AI Image Prompting for Ecommerce: Templates and Best Practices (2026)

Nano Banana Pro introduced several capabilities that change how you should prompt:

1. "Thinking" mode — The model reasons through your prompt before generating. This means:

• Complex, multi-part prompts produce better results than with other tools
• The model understands intent behind your description, not just keywords
• You can include reasoning in your prompt: "The lighting should come from the left because the product's texture is best highlighted with side lighting"

2. Search grounding — The model can reference real-world knowledge:

• "Style this like an Apple product page" actually produces Apple-like aesthetics
• "This is a product from Glossier's aesthetic" generates correctly minimal/clean imagery
• Brand references inform the output without needing to describe every detail

3. Reference image support (up to 14 images):

• Upload your existing product photos for consistency
• Upload competitor images as style references
• Upload your brand style guide pages for color/typography guidance

4. Conversational iteration:

• "Make the background slightly warmer"
• "Zoom in 20% on the product"
• "Add a subtle reflection on the surface"
• Each follow-up preserves your previous work

Prompting style for Nano Banana Pro: Write naturally and conversationally. Instead of keyword stacking ("product, white background, studio, 4K, sharp"), write descriptions: "I need a clean product photo on white for my Shopify listing. The serum bottle should be the hero, shot straight-on with even studio lighting and no harsh shadows. Make it look like it belongs on a premium skincare brand's website."

Amazon Main Image: "Product-only photo of [detailed product description] centered on a pure white background (RGB 255,255,255). Product fills approximately 85% of the square frame. Even, shadow-free studio lighting from multiple soft boxes. Ultra-sharp focus throughout. No props, no lifestyle elements, no text. Commercial product photography quality suitable for Amazon main listing."

Shopify Hero Image: "Premium product photography of [product] on [branded background color or material]. Subtle shadow beneath the product for depth. Shot from a slight 15-degree elevated angle. Clean, modern ecommerce aesthetic. The image should look like a hero banner on a Shopify product page. Leave negative space on the right for text overlay. 16:9 aspect ratio."

Instagram Shopping Post: "Aesthetic Instagram-worthy product flat lay of [product] surrounded by [3-4 complementary lifestyle items], overhead shot on [surface material], warm natural window light from the upper left, soft shadows. Curated but not overly styled. The product stands out through color contrast or size. Square 1:1 format."

Facebook Ad Creative: "Eye-catching product photo of [product] in an aspirational lifestyle context. The product is clearly visible and recognizable within 1 second of viewing. Bright, high-contrast image that stands out in a social media feed. Include enough context to tell a story but keep the product as the clear hero. 1:1 or 4:5 aspect ratio."

Email Marketing Header: "Wide product shot of [product lineup or hero product] on a clean [background]. 3:1 aspect ratio (600x200). Product centered with clean space above and below for email header text. Consistent with [brand aesthetic]. Professional but approachable."

Each template is designed for a specific ecommerce channel with conversion in mind.

For a deeper understanding of how Nano Banana Pro works under the hood, review these official guides:

• Google's Ultimate Prompting Guide for Nano Banana — The most comprehensive official resource on Nano Banana prompting. Covers how the model interprets composition, lighting, and style instructions. The general techniques here are the foundation on which our ecommerce-specific templates are built.

• 7 Prompting Tips for Nano Banana Pro — Google's concise, actionable tips for better results with Nano Banana Pro. Key takeaways for ecommerce: use natural language over keywords, leverage the "thinking" mode for complex product scenes, and use reference images for brand consistency.

Our ecommerce templates in this section take the principles from these official guides and apply them to specific ecommerce use cases — Amazon listings, Shopify hero images, social media ads, and more. Use the official guides to understand the "why" behind effective prompts, and our templates for the "what" of ecommerce-optimized imagery.

Aspect Ratios:

• --ar 1:1 — Product cards, Instagram, Facebook feed
• --ar 4:5 — Maximum Facebook/Instagram feed real estate
• --ar 16:9 — Website banners, YouTube thumbnails
• --ar 9:16 — Stories, Reels, TikTok
• --ar 3:2 — Standard product photography ratio

Style Controls:

• --style raw — More photorealistic, less "Midjourney artistic"
• --s 0-100 — Stylization level (0 = literal, 100 = artistic). Use 20-40 for ecommerce
• --chaos 0-100 — Variation between results. Use 10-20 for consistent product shots
• --q 2 — Higher quality rendering (uses more GPU)

Product Photography Stack: --ar 1:1 --style raw --s 25 --chaos 10 --q 2

This combination produces clean, photorealistic product images with minimal artistic interpretation. Perfect for ecommerce listings and ad creatives.

Lifestyle Photography Stack: --ar 4:5 --s 50 --chaos 20 --q 2

This combination allows more artistic interpretation while keeping the output conversion-ready. Good for social media and brand campaigns.

Luxury Product: "Premium product photography, [product description] on a [surface] with dramatic directional lighting creating elegant shadows, dark moody background with subtle gradient, the product appears to glow with quality, high-end advertising photography --ar 1:1 --style raw --s 30"

Lifestyle In-Context: "Candid lifestyle photo of [product] being used in [real scenario], natural lighting, shallow depth of field, warm and inviting, the product seamlessly fits into an aspirational daily routine, editorial photography style --ar 4:5 --s 50"

Seasonal Campaign: "[Season] themed product photography of [product] with [seasonal elements — autumn leaves, snow, spring flowers, summer beach], warm natural lighting, cozy and inviting atmosphere, the product is the hero but the seasonal context drives desire --ar 16:9 --style raw --s 40"

Collection/Multi-Product: "Product photography of [3-4 products from a collection] arranged in a visually appealing composition on [surface], cohesive color palette, each product clearly distinguishable, balanced layout, premium brand photography --ar 3:2 --style raw --s 25"

Social Media Native: "Instagram-worthy photo of [product] in a [aesthetic setting], golden hour light, warm tones, the kind of photo that gets saved and shared, aspirational but attainable lifestyle, not overtly commercial --ar 1:1 --s 60"

Midjourney excels at creating the kind of aspirational imagery that performs best in brand awareness and top-of-funnel ad campaigns. Use these images alongside more direct product shots from Nano Banana Pro for a complete creative library.

