Images, and where they actually live

This lesson prepares you to: Attach images correctly, and understand that Helm stores addresses rather than files.

Helm stores the address, not the picture

This is the thing that surprises people. A product image on Helm is a web address, up to 500 characters. There is no product image upload: Helm records where the picture lives and the buyer's browser fetches it from there.

The practical consequences are worth taking seriously.

• If the address stops working, your listing loses its picture. Helm has no copy.
• Whoever hosts the image can see traffic from your listings, and can change what it shows.
• Free image hosts that expire or rate limit will take your catalogue down with them.

Use hosting you control, or a service you would be comfortable depending on for as long as the listing exists.

The limits

• One cover image, which is the tile shoppers see everywhere.
• Up to 12 further images.
• Each address up to 500 characters.

And a real gap, stated plainly: Helm does not check dimensions, aspect ratio, file size or even that the address points at an image at all. Anything under 500 characters is accepted. Nothing validates it until a shopper's browser tries to load it and fails.

No image is required

You can create and publish a product with no pictures whatsoever. Helm will not stop you, and a listing with no image will not sell. There is no rule to lean on here, only the obvious.

What to put in the cover image

Since variants do not show on browse tiles and your description does not either, the cover image and the title are the entire listing until somebody taps. Everything a shopper needs to decide to look closer has to be in those two things.