Images

[Former_Member]

Has anyone else noticed that if the first image posted is a horizontal then the vertical images after are only as tall as the horizontal size? Is there a way to keep the vertical images their original size?

(When listing the vertical image first the images are sized how I want, but the best image is not always a vertical)

Any suggestions? Thx

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Never heard of that issue before.
Might be something to post in the Bugs forum.

[Former_Member]

I've noticed that we aren't the only shop this is happening to. I tried to contact etsy about it. All I got back was a survey - How did we do? :/ I was hoping someone else could help.

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Mwuhaaaa!
That is a typical example of Etsy support.

So now you want to try the Bugs forum, where the issue is at least out in the open. That would make it harder to ignore, right?

PS: I hope you did fill out that survey, since that deserved a score of 0 out of 10.

[KnitsByNat]

It's not a bug. That's how the photos work.

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Just because it has worked like that for some time (a long time?) doesn't mean it isn't a bug.
It serves no purpose and is annoying. Sounds like a programming error to me.

[Phoebedreams]

Hi Nancy and Laura. It's not a bug. This explains it:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/help/article/206?ref=help_search_result

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Okay....
That is a new thing then.
And again Etsy 'repaired' something that was not broken, only to accomodate smart phone users.
Bah humbug!

[Former_Member]

Yes, I HATE this. Since the beginning of the year, I've been retaking my photos (not just for this reason) and formatting them to fit into a 900 x 900px white box so they'll all have a standard format. I don't understand why there has to be a gray box around the image, it is distracting - the background on the page is white, it could be an easy fix by turning the gray area to white.
Anyway, so annoying.

[WilliamsGiftshop]

I totally agree.
My product photo's have got an all white background (I put a lot of work into them) and therefore a very crisp look.
Untill Etsy decided they needed a fading grey border.....
And no, I am not going to retake all of my product pictures at a bigger size and spend hundreds of hours photoshopping them, just to accomodate Etsy's latest whim. Most of my items show larger then life on a 500x500 size picture. No need to make them zoom into giants.
Another annoying Etsy decision.
Why please us sellers (Etsy's customers!) if you can waste your time pretending to please OUR customers?
Why not ask US what we want? We pay their salaries, after all.

[Plektra]

I'm not seeing what the grey border is. If I'm not mistaken, a grey border has always been shown if the photo isn't the minimum size. Some of my photos have that since months ago, but I never bothered. I have to crop the photo where I need to.

Or is this something new I'm missing?

[WilliamsGiftshop]

No, the grey border has been there since the new product pages were introduced, some half year ago? (I'm not sure, could be plus or minus a few months.)
Since I've been selling on Etsy for almost 8 years now, that does not feel like 'always' to me.
Before that we had perfect white backgrounds. And I am pretty sure that is what everyone would have wanted them to stay.

[JudyStalus]

Since vertical images are cut off in thumbnails and, at least on my laptop, must be scrolled to view completely, I add white margins to my verticals so they are actually horizontal when loaded but the viewer sees the entire image.

[Plektra]

Oh you mean the borders on the right and left of the photo. I thought it was a different kind of border all around the photo.

Yes, that came about with the new format in May last year.

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Those grey borders are on all four sides. It just depends on the size and shape of your pictures which ones show.
It is a totally non-functional adition that Etsy made for no apparent reason.
Or probably just to show us, sellers, that our pictures don't have the sizes Etsy prefers. Because when your pictures are large enough and square, the ugly borders don't show.
Most of my pictures are square, but only 500x500 px. That is because most of my items are small and I don't want them to zoom in much larger than life. So yes, now I have to accept that the all white background (in which my products seemed to float because of my own white backgrounds and I loved that) has been replaced by ugly faded grey backgrounds. No more crisp look. Thanks, Etsy!
Why not fix things that actually need fixing?