What Airbnb does
Airbnb's own host guidance defines the look of its listing photography: soft, natural light for a warm and welcoming tone, flash off, blinds and curtains open, and room lights on only when daylight runs out. Interiors are shot when rooms get the most daylight and exteriors in the golden hours, the 60 minutes after sunrise and before sunset. The camera is level (no tilting up or down), subjects are centered with a grid, frames are horizontal because search results crop to squares and listing pages show landscape, and a set mixes wide, mid-range and close-up shots. Its professional-shoot prep guide asks hosts to switch off lamps and overhead lights so editors get a clean look free of color casts, to declutter and remove personal items, and to arrange visible objects symmetrically.
Airbnb's system, as published
- Light
- soft natural daylight; flash off; lamps and overhead lights off for pro shoots to avoid color casts
- Exterior Timing
- golden hours, the 60 minutes after sunrise and before sunset
- Angle
- neutral, eye-level, lens not tilted up or down
- Orientation
- horizontal (search crops to squares; listing page shows landscape)
- Shot Mix
- wide, mid-range and close-up
- Minimum Size
- 1200 x 800 px, files up to about 10 MB
- Styling
- decluttered, personal items removed, objects arranged symmetrically
Why it works
Daylight, a level lens and a clean room show people exactly what they will get, and that honesty plus warmth is what makes a stranger's space feel bookable.
Best for
Hospitality, real estate, venues, clinics, studios, restaurants, coworking, retail locations and any business selling a physical space; listing grids, location pages, proposal cover images
What breaks it
- Flash, or lamp and overhead light mixed with daylight (uneven color casts)
- Tilted, low or dramatic angles that misrepresent the space
- Heavy filters, color washes or overlays; the promise is honesty
- Clutter and personal items in frame
Sources
- airbnb.com: Airbnb Resource Center: light, timing, flash, orientation, angle, composition, editing and size guidance for listing photos
- airbnb.com: Airbnb professional photoshoot prep guide: lights off to avoid color casts, blinds open, declutter, symmetrical styling, editors enhance after
Steal it for your brand
The same system, written in your colors, type and shapes. Nothing of Airbnb's look comes with it.
The recipe
- Pick photos shot in daylight with the camera level; reject any with flash glare, tilted verticals or mixed lamp light casts.
- Correct white balance to neutral daylight, straighten verticals, then lift exposure and shadows gently so the room reads bright and open without blowing out the windows.
- Keep contrast and saturation near natural; tint only the brightest highlights very slightly toward
palette.paperso the set feels of a piece with the page. - Crop horizontally at 3:2, keeping the main subject centered so it survives a square crop in grids and thumbnails.
- Round corners to
style.radiusand lay the set out in a grid with the recipe's gap, leading with one wide shot, then mid-range, then close-up details. - Put captions and labels below the photo in
palette.ink muted, never over the room.
What you'll need
- The customer's own photos of their space, shot in daylight at eye level
- Ideally a wide, a mid-range and a close-up of each area
Recipe as JSON
{
"recipe": {
"mode": "natural-grade",
"exposure_lift": 0.15,
"shadow_lift": 0.12,
"contrast": 1.05,
"saturation": 1,
"white_balance": "neutral-daylight",
"highlight_tint": "{palette.paper}",
"highlight_tint_strength": 0.04,
"vertical_correction": "straighten-verticals",
"aspect_ratio": 1.5,
"thumb_aspect_ratio": 1,
"radius_px": "{style.radius}",
"grid_gap_px": {
"by": "style.density",
"map": {
"airy": 16,
"balanced": 12,
"dense": 8
},
"default": 12
},
"overlay": "none"
},
"fallbacks": {
"palette.ink_muted": "{palette.ink}",
"style.radius": 12
},
"steps": [
"Pick photos shot in daylight with the camera level; reject any with flash glare, tilted verticals or mixed lamp light casts.",
"Correct white balance to neutral daylight, straighten verticals, then lift exposure and shadows gently so the room reads bright and open without blowing out the windows.",
"Keep contrast and saturation near natural; tint only the brightest highlights very slightly toward {palette.paper} so the set feels of a piece with the page.",
"Crop horizontally at 3:2, keeping the main subject centered so it survives a square crop in grids and thumbnails.",
"Round corners to {style.radius} and lay the set out in a grid with the recipe's gap, leading with one wide shot, then mid-range, then close-up details.",
"Put captions and labels below the photo in {palette.ink_muted}, never over the room."
]
}The lesson
Shoot a space in plain daylight with the camera level and the clutter gone, so the picture promises only what the room delivers.
The move
A large photo of a living area with a white chaise, a hanging lantern, a framed tapestry and wall baskets sits beside two smaller photos stacked in the next column: a bed seen from the side and a rattan chair corner. Walls are bright and evenly lit, and each shot is a different distance from the room.
Why it works
- Our readThe bright, even light on the white walls leaves no dark corners to wonder about, so the room can be judged from the picture itself.
- Our readA big wide shot beside a bed and a chair corner moves from the whole space to the places a guest would use.
- Vendor claimAirbnb's host guidance asks for soft natural light, flash off, a level camera, horizontal frames and a mix of wide, mid-range and close-up shots. (source)
What not to copy
Don't copy this host's boho decor or claim these photos follow the guide. Keep the rules: soft daylight, no flash, a level lens, horizontal frames, and a set that mixes wide and close shots.
