Photography in email marketing works when one strong photo carries the message and the email still makes sense with images switched off. Export each photo at about twice its display width, keep it under 1 MB, write alt text, hold the HTML under 102 KB so Gmail does not clip it, and test in dark mode.
Key takeaways
- Build each campaign around one hero photo with room for a headline, and let smaller images support it.
- Mailchimp recommends full-width email images between 660 and 1,320 pixels wide and no more than 1 MB each.
- Outlook desktop blocks images by default, so alt text and live text have to carry the offer on their own.
- Gmail clips messages over 102 KB of code. Photos hosted on your email platform sit outside that figure. The code around each image block counts.
What job does photography do in email marketing?
Photography in email marketing has one job: show the reader the thing you want them to click on. That might be the product, the plate, the venue or the person they will meet. Decoration slows the email down and pushes your button further below the first screen.
I plan email photos the way I plan a web hero. One image leads. It has clean space on one side or along the top for a headline, and the subject looks or points toward the button. Two or three smaller photos can follow for a product grid or a second story. Past that, a phone reader is scrolling a long way to reach the link you care about.
Some sends need no photo at all. A personal note from a founder, a B2B follow-up or a receipt reads better as plain text. Use photography where seeing the thing helps the decision: launches, seasonal menus, new collections, event invitations.
What size and format should email photos be?
Export photos at up to twice the width they display, in RGB, as JPG for photographs and PNG where you need transparency. Mailchimp’s image requirements recommend 660 to 1,320 pixels wide for emails made in its current builder (600 to 1,200 in the legacy builder) and a maximum of 1 MB per image. The table collects the numbers I checked for this article in October 2026.
| Item | Guideline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full-width photo, export width | 1,200 to 1,320 px for a 600 to 660 px layout | Mailchimp |
| File weight per image | 1 MB maximum; smaller loads faster on mobile data | Mailchimp |
| Format | JPG for photos, PNG for transparency, GIF for animation | Mailchimp |
| Color mode | RGB. CMYK files render wrong and can break the image | Mailchimp |
| Resolution setting | 72 DPI is enough. Pixel width is the number that counts | Mailchimp |
| Alt text | A short description on each image that carries meaning | Mailchimp, Litmus |
| Total HTML weight | Under 102 KB to avoid Gmail clipping | Mailchimp |
| Animated GIF | 1 MB at the largest, with the message in the first frame | Litmus |
| Dark mode | Test both modes; add a light outline to transparent PNGs with dark text | Litmus |
The double-width export exists for high-density phone and laptop screens. A 660-pixel photo shown at 660 pixels looks soft on those displays. The same photo exported at 1,320 and displayed at 660 looks sharp. Klaviyo, Shopify Email and other platforms publish their own limits, so check the help page for the one you send from.
For file weight, export a JPG at the target width and lower the quality setting until you see damage in smooth areas such as skin, sky or a white backdrop, then step back up one notch. Most photos land far under the 1 MB ceiling that way.
What happens when an email client blocks your images?
The reader sees empty boxes and whatever alt text you wrote. Litmus’s guide to email image blocking names Outlook’s desktop clients as the main ones that still block images by default, while most other clients show them. If you sell to offices, a share of your list opens in Outlook.
Three habits protect the email:
- Write alt text that states what the photo shows and why it matters, such as “Cold brew can on ice, new 12 oz size.” Screen readers read the same text aloud.
- Keep the headline, price and button as live text or coded buttons. An offer baked into the photo disappears with the photo.
- Set a background color behind image areas so the layout holds its shape.
An email built as one large image fails all three and leaves a screen reader with nothing to read.
How does dark mode affect photos in email?
Dark mode recolors the background and text around your photos, and each client does it in its own way. Litmus’s dark mode guide sorts clients into three groups: some leave the email unchanged (Apple Mail and Gmail on desktop), some darken the light backgrounds and leave dark ones alone (Outlook.com and the Outlook mobile apps), and some invert light and dark areas alike (the Gmail app on iOS and Outlook for Windows).
Photographs themselves keep their colors. The trouble shows at the edges. A product shot on pure white becomes a white rectangle floating on a dark page, and a transparent PNG logo with dark lettering can vanish. Litmus suggests a translucent outline or glow on transparent PNGs. For product photos I offer two fixes at the shoot: a version on a mid-tone or colored backdrop that sits well on light and dark pages, or a clean cut-out with a soft shadow. My comparison of lifestyle and studio product photography covers when each background earns its place.
