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Etsy main photo check: a free Claude Skill

Your first photo appears in at least three shapes on Etsy. In one of them, the handle of your mug might be gone. This skill makes Claude look at the photo and tell you exactly what will get cut.

Download .zip Install

Free · one file, etsy-main-photo-check/SKILL.md · 66 lines, no scripts · source on GitHub

new chat etsy-main-photo-check

You check my main photo for Etsy crops

Photo 1: 3000 × 2000 px, the apron on a hook against a white wall.Six photos in total, no video. Photo 4 is a close-up of the pocket stitching. 
Main photo- Ratio: 3:2 (wide), so search will crop the sides hard- Product margins: L 4% · R 6% · T 18% · B 15%- Mobile crop (sides): cuts the left edge of the product- Fix: re-crop to square, product centred, ~10% clear on each side Photo set: 6/20 · video: no · scale shot: no · detail shot: yesNext shot to take: the apron on a person, for scale
A sample listing. Every count in this reply is computed from the text it describes, not typed in.

What it changes

The main photo. Red is what came in; green is what the skill hands back.

  • Measures the product's margins against the safe zone, the central ~80% of the width × 75% of the height of a square photo.
  • Says which crop cuts what: mobile (sides) or email and ads (top and bottom).
  • Flags an original that is too wide or too tall to start with.
  • Checks the product is big enough to read at thumbnail size.
  • Reviews the whole set: count out of 20, video, a scale shot, a detail shot, each variation shown, transparent PNGs, alt text.
before → after
− 3:2 wide · product 4% from the left edge · cut on mobile + 1:1 square · product centred · ~10% clear on each side

What it checks

The rules in the file, as the file states them.

Search
square 1:1
Mobile
about 4:5 · cuts the sides
Email and ads
about 4:3 · cuts top and bottom
Safe zone
central ~80% × 75% of a square photo
Margins
≥ 10% each side · ~12.5% top and bottom
Photo set
up to 20 · video 5–15 s · scale and detail shots · alt text

What it won't do

  • Give a score. It lists what's there, what's missing, and the next shot to take.
  • Claim exact ratios. Etsy doesn't publish them; these are measured approximations.
  • Edit the photo. Tusella's editor has an Etsy-safe crop preset for that.

With the Tusella MCP connector, the same skill runs on your real listings and saves the result as a draft. Nothing reaches Etsy until you publish.

The whole file

This is what Claude reads. Read it before you install it; that's a good habit with any skill.

Open raw SKILL.md →
etsy-main-photo-check/SKILL.md 66 lines · 3.1 KB
1 --- 2 name: etsy-main-photo-check 3 description: Check whether an Etsy listing's main photo survives Etsy's different crops (square in search, taller on mobile, wider in emails and ads) and review the photo set for gaps. Use when a seller shares an Etsy product photo or asks about thumbnails, cropping, photo order, or which photos a listing is missing. 4 --- 5 6 # Etsy main photo check 7 8 Etsy uses the first photo of a listing in several places and crops it differently in each. A product that looks fine in one place can lose its edges in another. You check that, and you check the photo set for obvious gaps. 9 10 ## The crop geometry 11 12 Etsy shows the main photo: 13 14 - **square (1:1)** in search results 15 - **taller (about 4:5)** on mobile, which cuts the sides 16 - **wider (about 4:3)** in emails, Offsite Ads and "you may also like" rows, which cuts the top and bottom 17 18 These ratios are measured approximations; Etsy doesn't publish exact numbers. The area that survives every crop is roughly the **central 80% of the width × 75% of the height** of a square photo. The product must sit fully inside it. 19 20 ## How to check an image 21 22 If you can see the image: 23 24 1. Estimate the product's bounding box as a share of the frame (left, right, top, bottom margins in %). 25 2. Compare with the safe zone: at least ~10% margin on each side, ~12.5% at the top and bottom. 26 3. Report plainly: "Left edge of the bowl is ~4% from the frame edge, so the mobile crop will cut it." 27 4. Check that the photo is square or close to it. A very wide or tall original gets cropped hard. 28 5. Check that the product fills a good part of the safe zone. A tiny product in the middle is safe but hard to see at thumbnail size. 29 30 Composition note: rule-of-thirds placement looks good in lifestyle photos but gets cropped in the main photo. For the first photo, centre the product and let it fill most of the safe zone. 31 32 If you can't see the image, explain the rule and ask for a description or the image. 33 34 ## Photo set review (facts only) 35 36 If the seller lists all photos, report: 37 38 - count out of 20 (Etsy allows up to 20; some help pages still say 10) 39 - whether there's a video (5–15 seconds; Etsy removes the sound) 40 - whether there's a scale shot (in hand, on a person, next to a common object) 41 - whether there's a detail or texture shot 42 - whether variations (colours, sizes) are each shown 43 - transparent PNGs: Etsy shows transparency as black, so flatten onto a background 44 - alt text present or not (≤ 500 characters) 45 46 Don't give a score. List what's there, what's missing, and one concrete next shot to take. 47 48 ## Output 49 50 ``` 51 Main photo 52 - Ratio: 3:2 (wide), so search will crop the sides hard 53 - Product margins: L 4% · R 6% · T 18% · B 15% 54 - Mobile crop (sides): cuts the left edge of the product 55 - Fix: re-crop to square, product centred, ~10% clear on each side 56 57 Photo set: 6/20 · video: no · scale shot: no · detail shot: yes 58 Next shot to take: the bag on a shoulder, for scale 59 ``` 60 61 ## With Tusella 62 63 Tusella's photo editor has an Etsy-safe crop preset that shows these zones and frames the product automatically: https://tusella.com 64 65 --- 66 Made by Tusella (https://tusella.com), built by two Etsy sellers. Free to use and adapt. October 2026.
Scrolls inside the frame. Nothing here runs: it is text Claude reads. Open SKILL.md →

Install, then ask

Three ways in. After any of them you ask in plain words and Claude picks the skill up by itself.

Ask: check my main photo for Etsy crops

Download .zip SKILL.md
Settings › Capabilities › Skills
  1. 1Download etsy-main-photo-check.zip
  2. 2Open Settings›Capabilities›Skills and upload the zip
  3. 3Start a new chat and ask: “check my main photo for Etsy crops”

Frequently asked questions

How do I install it?

Download the zip, then in Claude open Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload it. In Claude Code, run npx skills add tusella/etsy-claude-skills --skill etsy-main-photo-check. Then just ask; the skill loads by itself.

Why does Etsy crop my photo?

Etsy shows the first photo in different shapes: square in search, taller on mobile, wider in emails and ads. Anything outside the area all three crops share can get cut.

Are the crop ratios official?

No. Etsy doesn't publish exact numbers, so the skill uses measured approximations (1:1, about 4:5, about 4:3) and a safe zone of roughly the central 80% × 75%.

All 5 Claude Skills for Etsy sellers →

Made by Etsy sellers — try Tusella

The same checks, on your real listings, with a draft to review before anything goes live.

Start free Open Tusella →