As well as cropped, they seem - I don't know - not as sharp? Lower quality? Maybe it's my eyes. I am old and should probably be wearing glasses. But the images if I click through onto the listing in my shop (as well as being rectangular) seem better quality than the ones on the front page.
Okay, so I have contacted support, and this is their answer:
Even though the images are cropped as square, you still need to upload a 4:3 ratio image with a minimum of 2000px on the shortest side of the image, and a resolution of 72ppi.
Using their weird calculation, the ratio will then be 2667 by 2000px according to the requirements mentioned. I have tested this with one of my images and it seems to be working/displaying properly and the sides aren't cropped off anymore. Maybe give it a try and comment here if it works.
@TWCprintables Please make sure to check the thumbnails you have changed in search results because those are still showing in an approx. 4:3 ratio, unlike the shop display that is showing in a 1:1 ratio if you are in the test.
I am not changing mine for fear of messing up the display in the search results.
@DaysofYoreTreasures Etsy has confirmed that it is not a test, and even though your images look fine as square images in your profile, it simply means that you have allowed enough space on the sides of your photos so that your items are not cropped out.
If you compare that with mine where text is cut off on the sides, I clearly need to adjust mine.
In their most recent email from the tech team, they clearly stated the 4:3 ratio again - as this is how it is in fact displayed in search results. However, they also told me that we need to allow some space on the sides of the images so that it is not cropped out. They said that horizontal/landscape images should be used.
cindylouwho2 I don't see where they have mentioned that it is in fact a test, or that they don't know what is going on. All I know is what they have sent me when I contacted them for clarification. If someone from Etsy mentioned they don't know what is going on, then they should probably not be working there, as we all need answers to major changes like this one. On another note, I have added a newer reply to this thread with my latest response from them. If you make your images landscape/vertical, and not square, it won't be cut off on the sides.
@TWCprintables Multiple people have posted multiple conflicting stories they have been given by Support. (I had already seen your cut & paste from Support when I posted.)
It's obvious they could code to adjust for their display changes, and that those of us who already have square photos that also work as 4:3 or 5:4 ratio should not have to change a single thing, if this is actually a permanently change. (which we do not know right now; at worst, it is just crap coding of a permanent change, and Etsy can fix that coding)
People who only created photos that work with 4:3 may be screwed here, but honestly, Etsy can code for that too if they want to.
In regard to your query, I'd like to let you know that the recommended size for listing images is 2000px for the shortest side of the image. While sellers do have the ability to upload images in whichever size they choose, any image uploaded that is smaller than 2000px on the shortest side will show a warning message on the edit listing page. Further, you can find websites that help you resize images online. Use a website, Photoshop, or similar software to resize your images. If you decrease the size of an image, it won’t lower the resolution. However, if you increase the size of an image, you will lose resolution, and pixelation (blurriness) may occur. Make sure that your thumbnail images have enough of a border that they can be cropped to a square thumbnail without losing some of the product.
Crop your images using Etsy’s crop tool to ensure accurate framing of your item. Using an uncropped image may result in inaccuracies on the final thumbnail.
Try to capture images of your item further back than you think you’ll need. This will give you the ability to crop in without losing parts of your item.
Avoid square crops. Upload horizontal or landscape images.
"Make sure that your thumbnail images have enough of a border that they can be cropped to a square thumbnail without losing some of the product." and "Avoid square crops. Upload horizontal or landscape images."
I don't understand how this will work unless they provide us with two thumbnail adjustment tools - one for the horizontal image in search & one for the square image in the shop. Otherwise any cropping or adjustments we make will be guesswork until we publish and then check the image in both places.
@TWCprintables that answer seems like it was written before the latest situation, especially since using the cropping tool just screws up my photos LOL @DaysofYoreTreasures
It often takes them weeks to fix stuff like this, & give proper info to Support. I'm not going to worry about it until then.
For those using Google Chrome (this worked for me), go into "customise and control" (top righthand corner of chrome browser), then "Settings", then on the righthand side menu press "reset settings" then press " Restore settings to their original defaults" ( make sure your chrome is up to date first)
@CheekyGems the problem isn't so much what we as sellers are seeing, but what our customers see. Changing Chrome on our end does nothing to fix the problem for shoppers.
This is so frustrating when everyone is reporting a different view! I did clear my cache and it's working ok on Safari now, but on the app it is still cropped. And like @cindylouwho2 said, it's what customers will be seeing that concerns me. Would just like a definitive answer from Etsy as to how to solve this issue moving forward. I think regarding new listings I will make 2 thumbnails and save the 4:3 dimension one as a backup to replace if needed...I'm still really unsure what to do in the meantime though?
Today I see square items again, I emptied the cache, like the other days, but this time nothing changes, they remain square. I use Opera for my shop. Instead on the sellers app they are normal.
Edit: I cleared the cache again adding options"hosted app data""site settings"to the data to delete and now everything is back to normal again.
So, my shop front is all over the joint - long images merging with square images, titles missing etc. Looking at this thread, Etsy say they're still using 4:3 so what's changed? My images haven't. If it's a glitch then why don't they inform us? I'll try the advice to clear caches but like others have said, what about customers who come to our shops and see a hot mess?
Once upon a time Etsy monitored the bugs section and helped. I just don't know what's happening these days as it's not the first glitch to affect my stores this year.
