> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://usermanual.ergonode.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://usermanual.ergonode.com/system/settings/media-profiles.md).
# Media profiles
## About Media Profiles
Media Profiles allow you to automate and standardize the way digital assets are processed, transformed, and distributed across various channels. By defining specific rules for image resizing, format conversion, and naming conventions, you ensure that every asset meets the requirements of your e-commerce storefronts or marketplaces, without manual intervention.
{% hint style="info" %}
Media Profiles is a centralised **Media Transformation Engine** that defines how source assets are converted before they are delivered to a specific sales channel. Instead of manually preparing variants for e-commerce, social media, or print, you configure the rules once and reuse them across your catalogue.
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="warning" %}
Technically impossible combinations are automatically restricted by the UI. For example, transparency options are disabled when the selected output format is JPG. This prevents invalid profiles from being saved, but it also means some fields will appear greyed out depending on the format you pick first.
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="info" %}
The Media Profile Name is appended to every generated file (e.g. `shoe_Shopify-Standard.jpg`). Choose profile names that are short, human-readable, and descriptive of the channel - they will be visible to everyone who downloads the asset.
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="success" %}
Media Profiles are reusable across the entire catalogue - define the rules for a channel once, and every new product that enters the PIM is ready for that channel the moment its source asset is uploaded.
{% endhint %}
## **What Are Media Profiles?**
Media Profiles are reusable sets of transformation rules that describe how an original image should be converted for a given sales channel or use case. A single source asset can be delivered in many optimised variants - each matching the exact requirements of a specific destination - without the designer ever touching the file.
A Media Profile can control, among other things:
* The **output format** (JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF).
* The **resizing strategy** is used to fit the image into target dimensions.
* The **colour space** (sRGB or CMYK) and metadata handling (EXIF/IPTC stripping).
* **Optimization settings,** such as sharpening and progressive rendering.
* The **naming convention** is applied to the downloaded file.
## **Benefits of Media Profiles**
Media Profiles in Ergonode offer several advantages:
* **Channel Compliance**: Enforce mandatory channel standards - for example, a white background for marketplace listings or a CMYK colour space for print - without relying on manual checks.
* **Faster Time-to-Market**: Eliminate the designer round-trip for routine resizing, cropping, and format changes.
* **Consistency**: Every asset delivered to a given channel is produced with the same rules, removing visual drift between products.
* **Storage & Performance**: Built-in compression, metadata stripping, and modern formats (WebP, AVIF) keep the delivered files as light as possible.
* **Traceability**: The profile name is embedded in the file name, so teams can tell at a glance which variant an asset represents.
## Creating Effective Media Profiles
To build Media Profiles that your team can rely on:
1. **Start from the channel requirements.** Collect the exact specifications of the destination (dimensions, format, background rules, colour space) before opening the profile editor.
2. **Pick the resizing strategy deliberately.** Use **Fill (Crop)** with a Focus Point when the frame must be completely filled, and **Fit (Contain)** when the full subject must remain visible - then decide between a solid background, transparency, or a dynamic size.
3. **Match the format to the use case.** Use WebP or AVIF for web performance, JPG for broad compatibility (and the only option when you need a CMYK output), and PNG when transparency is required on a lossless format.
4. **Enable optimization only where it helps.** Apply sharpening for downscaled product photography; enable progressive rendering for large JPGs served on the web.
5. **Name profiles for the channel, not the settings.** `Shopify-Standard` is easier to recognise in a file name than `1500x1500-WebP-Q85`.
6. **Test with a representative asset** - ideally one with fine detail, transparency, and an off-centre subject - before rolling the profile out to the full catalogue.
### Supported Input Formats
The Media Transformation Engine accepts the following input formats and normalises them into one of the supported output formats:
* `avif`, `gif`, `heic`, `jpeg`, `jpg`, `webp`
* `svg`, `eps`
* `bmp`, `tif`, `tiff`, `png`, `psd`
### Supported Output Formats
Only four output formats are supported. TIFF is **not** available as an output format.
| Format | Color spaces | Alpha channel | Quality | Typical use |
| -------- | -------------- | ------------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| **JPG** | sRGB *or* CMYK | No | Yes | Universal. Only format that supports CMYK. |
| **PNG** | sRGB only | Yes | No (lossless) | Lossless graphics with transparency. |
| **WebP** | sRGB only | Yes | Yes | Modern, highly compressed screen format. |
| **AVIF** | sRGB only | Yes | Yes | Next-gen screen format, smallest files. |
{% hint style="warning" %}
PNG, WebP, and AVIF are **screen-only** formats - they do not support CMYK and therefore cannot be used as a print deliverable. Whenever a profile must output CMYK, the extension is forced to JPG.
