When you transfer or update products between Etsy and Shopify, you may not want every image to arrive exactly as it is. Shuttle lets you choose which images are sent, in what order, and what alt text they get.

The image settings are in Settings > Products. Open the Etsy → Shopify or Shopify → Etsy tab and go to the Images section.

Each direction has its own image settings. If you transfer products both ways, set up both tabs.

The Images to include setting controls how many images Shuttle sends. You'll find it in the Images section of each tab:

Shuttle applies the Images to include limit last, after it removes any excluded images and reorders the rest.

You can skip images by their position, which helps when some images, such as promotional ones, don't suit the other platform. Enter the positions as they appear on your source product, separated by commas. For example, to skip the first and fourth images, enter 1,4.

This field is called Excluded images on the Etsy → Shopify tab and Image positions to exclude on the Shopify → Etsy tab. The field is hidden when Images to include is set to Don't include images.

You can move an image to a different position on the other platform. On the Etsy → Shopify tab this is called Reorder images, and on the Shopify → Etsy tab it is called Image mapping.

For example, map Etsy #5 to Shopify #2 to make a detail shot the second image in Shopify.

A few rules apply to mapping rows:

The First image setting on the Shopify → Etsy tab picks which image becomes the main image of the Etsy listing:

An image update replaces the images on the other platform instead of adding to them. In both directions, every update sends all the selected images again, including any that were refused on an earlier update.

When you update a product in Etsy with Images ticked, Shuttle replaces the listing's images. It removes every image on the Etsy listing, including any you added in Etsy, and sends the Shopify images again using your image settings.

Images is ticked by default when you update a product. To keep the Etsy listing's current images, untick Images under What to update? before you click Update Etsy product.

Shuttle leaves the Etsy listing's images as they are when Images to include is set to Don't include images, or when the Shopify product has no images.

When you update a matched product in Shopify with Images ticked, Shuttle replaces all of the Shopify product's images with the Etsy listing's images. It doesn't compare the images or add only the missing ones.

Shuttle sends the Etsy images using your settings on the Etsy → Shopify tab:

Videos that Shuttle synced to the Shopify product are put back in place after the images are replaced.

To keep the Shopify product's current images, untick Images under What to update? before you click Update Shopify product.

Shuttle leaves the Shopify product's images as they are when Images to include is set to Don't include images, or when the Etsy listing has no images.

If images are turned off in the Master Switch on the Etsy → Shopify tab, Images doesn't appear when you update, and Shuttle never changes the Shopify product's images on updates.

Good alt text helps shoppers find your products in search and makes your listings more accessible. Under Customize alt text, enter a Custom alt text template with placeholders, and Shuttle fills them in for each product.

On the Etsy → Shopify tab, you can use:

On the Shopify → Etsy tab, you can use:

For example, [TITLE] - [SHOPNAME] gives alt text like "Handmade Necklace - MyEtsyShop".

For Etsy → Shopify transfers, Shuttle only uses your template for images that have no alt text yet. To apply it to every image, tick Overwrite existing alt text, which appears once you have entered a template.

For Shopify → Etsy transfers, Shuttle also uses your template for every image that has no alt text yet, without Overwrite existing alt text ticked. Tick Overwrite existing alt text only when you want the template to replace alt text your images already have.

If you leave the Custom alt text template empty, or it gives no text for a product, Shuttle keeps each image's existing alt text. Images with no alt text get the product title.

Etsy shows variation images for only one option on a listing. For example, if a product has Color and Size, Etsy can show images for one of them, not both. Shuttle picks the option whose images differ across its values.

You can stop Shuttle from ever adding images to an option. On the Shopify → Etsy tab, enter the Shopify option name under Variation images and click Add. This helps with options that describe size or quantity rather than how the product looks.

Shuttle adds variation images to an Etsy listing only when it sends the product's images. So for a listing that is already on Etsy, give the variants their images in Shopify and then update the listing's images from Shuttle:

This update replaces all the images on the Etsy listing with the Shopify images.

Each variant's image must be one of the images Shuttle sends. If Images to include or Image positions to exclude leaves that image out, the variant gets no image on Etsy.

If Images is not in the list when you update, images are turned off in the Master Switch on the Shopify → Etsy tab.

See Preventing Unintended Updates with the Master Switch.

Etsy fills transparent PNG backgrounds with black, which may not look the way you want. To avoid this, set PNG background on the Shopify → Etsy tab to Transfer PNG images with a white background, and Shuttle sends these images with a white background instead.

If Shuttle can't get a white-background version of an image, it sends the original and Etsy fills the background with black. If your images are already JPEGs, you don't need the PNG background setting.

For Shopify → Etsy transfers, you can also add extra images to listings based on a collection, tag or section.

See Dynamically Add Images to Etsy Listings.