IMAGE FILE TYPES
Our sync will allow for product images to be in the following formats:
.jpg, .JPG, .JPEG
.gif (The site will convert it to a jpg once uploaded)
.png
Please Note: while we don't import images that are in .webp format, we do make every attempt to convert your images to .webp format so your site has the best performance rating possible.
MULTIPLE IMAGES:
If your site has been configured to display more than one image - the standard convention is as follows:
1st image name: productcode.jpg
2nd image name: productcode_2.jpg
3rd image name: productcode_3.jpg
up to productcode_9.jpg
Your site may also have a different configuration to this - however, this is the standard default for our system.
IMAGE NAME/ NAMING CONVENTION
In general - the product code will also be the image name. There are only a couple of exceptions that would only be in effect if your site has been customised in some manner.
If there are any special characters, Windows won't let you use those in a file name - in that case, it will need to be replaced with a hyphen eg: '-'
So if you have a product with a code of 123/ABC
the image name would have to be: 123-abc.jpg
if you had a product code of 123/abc*xyz
then the image name would need to be 123-ABC-xyz.jpg
You can also further verify the correct name of the image by going into the CMS back-end of the site and editing the product in question (via the products list) and clicking on the "image" tab
The image code in the field will be the spelling we're looking for when trying to match up your images to the products on the site.
IMPORTANT NOTE: if you're still using one of our early first-generation software connectors (eg. Webninja Ecommerce) we ONLY import .jpg images)
RECOMMENDATION: We generally recommend simply sticking with .jpg as these are the best compressed for Web use with the highest visible quality. It's also best that whichever image file type you use, you keep it consistent across all your product images - eg. if you're going to use .gif - please be sure to use .gif for ALL your product images as otherwise there's the potential that you could have a mix-up later on with two images by the same name eg.
producta.jpg
and
producta.gif
Your Windows system will allow both these files to exist in the same folder on your server, which will cause issues with the sync.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to increased load on the system - we've had to apply some restrictions - if the above scenario exists - we will default to the .jpg version of the image and ignore the .gif image entirely.
FILE SIZES:
We don't allow images over 1MB and usually, most JPG images should easily be compressed to as low as 250 - 500KB (this can easily be done within Photoshop - but there are other similar programs that can do this as well).
If the image is larger than 1MB - this can potentially cause issues with the sync as well - so the best practice is to keep it smaller.
WIDTH VS. HEIGHT:
The image dimensions need to be no more than 1,000 x 1,000 pixels in height and width.
you can make them smaller than that, but there's really no reason for them to be any bigger than that due to how images are displayed within websites and web browsers - even modern 4k screens still wouldn't display it properly.
RECOMMENDATION: You can make your images rectangular if you want - however, we usually recommend you make them square as this will keep it consistent across the board for all your products.
If you have a real need to use rectangular images - then all your images will need to be the same ratio of height x width - otherwise, your products will show up either out of alignment on the product listings, or else some of your images may appear much smaller than others.
The key is consistency.
IMAGE LOCATIONS/SOURCES
Q: "Where can I sync product images to the website from? Where do I save them?"
A: There are only 2 sources Webninja can import images from currently:
- Local Drive: Typically most websites we host have their product images stored on their local PC or server hard drives. This is set up at the time of the website project by your Webninja Project Manager and configured to monitor images in a folder you designate for any changes or added images.
alternatively: - If local storage is an issue for you, or if it's just easier for you to access images via a cloud repository, you can set up a google drive with your product images, and we can assist you with connecting that to the site.
Please Note: typically Google Drive sync is much slower than importing images to the site from your local drive, so our preference is that you use your local drive if at all possible.
If you're not sure where your product images are syncing from, please contact Webninja Support and we can quickly double-check the configuration of your site for you.
Let us know if this information has been helpful - we'd love to hear your feedback!