For studios serving Shopify merchants
Keep Shopify product-media requirements attached to each client job.
Record the store context, product and variant mapping, media placement, crop and output requirements, decision owners, and final handoff before the files reach Shopify.
Lenso is not a Shopify app. It does not upload to the store, edit the theme, write product data, or guarantee how media will display.
Official Shopify sources last reviewed: August 20, 2026. Recheck the merchant's theme, product setup, apps, plan, and upload path before each job.
Use this guide when the studio owns the media handoff, not the storefront.
The studio can record what the merchant needs for each product, variant, placement, crop, and release set. The merchant, developer, ecommerce team, or agency remains responsible for the Shopify store, theme, apps, product data, alt text, and upload.
- Product-detail-page image sets
- Collection and featured-media crops
- Variant-specific product images
- Lifestyle and detail media
- Seasonal launches and collection refreshes
- Agency-managed merchant accounts
- Jobs with several decision makers
Shopify adds placement, theme, and variant context to the normal studio job.
Shopify accepts flexible product media. That flexibility means the studio cannot infer one universal crop, file type, background, or variant behavior.
- Store and theme context
- Record the store, current theme or template, app behavior, and placement the client expects the file to serve.
- Product identity
- Record the product handle, client SKU, option values, and variant identifiers the merchant uses.
- Media role
- Separate featured media, product-gallery images, collection imagery, campaign crops, detail images, and other named placements.
- Variant behavior
- Record which image is assigned to each variant and whether additional images remain in the general gallery.
- Output behavior
- Record the current aspect ratio, focal point, dimensions, format, file-size limit, and any theme-specific crop.
- Store content
- Record who writes and uploads alt text. Alt text is store content and is not created merely by naming the image file.
- Upload owner
- Identify the merchant, agency, developer, or ecommerce manager responsible for the Shopify upload.
Record the storefront context before production begins.
- Store URL or client account
- Current theme or template
- Relevant app or combined-listing behavior
- Product title
- Product handle
- Client SKU
- Variant option and value
- Media placement
- Featured-media status
- Required view or asset
- Background and styling
- Aspect ratio and crop
- Focal-point requirement
- Pixel dimensions
- File format
- File-size limit
- Alt-text owner
- Expected delivery filename
- Final upload owner
- Scope decision maker
- Final image decision maker
- Review deadline
- Launch deadline
- Accepted exception process
The studio is ready when each required output has a product, variant, placement, visible treatment, technical requirement, decision owner, and upload owner.
Use the current Shopify source for the merchant's upload path.
Shopify requirements and display behavior depend on where the file is uploaded and how the store is configured. The summary below does not create one universal Shopify image standard.
Product Media Types
Reviewed August 20, 2026
At the last review, Shopify said product and collection images could be up to 5000 x 5000 pixels or 25 megapixels and under 20 MB. It said 2048 x 2048 pixels usually displays best for square product images and that actual display depends on the store theme.
Shopify listed PNG, JPEG, and several other accepted image formats. Do not turn one recommendation into the studio's universal output format.
Adding Product Media
Reviewed August 20, 2026
Shopify currently allows up to 250 media items on a product. The first media item is the featured or main item and can appear in several storefront contexts. The merchant can change it.
Adding Images to Product Variants
Reviewed August 20, 2026
Shopify currently allows one assigned image per variant. Additional related images can remain in the product media gallery. Automatic grouped media for product options can depend on Combined Listings and an eligible Shopify plan.
Adding Alt Text to Media
Reviewed August 20, 2026
Shopify currently allows alt text to be saved in the product media record or uploaded through CSV. Its guidance sets a 512-character maximum and recommends brief descriptive text.
Uploading and Managing Files
Reviewed August 20, 2026
Shopify's general Files area can publish limits that differ from the Product Media page. Verify the exact upload path rather than combining the two sets of limits into one studio rule.
Verify these pages again before using the facts for a current job. Theme documentation, app behavior, product setup, merchant plan, and sales channel can add constraints.
Shopify is a third-party service. Lenso is not affiliated with or endorsed by Shopify.
Map each file to a product, variant, placement, and upload owner.
This fictional example uses the Thread & Tide demo style. The output values are examples, not universal Shopify requirements.
| Product handle | Client SKU | Variant | Placement | View or asset | Theme or source | Output | Delivery filename | Alt-text owner | Decision owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| linen-shirt | TT-SC-LINEN-SHIRT-01 | Seafoam | Featured product media | Front | Current client theme and product template | Client-approved 4:5 JPEG | tt-sc-linen-shirt-seafoam-front.jpg | Merchant ecommerce lead | Merchant ecommerce lead |
| linen-shirt | TT-SC-LINEN-SHIRT-01 | Seafoam | Product media gallery | Back | Current client theme and product template | Client-approved 4:5 JPEG | tt-sc-linen-shirt-seafoam-back.jpg | Merchant ecommerce lead | Merchant ecommerce lead |
| linen-shirt | TT-SC-LINEN-SHIRT-01 | Seafoam | Product media gallery | Cuff detail | Current client theme and product template | Client-approved 1:1 JPEG | tt-sc-linen-shirt-seafoam-cuff-detail.jpg | Merchant ecommerce lead | Merchant ecommerce lead |
| summer-capsule | COLLECTION-SUMMER-01 | Not applicable | Collection feature | Wide campaign crop | Current collection template | Client-approved wide JPEG | thread-tide-summer-capsule-collection.jpg | Brand marketing lead | Brand marketing lead |
A product handle, variant assignment, and media position are merchant-side values. Confirm them with the person who manages the store.