{% endhint %}
#### Quality
A percentage between 1 and 100 that controls compression. Available for JPG, WebP, and AVIF. **Not shown for PNG** because PNG is lossless.
#### Color space
Required. Two options:
* **Convert to sRGB** - the standard screen colour space, available for every format.
* **Convert to CMYK** - print colour space, **only available when the extension is `*.jpg`**.
#### Color for transparent areas
**JPG only.** JPG has no alpha channel, so any transparent pixels in the source image must be flattened against a solid colour. Defaults to `#FFFFFF` (white), which is the marketplace standard.
#### Remove metadata (EXIF/IPTC)
Reduces file size by stripping camera, lens, and GPS metadata from the output. Recommended for web delivery. Available for every format.
#### Progressive rendering
**JPG only.** Encodes the JPG as a progressive image, so slow connections see a low-resolution preview first and the image sharpens as it loads. Especially useful for large banner images.
### Resizing Fields
#### Modify dimensions
A master toggle for the Resizing section:
* **Off** - the file keeps the original dimensions; only format and colour-space changes apply.
* **On** - reveals Width, Height, Apply sharpening, and the Resizing strategy block.
#### Width / Height
Both are required when **Modify dimensions** is on. Target output dimensions in pixels.
#### Apply sharpening
Applies an Unsharp Mask after resizing to restore perceived sharpness. Recommended for thumbnails and other significantly downscaled images.
### Resizing Strategies
When **Modify dimensions** is on, every profile picks one of two strategies for fitting the source image into the target frame.
#### Fill (Crop)
The image is scaled and cropped so that it completely fills the target frame. No background is ever needed because nothing is ever left empty.
* **Focus point** - a 3 × 3 grid selector that tells the engine which region of the image must stay visible when the crop happens (for example, top-centre for portrait compositions, centre for packshots).
#### Fit (Contain)
The image is scaled so that it fits entirely inside the target frame without cropping. Because the source aspect ratio rarely matches the target, the engine has to decide what to do with the empty space. The **Background settings** block provides the options.
**Background settings**
| Option | When available | Behaviour |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Keep original aspect ratio (no fill)** | Every format | No background is added. The output is scaled by the longer side and may be smaller than the target dimensions. |
| **Fill empty space with background - Transparent** | Only formats with alpha (PNG, WebP, AVIF) | The empty space is transparent. |
| **Fill empty space with background - Color** | Every format | The empty space is filled with a chosen hex colour (defaults to a neutral tint such as `#EBF7EF`). |
{% hint style="info" %}
When the output format is JPG, the "Transparent background" option is hidden because JPG has no alpha channel. The only Fit background choices for JPG are **Keep original aspect ratio (no fill)** and **Fill background with color**.
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="success" %}
Because the form adapts as you configure it, the safest way to build a profile is top-down: set the extension first, then the colour space, then the dimensions and strategy. Every field you see after that is guaranteed to be valid for the combination you have chosen.
{% endhint %}
## Where the media profile can be found in the system (Using Media Profiles on Assets)
{% hint style="info" %}
Once a Media Profile is configured, you do not need to re-upload or pre-generate variants of an asset - the transformed file is produced **on the fly** the moment it is requested. This page explains the places in Ergonode where you can download an asset through a profile.
{% endhint %}
### Where Media Profiles Appear
You can apply a Media Profile to an asset in three places:
* **Resources → Media list** - a contextual download menu on each row, for quick access without opening the asset.
* **The medium's detail page** - a dedicated **Media profiles** tab with a live preview gallery of every configured variant.
* **CSV app configuration** - a Media Profile can be selected when configuring a CSV export, so the exported file references the transformed variant of the image instead of the original.
All three entry points use the same profiles and produce the same files. Which one you use depends on whether you want to download a single known variant, review every variant visually, or feed channel-correct image URLs into an exported CSV feed.
