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How to Edit Photos for Email Marketing

5 min read
Quick Answer

To edit photos for email marketing, upload your image to EditThisPic and describe the changes: 'remove the background and replace with white,' 'make this product photo brighter and sharper,' or 'crop to a wide banner format.' AI editing produces clean, optimized visuals that look professional in any email client.

Why Email Images Need Special Attention

Email is still the highest-ROI marketing channel, and images drive engagement. But email images face unique constraints: they need to load fast, look sharp on both mobile and desktop, and render consistently across Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and dozens of other clients. Overly large files get clipped. Dark images disappear on dark mode. AI editing helps you prepare images that work everywhere.

How to Optimize Images for Email

The key is clean simplicity. Product images work best on solid backgrounds that render predictably in all email clients. Lifestyle images need good brightness and contrast because some clients strip colors or darken images. Upload your photo, describe the edit, and the AI produces a clean result ready for your campaign.

Email Marketing Photo Edits

  • Product images with consistent white backgrounds
  • Hero banner images with enhanced brightness and color
  • Before/after images for service businesses
  • Headshots for personal email newsletters
  • Sale and promotion visuals with clean staging

Email Image Best Practices

Keep image width between 600-800 pixels for reliable rendering across email clients. Use high contrast since images often appear slightly washed out in email. Avoid relying on fine details that get lost at mobile sizes. For dark mode compatibility, add a thin white border around transparent images or use solid backgrounds instead of transparency.

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Upload Your Marketing Image

Drop your product photo, lifestyle image, or banner into EditThisPic. Start with the highest quality source you have.

2

Describe the Edit for Email

Tell the AI what you need: 'make the background solid white,' 'brighten the image and increase contrast,' or 'crop to a 3:1 wide banner.' Think about how it will look in an inbox.

3

Check at Small Sizes

Preview the result and imagine it at mobile email size. Key information should be visible even when the image is small. If not, describe further adjustments.

4

Download and Add to Campaign

Save the image and upload to your email platform. For best deliverability, keep individual image file sizes under 200KB when possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

600 pixels wide is the safe standard for most email clients. Some modern templates go up to 800 pixels. Keep file size under 200KB per image for fast loading and to avoid email clipping in Gmail.
Be cautious with transparency in email. Some email clients render transparent PNGs correctly, but dark mode can make transparent-background images look odd. Solid white or light backgrounds are safer for consistent rendering.
Use images with solid backgrounds rather than transparency. Avoid pure white backgrounds that become jarring in dark mode—a very light gray (like #F5F5F5) works better. Ensure your main subject has enough contrast to stand out against both light and dark contexts.
Yes. Upload your image and describe the banner you want: 'crop to a wide 3:1 ratio, brighten the image, and clean up the background.' You can also describe background replacements to create consistent brand visuals.
One to three images is ideal for most campaigns. More than that increases load time and can trigger spam filters in some email clients. Make each image count by ensuring it's well-edited and purposeful.

Polish Your Email Images

Upload your marketing photo and get email-ready results. Clean, bright, professional.

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