Product videos for your online shop: shot list and formats

What a product video is for

A product video answers the questions a buyer has when they cannot hold the item: how big is it, how does it move, what does it look like in use, what comes in the box. It does not need to be long or cinematic. Clear and true is the goal.

The video should show the product as it really is. Colour can be corrected so it matches the real item, but it should not be changed to look better than it is, and the video should not add features or claims you cannot back up. Your buyers should receive what they saw.

A simple shot list

You can film most of this on a recent phone, in daylight near a window or under two soft lights. Hold each shot steady for longer than feels natural, because the editor needs room to cut.

1. 1

   The hero shot

   The product alone on a clean background, from the front, then turning slowly or with the camera moving slowly around it.

2. 2

   The details

   Close-ups of the texture, the stitching, the buttons, the label: whatever a buyer would look at closely in a shop.

3. 3

   The scale

   The product in a hand, on a table next to everyday objects, or worn, so people understand its real size.

4. 4

   In use

   A few moments of the product doing its job: poured, opened, switched on, folded, worn while walking.

5. 5

   What is in the box

   Everything a buyer receives, laid out neatly, if that helps them decide.

6. 6

   Each variant

   Every colour or size you sell, one short shot each, filmed the same way so they match.

Aspect ratios: which one, where

The aspect ratio is the shape of the frame. Choose it by where the video will be shown, and tell the seller before work starts, because reframing later can cut off parts of the product.

• 16:9, wide: your website's product page, YouTube and presentations.
• 9:16, vertical, the full phone screen: Reels, Stories, Shorts and TikTok.
• 1:1, square: many social feeds and some shop listings.
• 4:5, a slightly tall rectangle: common in social feeds, where it fills more of the screen than a square.

If you need more than one shape, film with space around the product so each one can be cut from the same footage. Product video packages here usually start with one format of your choice in the basic package, and larger packages add others, as each package lists. Also check your shop platform's own limits on video length, file size and file type.

What to prepare before you order

The more of this you send at the start, the fewer questions there are once work begins.

• The footage or photos, shared as a folder link that opens without your login.
• The product name, its main features in your own words, and the price or offer, written out exactly.
• Your logo, fonts and brand colours for text and the ending card.
• Every place the video will be used, and the formats you need.
• Music you hold a licence for, or a note asking for a licensed library track or no music.
• A product video you like, from any brand, with a line on what you like about it.

What is usually not included

Product video packages here are editing jobs: they turn your footage or photos into a finished video. Filming, product photography, models and voice recording are not part of them unless a package says so. Read the package list, and if filming is not listed, assume it is not included.

If you have no footage at all, an AI video gig can bring your product photos to life with gentle motion. AI tools can bend a product's shape or scramble a label, though, so read the AI video guide first and check every shot against the real item.

Read the AI video guide

Price and timing

Typical gigs here price a basic package of one product video in one format at $20 to $90, with a delivery time of 2 to 3 days. Each gig shows its own prices and delivery times, and those are the ones you pay and plan around.

Delivery time counts from when work starts, and work starts once your payment is confirmed and the gig's questions are answered. Larger packages add more products, more formats or a longer video. If you sell many products, ask the seller for a custom offer that covers your range.

When the video arrives, compare it with the real product: colour, size, label and every word on screen. A delivery you do not answer is accepted automatically after 3 days, so set time aside to review it when it arrives.

Before you order

• I have footage or photos of the product in good light, including it in use.
• I have shots that show its size and its details.
• I know every place the video will be used and the shape each one needs.
• I have checked my shop platform's limits on video length and file size.
• The product name, features, price and offer are written out exactly.
• The colours in my footage match the real product.
• The package lists the formats, the length and the revisions I need.

Questions people ask