Shopify collection grid: one aspect ratio for every featured image

Should every featured image share one aspect ratio?

Yes, if your collection pages show products side by side. Shopify's product media types page says to use a consistent aspect ratio (height-to-width ratio) for featured images so they display at a uniform size across the store. It also says that for square images, 2048 x 2048 px usually displays best.

The featured image is the first media item on a product. Shopify's add media page says it appears on collection pages, the cart, checkout and your home page, and that you can change it at any time. So the first image you generate for each product is the one that has to match the rest of the grid. Both pages were read 2026-10-03.

Which Sume models give 1:1 or 4:5?

Sume's image catalog lists native aspect ratios per model rather than one shared subset, and the Image API docs say 4:5 is the Instagram portrait ratio (1080 x 1350), not 4:3. In the contract code, the lists below include both ratios, while Imagen 4 (fast and ultra) and Grok Imagine's list have no 4:5. Always confirm with GET /v1/images/models before pinning one.

What request keeps a catalog consistent?

Pick the ratio once for the whole collection and send the same value on every request, instead of letting each model default. For new shots use an explicit aspect_ratio such as 1:1 or 4:5. For edits of supplier photos the docs recommend aspect_ratio: "auto" to match the reference, which means source photos with mixed shapes will give mixed outputs. In that case crop the sources first or edit with an explicit ratio.

Do the arithmetic on pixels too. A 4:5 image at 1024 x 1280 is already bigger than a 1000 px edge, but if you want Shopify's suggested 2048 px on a square, choose a tier or custom size that reaches it and check the model's catalog entry, since size takes tiers, not raw pixels, in v1.

What should I check before importing?

Open three collection pages in a draft theme: a plain white shot, a lifestyle shot, and a model shot. If one crops differently, that product's featured image has the wrong ratio. Shopify generates other sizes for collection and product pages automatically, so the fix is the source ratio, not a resize.

If you also use per-color images, remember a variant takes only one image from the gallery, as covered in one AI image per color variant.