### **Option 1: Download from the Media list**
Use this path when you already know which profile you need and just want the file.
1. Go to **Resources → Media** and navigate to the folder containing your asset.
2. Click the **Three dots** icon.
3. The "Download" menu shows:
* **Original** - downloads the source file as it was uploaded.
* **Media profiles** - opens a submenu listing every profile configured in the system (for example `Magento Listing`, `Shopify Product Page`, `Social Media Square`, `B2B Partner Thumb`, `B2B Catalog`).
4. Pick the profile you need. The transformed file is generated on demand and downloaded with the profile name appended to the file name.
{% hint style="info" %}
The **Media profiles** submenu is shared across the whole system - any profile that exists in the Media Profiles list is available from every asset's row menu, without per-asset configuration.
{% endhint %}
### **Option 2: Browse variants on the medium's detail page**
Use this path when you want to see how an asset looks across every channel, or when you are choosing the right profile for the first time.
1. Open the asset from the Media list (use the **Edit** action).
2. Switch to the **Media profiles** tab.
3. The tab displays a gallery of tiles, one per configured profile. Each tile is labelled with the profile name (e.g. `Magento Listing`, `Shopify Banner`, `Shopify Gallery`, `Shopify Listing`, `Shopify Thumb`).
4. Hover any tile to reveal:
* A **download** icon in the top-right corner of the preview.
* A badge showing the output **format and final dimensions**, for example `WEBP 1600×900 px`.
5. Click the download icon to save that variant. The file name will include the profile name suffix, exactly as it does from the Media list.
### **Option 3: Reference a variant from a CSV export**
Use this path when you need a data feed - for example, a product catalogue CSV consumed by a marketplace or a partner - to reference the channel-correct image instead of the raw original.
1. Open the **CSV app** configuration for the export you are building.
2. Where the configuration accepts an image column, choose a **Media Profile** from the list of configured profiles.
3. Save the configuration. Every row in the generated CSV will now reference the asset as delivered through that profile, not the original file.
{% hint style="info" %}
Because variants are produced on demand, pointing a CSV export at a Media Profile does not create a batch of files up front. The exported URLs resolve to the transformed image the first time each partner fetches them.
{% endhint %}
{% hint style="success" %}
The combination of CSV export + Media Profile is the fastest way to give a new channel exactly the assets it expects: you configure the profile once to match the channel's specifications, then select that profile in the CSV app - no custom export script required.
{% endhint %}
### What the File Name Tells You
Because the profile name is appended automatically, the downloaded file name encodes everything a downstream user needs to know:
* `newbalance_black12.jpg` — the original source asset.
* `newbalance_black12_Shopify-Banner.webp` — the same asset rendered through the `Shopify Banner` profile, delivered as WebP.
* `newbalance_black12_Print-Catalogue.jpg` — the same asset rendered through a CMYK print profile.
### When Variants Are Generated
Media Profile variants are produced **on demand** the first time an asset is requested through a given profile. Practical consequences:
* **No pre-generation step.** Creating a new profile immediately makes it available on every asset in the catalogue; there is no bulk job to run.
* **No stale variants.** Replacing the original asset invalidates the derived variants automatically — the next request regenerates them from the new source.
## Example Business Cases with Configuration
{% hint style="info" %}
The examples below walk through the exact field values you would enter in the **Create profile** dialog for common sales-channel scenarios. Use them as a starting point and adjust the dimensions, colours, and focus points to match your own brand requirements.
{% endhint %}
### Example 1: Shopify Standard (E-commerce Listing)
A lightweight square WebP used on a product listing grid.
* **Media profile name** - `Shopify Standard`
* **Media profile code** - `shopify_std`
* **Format conversion**
* Extension - `*.webp`
* Quality - `80`
* Color space - `Convert to sRGB`
* Remove metadata (EXIF/IPTC) - enabled
* **Resizing** - Modify dimensions on, **1000 × 1000 px**, Apply sharpening enabled
* **Resizing strategy** - **Fill**, Focus point centred
**Why this works:** WebP at 80 % quality gives an excellent size-to-quality ratio for listing thumbnails. Filling with a centred focus point guarantees the product stays in frame even when source aspect ratios differ.
