Photos & Channel Certification
Good photos do more for bookings than anything else on a listing. This guide covers uploading and organizing property photos, the photo standards channels expect, and how to check a property's readiness before it goes live.
Overview
Every property's edit page has a Media tab where you upload photos, choose the primary photo, and set the gallery order. Channels such as Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo have their own standards for photo count, resolution, and content. The readiness strip on the edit page and the readiness checks on each channel tell you what is still missing.
Uploading Photos
How to Upload
- Open Properties and click the property.
- Open the Media tab.
- Click Add Photos, or drag image files onto the gallery.
- Upload as many files at once as you like. JPEG, PNG, WebP, and HEIC are accepted. HEIC files are converted on upload, so their preview appears once processing finishes.
The header under Photo Gallery shows the count against the minimum, for example "8 photos • Minimum 10 required". The Photo Requirements card below the gallery ticks off Minimum 10 photos and Primary photo set.
Photo Standards
For good results on every channel:
| Requirement | Recommended | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 2048 x 1536 px or higher | 1024 x 683 px |
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 (landscape) | Landscape strongly preferred |
| File size | Under 20 MB per image | -- |
| Format | JPEG or WebP | JPEG, PNG, WebP, or HEIC |
| Count | 20 to 30 photos | 10 photos (the readiness check) |
Avoid watermarks, text overlays, heavy filters, and collages. Channels often reject them in review.
Reordering Photos
- Press and hold a photo in the gallery.
- Drag it to its new place.
- Release it. The new order saves automatically.
The gallery order is the order channels receive. Put your strongest exterior or hero shot first.
Setting the Primary Photo
The primary photo is the image on the property's card throughout Argonautas, such as the Properties page.
To set it, hover a photo and click the star. The photo gets a Primary badge. Only one photo can be primary. It does not have to be first in the gallery.
Captions, Alt Text, and Focal Point
Hover a photo to see its actions:
- View full size opens the photo in a viewer.
- Set focal point marks the part of the photo to keep in view when it is cropped.
- Edit caption opens Edit Photo Details, with the caption, alt text, and room type. Save & Translate saves the English text and translates it into your other languages. If AI captioning is on, the dialog also shows an AI suggestion (see AI Caption Suggestions).
Deleting Photos
Hover a photo and click the trash icon, then confirm. To delete several, click Select, pick the photos, and delete them together. Deleted photos cannot be recovered. If the property is on channels, the photos are removed from those listings on the next sync.
Channel Certification
Before a property goes live on a channel, it has to meet that channel's requirements. Argonautas checks in two places.
The Readiness Strip
While any listing check fails, a strip above the tabs on every tab of the edit page lists what is missing, for example "8/10 photos → Media". Click a check to open the tab that fixes it. When everything passes, the strip goes away and a Ready badge appears next to the title. See Listing Readiness for the full list of checks.
A Channel's Readiness Checks
- Open the property's Channels tab.
- Click Settings on a connected channel.
- Read the Readiness section of the panel. Errors (a red cross) block activation. Warnings (a yellow triangle) don't. When nothing is wrong it says "Ready to activate."
Errors include a missing street address, no photos, no primary photo, and no rate period. Warnings include fewer than 5 photos, no map coordinates, amenities that won't sync, and rates that run out within 30 days. See Channel Certification Checklist.
Resolving Common Issues
| Issue | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Not enough photos | Upload more on the Media tab. Aim for at least 20. |
| No primary photo | Hover a photo on the Media tab and click the star. |
| Description too short | Write at least 200 characters in the English Property Description on the Property tab. 500 or more is better. |
| Missing amenities | Select amenities on the Amenities tab. Channels expect at least 20. |
| No rates | Add a season on the Pricing tab, and make sure seasons cover the coming months. |
The checks update on their own after you make changes. You don't need to re-run anything.
Key Concepts
Gallery order vs. primary photo. The gallery order sets how photos appear on channel listings. The primary photo sets the thumbnail inside Argonautas. They can be different photos.
Sync timing. Uploads, reordering, and deletions reach connected channels within a few minutes. Large batches can take a little longer.
Resolution matters. Channels shrink photos as needed but can't enlarge them. Start with high-resolution originals.
Common Questions
Can I use the same photo on more than one property? Yes. Upload it to each property. Each property keeps its own gallery.
What happens if I fall below the minimum after deleting photos? The readiness strip shows the photo check as failing again. An existing channel listing is not removed, but restore the count soon.
Do photos sync to channels automatically? Yes. Uploads, deletions, and reordering all sync to connected channels.
Is there a limit on how many photos I can upload? Not in Argonautas. Some channels have their own upper limit.