red and Blue and confirm the photo changes with the colour.
The arithmetic
| Figure | Number |
|---|---|
| Photos uploaded | 4 |
| Media limit per product | 250 |
| Photos used of the limit | 4 |
| Variants with a matched image | 6 |
| Images matched per variant | 1 |
Four photos sit inside the 250 item limit, and all 6 variants have a matched image, one per variant, drawn from the product media list.
Held at the counter
A variant image must come from the product media list. You cannot upload a fresh photo straight onto a variant. Upload it to the product first, then pick it for the variant, or the option will not be there.
Duplicating a product does not copy video or 3D models. When you duplicate a product, all other product details are copied, but 3D models and videos are not. Add those again on the duplicate if the new listing needs them.
One image per variant is the limit. Each variant can have one media item applied. If a colour needs two angles, put the extra shots in the main product media set where every shopper can scroll through them.
Sources
- Adding variants — Shopify's help pages: up to 250 media items per product, one media item per variant, drawn from the product media list.
- Adding and updating products — Shopify's help pages: duplicating a product copies all details except 3D models and videos.