Challenge: Showing fit, texture, and style simultaneously Key prompt elements: Fabric detail, drape, body type diversity, styling context

Ghost Mannequin: "Fashion product photography of [garment description] displayed on an invisible mannequin, showing the three-dimensional shape and fit, white background, even studio lighting highlighting fabric texture, front/back/detail views, ecommerce listing quality."

Flat Lay: "Fashion flat lay of [garment] neatly arranged on [surface], styled with accessories (belt, jewelry, shoes) to show outfit potential, overhead shot, natural daylight, clean and organized, fashion lookbook aesthetic."

On-Model (AI Generated): "Fashion editorial photo of a [body type, demographic] model wearing [garment description], [pose — standing, walking, sitting], [location — studio, street, cafe], natural lighting, the clothing fit and movement are clearly visible, modern fashion photography."

Detail Close-Up: "Extreme close-up macro photo of [garment detail — stitching, fabric weave, button, zipper, label], showing craftsmanship and material quality, shallow depth of field, studio lighting, premium brand photography."

Pro tip: For fashion, generate multiple angles (front, back, side, detail) and create an image set. This mimics the multi-image format that increases conversion rates on product pages by 25-40%.

Challenge: Conveying texture, luxury, and efficacy Key prompt elements: Product texture, ingredient visualization, skin glow

Texture Shot: "Macro beauty photography of [product — cream/serum/oil] swipe on clean skin, showing the texture and consistency, soft even lighting, clean white or marble background, luxurious and clinical, high-end skincare brand aesthetic."

Ingredient Story: "Product photography of [skincare product] surrounded by its key ingredients — [fresh herbs/fruits/botanicals], arranged on [surface], natural lighting, the connection between natural ingredients and the product is clear, editorial beauty photography."

Routine Context: "Bathroom shelfie photo of [product] on a beautiful marble bathroom shelf alongside complementary products, morning light, steam slightly visible, luxurious self-care moment, aspirational but achievable beauty routine."

Before/After Texture: "Split comparison showing [skin concern] on the left and improved skin on the right, realistic and believable improvement, soft lighting, close-up skin texture visible, clinical but warm aesthetic."

Beauty product photos succeed when they evoke both desire and trust. The prompts above balance aspiration (luxury materials, beautiful settings) with credibility (texture visibility, ingredient transparency).

Challenge: Making products look delicious and fresh Key prompt elements: Color vibrancy, freshness cues, styled but appetizing

Hero Shot: "Food photography of [product] in its most appealing presentation, styled on [plate/surface], [garnish and complementary elements], warm directional lighting creating appetizing shadows, vibrant and saturated colors, food magazine editorial quality."

Ingredient Spread: "Overhead food photography of [product] surrounded by its ingredients — [list fresh ingredients], rustic wood surface, natural light, the freshness and quality of ingredients is the story, farm-to-table aesthetic."

In-Use/Serving: "Lifestyle photo of a person pouring/serving/eating [product] at [dining table/outdoor setting/kitchen], warm and inviting atmosphere, steam/condensation visible where relevant, the enjoyment and experience is tangible, casual food photography."

Packaging Focus: "Product photography of [beverage/food product packaging] with condensation drops on the surface, surrounded by [fresh ingredients or ice], clean background, the packaging is prominent and labels are readable, premium food brand photography."

Key food photography modifiers: "appetizing," "steam rising," "condensation drops," "fresh and vibrant," "warm plating," "food styling quality." These consistently improve AI-generated food imagery.

Treat prompt writing like ad creative testing — test variables systematically.

Variable isolation method:

1. Start with a baseline prompt that produces a "good enough" result
2. Change ONE variable at a time and regenerate
3. Compare results and keep the better version
4. Move to the next variable

Variables to test (in order of impact):

1. Lighting description — Natural vs. studio vs. dramatic vs. soft
2. Camera angle — Eye-level vs. overhead vs. low angle vs. macro
3. Background/context — White vs. colored vs. lifestyle vs. textured
4. Brand direction — Minimalist vs. luxurious vs. playful vs. clinical
5. Composition instruction — Centered vs. rule of thirds vs. negative space

Example testing sequence:

• V1: "Product photo of face cream on white background, studio lighting" (baseline)
• V2: Same but "warm natural window light" (test lighting)
• V3: Keep winning light + "marble surface, slight angle" (test surface)
• V4: Keep winners + "minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic" (test brand direction)
• V5: Keep all winners + "shallow depth of field, 85mm lens" (test camera)

After 5 iterations, you have a highly optimized prompt template that you can reuse across your entire product catalog. Save these as your team's prompt library.

Every ecommerce brand should maintain a prompt library — a documented set of proven prompts for each image type they need.

Prompt library structure:

How to maintain your library:

1. Start with the templates in this guide
2. Optimize each template for your specific products using the A/B testing method
3. Document winning prompts with example outputs
4. Share with your team so anyone can produce on-brand imagery
5. Update quarterly as AI models improve and your brand evolves

A well-maintained prompt library turns AI image generation from an art into a process — scalable, consistent, and efficient. This is how brands maintain creative strategy coherence while producing high volumes of content.

Use AdLibrary's saved ads feature to build a visual reference library of competitor images alongside your prompt templates. Seeing what works in the market informs better prompt writing.