# Background contamination

Background contamination is a failure where an e-commerce background that should be clean white or a set grey shows shadows, gradients, stray objects or a colour cast, measured against the target colour with Delta E.

- URL: https://humblebob.com/definitions/background-contamination
- Publisher: HUMBLEBOB (https://humblebob.com)
- Updated: 2026-09-29

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> Background contamination is a failure where an e-commerce background that should be clean white or a set grey shows shadows, gradients, stray objects or a colour cast, measured against the target colour with Delta E.

Background contamination is a production failure rather than a garment failure, but it shows immediately on a category page, where one slightly grey or gradient tile breaks a grid of clean white ones.

![Folded sweater packshot on an uneven grey backdrop with a floor line, a hard shadow and a light stand at the left edge.](https://humblebob-media.humblebob.workers.dev/humblebob-website/content/def-background-failure-1536-ef4baa68e0.webp)

*A staged example of background contamination: a backdrop meant to be white fades to grey at the corners, shows a floor line and a hard shadow, and catches the edge of a light stand. (AI-generated image)*
## What it looks like

- A white background that is off-white, grey or tinted.
- Gradients or vignetting toward the edges.
- Shadows the style guide does not allow, or a visible floor line.
- Stray objects, reflections or edges of equipment.

## How to catch it in review

Measure it. Sample the corners and edges of the image and compare with the target colour using [Delta E](https://humblebob.com/definitions/delta-e): pure white `#FFFFFF` for most packshots, or the set colour a channel asks for, such as the `#F1F1F1` Zalando recommends for model images in its [image guidelines](https://partner.zalando.com/university/article/zalando-image-guidelines). This check is easy to automate, so it should never depend on a reviewer's screen.

## How to prevent it

Write the background as a value and a tolerance in the [photography style guide](https://humblebob.com/journal/ecommerce-photography-style-guide), check it automatically on every image, and correct or re-make the images that fail before anyone reviews the garment.

Related: [acceptance rate](https://humblebob.com/definitions/acceptance-rate).

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About the publisher: HUMBLEBOB is a production partner for fashion imagery. We read your brand, sort your briefing, make the assets, deliver them ready for your channels and put what we learn into the next drop.