Approve the named media set, not an assumed storefront result.
A client can approve a file for a named placement. The final Shopify display still depends on the merchant's theme, product setup, crop behavior, and upload.
- The proof identifies the product or collection.
- The proof identifies the variant when relevant.
- The intended placement is visible.
- The crop and aspect ratio are named.
- The proof has a visible version.
- Comments stay attached to the correct file.
- Requested changes are separated from new scope.
- Alt text or store copy is reviewed separately when included.
- The client records Request changes or Approve for the current version.
- Accepted exceptions are recorded.
The studio can share featured-media proofs before a larger gallery set when that matches the job. Do not claim that Lenso publishes the approved file to Shopify.
The client agreement defines the legal effect of approval, silence, delivery, and acceptance.
Deliver files in a structure the upload owner can understand.
- Record who performs the Shopify upload.
- Group files by product handle, client SKU, variant, or placement as agreed.
- Use a client-facing delivery name that identifies the product and view.
- Keep alt text in a separate approved field or manifest when it is in scope.
- Include aspect ratio, dimensions, format, and placement notes in the manifest when needed.
- Test the actual ZIP, folder, link, and files.
- Exclude working files, obsolete proofs, and protected previews.
- Record what was delivered, to whom, and when.
- Tell the client when secure access can expire or be revoked.
Shopify's Files area is intended for files the merchant is willing to make publicly accessible. Do not include private client records or unrelated confidential documents in the upload package.
Lenso can provide the studio-to-client delivery. It does not write the files, alt text, product data, or theme settings into Shopify.
Review the storefront before reusing the old output.
A returning client may have a new theme, app, product template, variant structure, collection crop, marketing owner, or launch requirement.
Use the earlier brief, shot rows, proofs, approval, and delivery names as a starting point. Then confirm what is still valid.
- Record new products and variants.
- Record changed product handles or SKUs.
- Confirm the current featured media.
- Confirm variant-image behavior.
- Confirm collection and product-page crops.
- Confirm alt-text ownership.
- Version every material requirement change.
- Create a new studio-controlled job.
The client area is not a Shopify content library or self-service reorder system.
Keep the storefront context beside the product and client decision.
Lenso can keep a request or studio-entered referral, structured brief, product and shot rows, references, proof versions, comments, requested changes, approval history, optional invoice, manifest, and final files attached to the same job.
- The studio reviews every request before it becomes a job.
- Clients use project-specific Lenso-hosted access.
- Clients do not need a paid studio seat.
- Secure links can expire or be revoked.
- Source storage names can differ from client-facing delivery names.
- Repeat work begins with a studio-created job.
What Lenso does not do for Shopify
- Upload product media to Shopify
- Create or edit products
- Assign images to variants
- Change the featured media
- Write or upload alt text
- Edit theme templates
- Set focal points
- Install apps
- Manage Combined Listings
- Publish collections
- Manage product SEO
- Guarantee storefront display
- Replace the merchant or agency upload owner
Questions about Shopify jobs in Lenso
Does Lenso integrate with Shopify or upload files to the store?
No. Lenso manages the studio-to-client job record and final-file handoff. The merchant, agency, developer, or ecommerce team performs the Shopify upload.
Does Shopify require every product image to be square?
No. Shopify says 2048 x 2048 pixels usually displays best for square product images, but the actual display depends on the theme and placement. Use the current client and theme requirement.
How many images can be assigned to a variant?
Shopify currently allows one assigned image per variant. Additional related images can remain in the product media gallery. Automatic grouping can depend on Combined Listings and the merchant's plan.
Can Lenso write Shopify alt text?
No. Record alt-text ownership in the brief or manifest when it is in scope. The merchant or agency adds the final text in Shopify or through its import process.
Can the client approve featured media before the rest of the gallery?
The studio can share a named proof or set as it becomes ready and record the client's decision. Lenso does not publish that approved file to the storefront.
Does a Shopify approval guarantee how the image will display?
No. The client can approve the file for a named use. Theme, template, app, crop, focal-point, and upload behavior still affect the storefront result.
Can clients permanently revisit every Shopify delivery?
No universal permanent-access promise applies. Client access is project-specific and can expire or be revoked. The studio can issue fresh access according to its policy and current account state.
How should a studio handle a seasonal refresh?
Create a new job, review the earlier requirements, confirm the current theme and product setup, identify changed products or placements, and collect a new decision. Do not assume the old crop or variant behavior still applies.
Related resources
See the same record in Lenso
Watch product and variant requirements become a proof, decision, and final handoff.
Lenso does not replace Shopify. It keeps the store context, product rows, client comments, approval, and final files connected before the merchant or agency performs the upload.