Product photos (already sized within recommendations) are being shrunk automatically to 1800px

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

A user is experiencing automatic image downsizing on their Shopify store. They’re uploading product photos at 2048 x 3072 pixels (2:3 ratio, JPG format, 80% quality), but Shopify automatically reduces them to 1200 x 1800 pixels upon download from the storefront.

Core Issue:

  • The compression causes pixelation and loss of detail critical for fashion products (clothing, bags)
  • Customers need to see fine details and defects clearly
  • File sizes range from 300 KB to 2 MB depending on content

Troubleshooting Attempts:

  • Tried smaller export size (~1365 x 2048 px) but Shopify still downsized to 1200 x 1800
  • Searched site code for “1800” with no results, suggesting it’s not a customizable setting
  • Tested multiple image compressors (JPEGmini, Squoosh) but noticed quality degradation
  • Observed competitor stores successfully displaying images at 2049 x 2049 pixels

Current Status:
The issue remains unresolved. The user is seeking methods to prevent automatic resizing or alternative approaches to maintain high-resolution product imagery within Shopify’s system.

Summarized with AI on October 30. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi all,

I am exporting product images from Capture One at 2048 x 3072 (2:3 ratio) pixels, JPG, 80% quality, 72 px/in. However, when I download the product image from my Shopify storefront on desktop, I see that it is 1200 x 1800 pixels. It’s making my image pixelated, and I need a lot of details/resolution for my users to see the product condition. I believe I am well within the maximum limitations on product photos.

How can I stop the resizing?

1 Like
2

They are fashion products: clothing, bags, etc. It’s really important for me to have high resolution because the customers need to see all the details and defects (if they exist).

What kind of ways would you recommend for me to get better image quality?

3

I take (RAW files) and edit the pictures myself (in Capture One).

4

Side note: I was looking at another store and I noticed that their product pictures are 2049 x 2049 px. I understand that Shopify compresses for page speed and CDN efficiency, but I don’t understand why my pictures get compressed all the way down to 1200 x 1800 px. I searched through my site code and could not find “1800” anywhere so it seems it’s not something I can adjust.

5

I’ve been processing the RAW files (need to blow out the background to pure
white, adjust some contrast and color, etc.) and exporting into JPG, with a
final size of 2048 x 3072 px, 80% quality. The file size can vary from
about 300 KB up to 2 MB, depending on how much whitespace there is.

I also tried an export size of ~1365 x 2048, and it was still being shrunk
down to 1200 x 1800 by Shopify. However, I definitely prefer the 2048 x
3072 size because I am losing a lot of detail (in the JPG file before I
even upload to Shopify) when I export in 1365 x 2048.

You mentioned an image compressor - is there one that you’d recommend? I
tried a few (JPEGmini, Squoosh, and one more) and I noticed image
degradation.