Do photos make Gmail clip an email?
The photo files stay outside Gmail’s count. The code that places them adds to it. Mailchimp’s help page on Gmail clipping explains that Gmail hides the rest of a message behind a “View entire message” link once the message passes 102 KB. Images load from the sender’s servers, so their file size stays outside that count. Each image block still adds HTML.
Clipping costs you twice. The reader misses the lower part of the email, and Mailchimp notes that the clip also cuts the code that tracks opens. A twelve-product grid with a photo, caption, price and button per item can push the code past the limit. Cut the grid to the best four and link to the collection page for the others.
Can you use animated GIFs in email?
Yes, with a fallback. Litmus’s guide to animated GIFs in email reports that most clients play them, that Outlook 2007 through 2019 on Windows do not, and that Outlook with Microsoft 365 has supported them since 2019. The older Outlook versions show a still frame, so Litmus advises putting everything the reader needs into frame one.
Litmus also recommends 1 MB at the largest for a GIF. A short loop of four to eight photographs, such as a product turning or a drink being poured, stays small and easy to read. I shoot those sequences on a locked tripod so only the subject moves between frames. Longer motion belongs on a landing page as video, with a still photo and a play icon in the email linking to it.
What photos should you shoot for email campaigns?
Plan photography in email marketing at the shot-list stage. Add a small email set to your next product photography or brand photography session. Few web and social crops fit an email header without losing the subject.
- A horizontal hero per campaign with empty space for a headline. Email heroes run wide and short so the button stays near the top on a phone.
- Square or 4:5 product images on a consistent background for grids, lit and scaled the same so the row looks like one family.
- One or two lifestyle frames that show the product in use, for the story section.
- A photo of the person signing the email, if the brand writes in a founder’s voice.
- A locked-tripod sequence if you plan a GIF.
Ask for the email crops in your shot list. I deliver them sized for your platform alongside the web and social versions, which saves your team from resizing and from uploading 8 MB originals. For cost planning, white-background packshots run $30–$85 per image at volume and lifestyle or styled images run $55–$440 per image; my product photography pricing page explains what moves a job within those ranges. My guide to photography in a digital marketing strategy shows where email sits beside your other channels.
What should you check before you send?
Run this list on a test send to your own phone and to one Outlook desktop inbox.
- Turn images off. Confirm the headline, offer and button still read.
- Read each alt text aloud. Fix any that say “image1.jpg” or nothing.
- Switch the phone to dark mode. Look for white boxes and vanished logos.
- Check the message size in your platform’s preview or inbox test. Stay under 102 KB of HTML.
- Confirm each photo is under 1 MB and no wider than your platform recommends.
- Open the GIF in Outlook and judge the first frame as a still.
- Tap each photo. Each one should link somewhere useful.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best image size for email marketing?
Size full-width photos at about twice the display width of your template. Mailchimp recommends 660 to 1,320 pixels wide in its current builder and 600 to 1,200 in its legacy builder, with a maximum of 1 MB per image. Check your own platform’s help page, since each one publishes its own limits.
How many images should a marketing email have?
Use one hero photo and a few supporting images. No rule sets a number, but each image adds load time and HTML, and Gmail clips messages over 102 KB of code. An email also has to make sense with images blocked, so the headline, offer and button should be live text.
Should I use JPG or PNG for email photos?
Use JPG for photographs, since it compresses them to small files with little visible loss. Use PNG for logos, graphics and anything that needs a transparent background. Save both in RGB color mode. Mailchimp warns that CMYK files render wrong online and can break the embedded image.
Why do my email photos look blurry?
The file is too small for the screen. Phones and many laptops pack two or more pixels into each layout pixel, so a 600-pixel photo shown at 600 pixels looks soft. Export at about twice the display width, such as 1,200 to 1,320 pixels for a full-width image, and let the template scale it down.
Can I use my website product photos in emails?
Yes, if your license covers email and the crops suit the layout. Website heroes tend to be wider and heavier than an email needs, so export a resized copy at your template’s recommended width and under 1 MB. White-background shots may need a second look in dark mode.
Get photos sized for your next campaign
Send me your email platform, the template width, your next three campaign themes and the product or SKU list. I will reply with a shot list that includes the email heroes and grid images, and a quote. Send your campaign calendar and SKU list to start.