How to improve your Airbnb photos without faking them

Your listing photos are the first thing a guest sees, usually as a small square in a search grid on their phone. You don't need a new camera or a professional shoot to improve your Airbnb photos. Most of the gains come from good light, sensible angles, a strong cover photo and honest editing.

This guide covers what to do before, during and after you take your Airbnb listing photos, what not to do, and why a short Airbnb walkthrough video is worth having too.

Before you shoot: prepare the space

Declutter properly

Clear worktops, bedside tables, bathroom shelves and the floor. Put away personal items, cables, bins, cleaning products, toiletries, fridge magnets and remote controls. Airbnb's own photo tips start with "clean and declutter", and it's the cheapest improvement you can make. (Airbnb Resource Center)

Make beds tightly, straighten towels and cushions, and close toilet lids. Small things show up in photos more than you'd expect.

Make a shot list

Walk through the home as a guest would and list every space they can use: entrance, living area, kitchen, dining, each bedroom, each bathroom, outdoor areas and the view. Add one or two details that make your place different, such as a wood burner, a hot tub, a reading nook or a coffee machine.

Pick the right time of day

Shoot interiors when each room gets the most daylight, which might be morning on one side of the house and afternoon on the other. Shoot exteriors in soft light. Airbnb suggests the "golden hours", the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset. Avoid harsh midday sun, which leaves hard shadows and blown-out skies.

Taking the photos

Light: daylight first, then lamps

• Turn the flash off. Flash gives flat, harsh light and hard shadows.
• Open all blinds and curtains to let in as much daylight as possible.
• If a room is still dark, switch on every lamp and ceiling light so the room looks warm and even rather than gloomy in the corners.
• Avoid mixing very warm bulbs with cool daylight if you can, because mixed light causes the orange or blue casts that are hard to fix later.

Angles: level, from the corner, at chest height

• Hold the camera level. Don't tilt it up or down. Tilting makes walls lean in or out and gives a distorted, unrealistic view. Turn on your phone's grid lines to keep verticals straight.
• Shoot from a corner or doorway to show as much of the room as possible, at around chest height (roughly 1.2–1.5 m, or 4–5 ft). Crouching low or holding the phone above your head makes rooms look odd.
• Use the standard 1x lens for most shots. The ultra-wide (0.5x) lens can help in small rooms but stretches furniture at the edges, so use it sparingly and check that the room still looks true to size.
• Take a mix of wide, mid-range and close-up shots, with wides for layout and close-ups for character and amenities.

Landscape vs portrait

Shoot horizontally (landscape). Airbnb's guidance says horizontal photos work better because listing pages show photos in landscape and search results crop images into squares. Portrait shots get cropped awkwardly and show less of the room. Keep portrait for the odd detail shot, if at all.

Resolution

Use full-resolution files straight from your phone, not screenshots or images saved from messaging apps, which are heavily compressed. Airbnb recommends photos of at least 1200 × 800 pixels, and says bigger is better up to about 10 MB.

Choosing your cover photo and photo order

The cover photo does the heavy lifting

Your first photo is the one guests see in search, so make it your brightest, clearest wide shot. Usually that's the main living space, a bedroom with a view, or a standout feature like a hot tub or deck, if that's the reason people book. Airbnb's Help Center says the first five photos are the most important because they're shown prominently on your listing, and that the first one is the one that shows up in search. (Airbnb Help Center: photos and photo tour)

Avoid as a cover: logos, text overlays, collages, signs, close-ups, night shots, a car on the driveway, or a photo of the street.

Test it: look at your listing logged out on your phone. If you can't tell what the place is from the thumbnail, pick another cover.

Order photos like a tour

After the cover, put your best four photos next, so the first five give a clear sense of the place. Then order the rest so a guest can "walk" through the home: living areas, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, outdoor space, then the local area.

• Make sure every room has at least one photo, so it can appear in Airbnb's photo tour.
• Put scenery, local attractions and detail shots after the rooms, not before.
• Use captions for things a photo can't show, such as "Bedroom 2 is upstairs with an en-suite" or "Sofa bed sleeps two".

Honest Airbnb photo editing

Good Airbnb photo editing makes the photo look like the room actually feels in person. It doesn't make the room look like somewhere else. Here's what honest editing covers:

Exposure and brightness

Lift the shadows and overall brightness so rooms look light and open, without making them look washed out. Most phone photos of interiors come out darker than the room really is.

White balance (colour)

Correct orange, yellow, green or blue casts so white walls look white and wood looks like wood, not orange. This is one of the biggest differences between amateur and professional-looking listing photos.

Straightening and perspective

Straighten tilted horizons and correct leaning verticals so walls, door frames and windows are upright. Crop slightly if you need to after straightening.

Window pull

When you expose for the room, windows often turn pure white and you lose the view. A "window pull" balances the bright window with the interior so the real view outside is visible again. It's done by blending exposures of the same scene, not by pasting in a different view.

Clarity and sharpening

A light touch of clarity and sharpening helps photos hold up on large screens. Too much makes them look crunchy and over-processed, with the heavy "HDR look".

What not to do: misleading edits

Guests compare your photos with what they find on arrival. Misleading photos can lead to complaints, bad reviews and refund requests, and they can break platform rules. Avoid:

• Changing the view. Don't replace a car park with a sea view or swap a grey sky for a dramatic sunset that wasn't there.
• Putting in or taking out permanent features. Don't paint in furniture, a pool or a fireplace, and don't erase power lines, damp patches, neighbouring buildings or construction.
• Changing room size or shape. Avoid extreme wide-angle distortion and stretching.
• Over-saturating colours so the grass, sea or decor looks unrealistic.
• Using photos of a different unit, an old renovation, or stock images in place of the real space.
• Adding text, logos or borders to listing photos. They clutter the image and guests can't see the room.

The rule is simple: if a guest would be surprised on arrival, don't do it.

Why an Airbnb walkthrough video helps

Photos show rooms one at a time, but a short walkthrough video shows how the space fits together, such as which way the bedroom is from the kitchen, where the stairs are, or how close the deck is to the water. That helps guests set realistic expectations and may answer questions before they message you.

Where you can use a walkthrough video:

• On your own direct-booking website or Google Business Profile
• On social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) to bring in direct enquiries
• Sent to guests who ask "what's the layout like?" before booking (within each platform's messaging rules)

Each booking platform has its own rules on video and links, so check what yours allows before you post one.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take good Airbnb listing photos with my phone?

Yes. Airbnb's own guidance says most cameras, including your smartphone, can take good listing photos. Light, angles and editing matter more than the camera.

Should Airbnb photos be landscape or portrait?

Landscape (horizontal). Airbnb shows listing photos in landscape and crops search images into squares, so portrait photos lose more of the room.

What should my Airbnb cover photo be?

Your brightest, clearest wide shot of the space guests care about most, usually the living area, a bedroom with a view, or a standout feature. Avoid logos, text, collages, close-ups and night shots.

Is it OK to edit Airbnb photos?

Yes, as long as the edits are honest. Adjusting brightness, colour, straightness and window exposure is fine. Changing the view, adding or removing features, or distorting room size isn't.

How many photos should an Airbnb listing have?

Enough to show every space a guest can use, with at least one photo per room so each appears in the photo tour. Put your five best first.

Do I need a walkthrough video for my Airbnb?

It's not required, but a short walkthrough helps guests understand the layout and what to expect. It's useful on your own site, on social media, and for guests who ask about the layout.