CS-Cart is an ecommerce platform that stores run on their own server or on CS-Cart cloud hosting. It never shows your original upload on the storefront. Instead, it builds thumbnails at the sizes you set in the admin panel. This page collects what the official CS-Cart 4.21.x docs say about product images, with the date we checked them, and turns that into settings for clothing photos. We make NotShot, an AI on-model photo tool, so we also cover where on-model images fit.
The CS-Cart docs page on the best images for your store (CS-Cart 4.21.x, checked by us on 1 November 2026) recommends:
Hard limits are set by the store. The Image file size field under Settings, General, Thumbnails caps uploads in megabytes, and if it is empty, the server's PHP upload settings apply. A tweak called max_uploaded_image_dimension in config.local.php can also reject images wider or taller than a set number of pixels, 6000 in the docs example. The CS-Cart product properties page adds that an upload should, as a rule, not exceed 2 MB.
The Thumbnails settings page in the CS-Cart docs lists a width and a height for each place a product image appears:
The same page sets the thumbnail background color, the thumbnail format (keep the original, or convert to GIF, JPEG or PNG) and the JPEG format quality. For quality, the docs recommend no less than 60 and call 80 optimal in most cases. After you change these settings, go to Website, Themes and click Clear thumbnails so CS-Cart builds them again.
The CS-Cart docs page on changing image size describes what happens to each upload:
Nothing is cropped, so heads and hems stay in the frame. But a full length photo of a standing model in a square box gets padding on the left and right. For clothing, either set the width and height to the shape of your photos, such as a 3:4 portrait pair, or export square photos with the garment centered on a background that matches your thumbnail background color. The docs warn that setting only one dimension makes thumbnails vary in size, so the product grid may look uneven.
The product properties page lists JPEG, GIF and PNG for product images. The image guide also covers WebP, which needs WebP support enabled in the server's GD or Imagick library, and says that in most cases JPEG is the best format for ecommerce. It advises against GIF for large images and suggests care with PNG, since full color PNG files are much larger. For on-model clothing photos, JPEG is the safe pick.
On the product editing page, one uploaded image appears larger than the others. That is the main image, shown in the product list and on the product details page by default. Drag another image into its place to change it, and reorder the additional images the same way. Hover over an image to edit its alt text, which the docs recommend for SEO. In the Nova theme, the product list works as a hover gallery that shows up to 6 images, main image first, and as a swipe slider on phones.
The Image Zoom add-on, installed by default, lets shoppers zoom product images by hovering. Zoom only helps if the upload is larger than the product page thumbnail, so leave headroom while staying inside the size limits above.
Running another platform too? Compare OpenCart product image size for clothing, PrestaShop product image size for clothing and Odoo eCommerce product image size for clothing. Running Saleor too? See Saleor product image size for clothing. For lighting and backdrops, see our clothing product photography guide.
The CS-Cart docs set no rule against models in product images, so on-model photos can sit next to your packshots as the main or additional images. Check each marketplace's own rules before you sell there. NotShot renders your garment on your own model from the product photo you already have, and every render is checked by an AI judge that compares it with your upload for color, print and cut. Renders below the quality bar are refunded automatically, so you pay for photos that pass the check, not for attempts. Plans are on the pricing page.