### Example 2: Marketplace Main Image (White Background)
A large JPG with a mandatory white background, as required by most marketplaces.
* **Media profile name** - `Marketplace Main`
* **Media profile code** - `marketplace_main`
* **Format conversion**
* Extension - `*.jpg`
* Quality - `90`
* Color space - `Convert to sRGB`
* Color for transparent areas - `#FFFFFF`
* Remove metadata (EXIF/IPTC) - enabled
* Progressive rendering - enabled
* **Resizing** - Modify dimensions on, **2000 × 2000 px**, Apply sharpening disabled
* **Resizing strategy** - **Fit**, Background settings → **Fill background with color** → `#FFFFFF`
**Why this works:** Fit keeps the entire product visible, the white background fulfils the marketplace requirement, and `#FFFFFF` in *Color for transparent areas* guarantees the backdrop is white even if the source packshot is transparent.
### Example 3: Social Feed Portrait
A portrait-oriented WebP for a social-media feed placement.
* **Media profile name** - `Social Portrait`
* **Media profile code** - `social_portrait`
* **Format conversion**
* Extension - `*.webp`
* Quality - `85`
* Color space - `Convert to sRGB`
* Remove metadata (EXIF/IPTC) - enabled
* **Resizing** - Modify dimensions on, **1080 × 1350 px**, Apply sharpening enabled
* **Resizing strategy** - **Fill**, Focus point biased toward **top-centre**
**Why this works:** Social feed placements crop aggressively from the bottom, so a top-biased focus point keeps the subject visible. Sharpening compensates for the downsampling from typical studio originals.
### Example 4: Print Catalogue (CMYK)
A press-ready JPG in CMYK, the only combination the engine supports for print.
* **Media profile name** - `Print Catalogue`
* **Media profile code** - `print_catalogue`
* **Format conversion**
* Extension - `*.jpg`
* Quality - `95`
* Color space - `Convert to CMYK`
* Color for transparent areas - `#FFFFFF`
* Remove metadata (EXIF/IPTC) - disabled (keep copyright and colour-profile tags)
* Progressive rendering - disabled (not needed for print)
* **Resizing** - Modify dimensions off (keep the full source resolution)
{% hint style="warning" %}
Selecting **Convert to CMYK** forces the extension to `*.jpg`. PNG, WebP, and AVIF are not offered when a CMYK output is requested.
{% endhint %}
**Why this works:** Print workflows need the maximum available resolution and a CMYK colour space. Keeping *Modify dimensions* off preserves the original image size, and metadata is retained so the press operator can read the embedded colour profile.
### Example 5: Transparent Packshot
A lossless PNG with transparency for landing-page composition.
* **Media profile name** - `Landing Transparent`
* **Media profile code** - `landing_transparent`
* **Format conversion**
* Extension - `*.png`
* Color space - `Convert to sRGB`
* Remove metadata (EXIF/IPTC) - enabled
* **Resizing** - Modify dimensions on, **1200 × 1200 px**, Apply sharpening disabled
* **Resizing strategy** - **Fit**, Background settings → **Fill empty space with background → Transparent background**
**Why this works:** PNG preserves transparency losslessly, so the packshot can be placed on any branded background downstream. Fit with a transparent background avoids introducing a visible colour fill.
### Example 6: Responsive Hero Banner (Dynamic Size)
A WebP that keeps the source aspect ratio - ideal when the front-end scales the image fluidly.
* **Media profile name** - `Hero Banner Dynamic`
* **Media profile code** - `hero_banner_dynamic`
* **Format conversion**
* Extension - `*.webp`
* Quality - `82`
* Color space - `Convert to sRGB`
* Remove metadata (EXIF/IPTC) - enabled
* **Resizing** - Modify dimensions on, **1920 × 1080 px**, Apply sharpening disabled
* **Resizing strategy** - **Fit**, Background settings → **Keep original aspect ratio (no fill)**
**Why this works:** The "no fill" option scales by the longer side without padding, so each banner keeps its natural shape. Delivered files may be smaller than 1920 × 1080 px, but that is intentional - the front-end handles the layout.
{% hint style="success" %}
A handful of well-named profiles usually covers the majority of a catalogue's needs. Start with the four to six channels that drive most of your traffic, then add specialised profiles as new placements appear.
{% endhint %}
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