MLS Photo Requirements US Real Estate Guide

The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is the backbone of the US residential real estate market. Nearly every property listed for sale in the United States goes through an MLS system, and every photograph submitted to MLS must meet specific technical standards. Photographers who do not understand these requirements risk having their images rejected, resized automatically with quality loss, or flagged as non-compliant.

Standard MLS Photo Technical Requirements

• File format — JPEG (.jpg) is universally required; PNG and RAW files are not accepted by any major MLS system
• Minimum dimensions — Most MLS systems require a minimum of 640×480 pixels; many now accept and display up to 2048×1536 or higher
• Recommended dimensions — Submit at maximum dimensions (typically 2048×1536 or 1920×1440) for best display quality; MLS will scale down if needed but never up
• Maximum file size — Typically 5–20MB per image depending on MLS region; most accept at least 10MB
• Colour space — sRGB is required; Adobe RGB images will display with incorrect, washed-out colours on MLS portals
• Orientation — Landscape orientation strongly preferred for listing images; portrait images display poorly in most MLS thumbnail views
• No watermarks — Most MLS systems prohibit watermarks or overlaid text on listing images
• No collages — Individual images are required; collages of multiple photos in a single frame are typically not permitted

Export Settings for MLS Submission

When exporting from Lightroom or Photoshop for MLS submission, use these settings: JPEG Quality 90–95, sRGB colour space, 2048px on the long edge, 240 DPI (though screen DPI has no bearing on digital display quality). These settings produce files that look sharp at full MLS display resolution while keeping file sizes within system limits.

How Oval Infotech Delivers MLS-Ready Images

All Oval Infotech real estate editing deliveries are configured to MLS specifications by default. We export at 2048px maximum dimension, JPEG quality 90, sRGB colour space. If your specific MLS or agent has different requirements, simply note this in your job brief and we will apply your required export settings at no additional charge.