Preparing product photos for 1C-Bitrix

Preparing Product Photos for 1C-Bitrix

Raw photos cannot be uploaded to Bitrix as they come from the camera or the supplier. Pre-processing is required: correct dimensions, correct format, correct folder structure. Uploading 6-megabyte RAW conversions directly to /upload/ kills site performance and pollutes the database with records in b_file.

Preparing Product Photos for 1C-Bitrix

Technical File Requirements for Bitrix

Bitrix stores images in the b_file table (metadata) and physically in /upload/. When uploaded via the admin interface or API, Bitrix automatically generates resized versions (/upload/resize_cache/) according to the parameters defined in the components.

Recommended source file parameters for upload:

When rendering via the bitrix:catalog.element component, Bitrix rescales the image to the dimensions specified in the parameters (DETAIL_IMAGE_SIZE). Uploading files larger than 2400px is pointless — Bitrix will create a version at the specified size regardless, but the original will occupy disk space and database records.

File Naming Structure

Before uploading to Bitrix, files must be renamed according to a consistent standard. Bitrix stores the original filename in b_file.ORIGINAL_NAME. File names can later be used to reconstruct relationships and locate specific images.

Recommended naming scheme:

{article}_{sequence_number}.jpg

Examples:

grohe-33265002_1.jpg   <- main photo
grohe-33265002_2.jpg   <- side view
grohe-33265002_3.jpg   <- detail photo
grohe-33265002_4.jpg   <- lifestyle / in-context photo

Batch Image Preparation

Automation via ImageMagick:

#!/bin/bash
# Preparing a folder of source images for upload to Bitrix
INPUT_DIR="./raw"
OUTPUT_DIR="./ready"
mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"

for file in "$INPUT_DIR"/*.{jpg,jpeg,JPG,JPEG,png,PNG}; do
    [ -f "$file" ] || continue
    filename=$(basename "$file")
    name="${filename%.*}"

    # Resize, convert to sRGB, JPEG, optimize
    convert "$file" \
        -auto-orient \
        -resize "2000x2000>" \
        -colorspace sRGB \
        -strip \
        -quality 82 \
        -interlace Plane \
        "$OUTPUT_DIR/${name}.jpg"

    echo "Processed: $filename"
done

Flags:

• -auto-orient — corrects orientation based on EXIF (important for mobile photos)
• -resize "2000x2000>" — downsizes only if larger than 2000px, does not upscale
• -strip — removes EXIF metadata (GPS coordinates, camera data)
• -interlace Plane — progressive JPEG, perceived as loading faster

Bulk Upload to Bitrix via API

After preparing the files — upload to infoblock elements by article number:

// Mapping: article → element ID
$articleToId = [];
$res = \CIBlockElement::GetList(
    [], ['IBLOCK_ID' => CATALOG_IBLOCK_ID, 'ACTIVE' => 'Y'],
    false, false,
    ['ID', 'PROPERTY_ARTICLE']
);
while ($el = $res->Fetch()) {
    if ($el['PROPERTY_ARTICLE_VALUE']) {
        $articleToId[$el['PROPERTY_ARTICLE_VALUE']] = $el['ID'];
    }
}

// Load images from folder
$directory = new \DirectoryIterator('/path/to/ready/');
$grouped   = []; // Group by article number

foreach ($directory as $file) {
    if ($file->isDot() || $file->getExtension() !== 'jpg') continue;

    // Parse article number from filename: "grohe-33265002_1.jpg"
    preg_match('/^(.+)_(\d+)\.jpg$/', $file->getFilename(), $m);
    if (!$m) continue;

    [$, $article, $order] = $m;
    $grouped[$article][(int)$order] = $file->getPathname();
}

foreach ($grouped as $article => $images) {
    $elementId = $articleToId[$article] ?? null;
    if (!$elementId) continue;

    ksort($images);
    $imageFiles = array_values($images);

    $el = new \CIBlockElement();
    $el->Update($elementId, [
        'DETAIL_PICTURE'  => \CFile::MakeFileArray($imageFiles[0]),
        'PREVIEW_PICTURE' => \CFile::MakeFileArray($imageFiles[0]),
    ]);

    // Gallery — "File" type property
    if (count($imageFiles) > 1) {
        $gallery = array_map(
            fn($path) => ['VALUE' => \CFile::MakeFileArray($path)],
            array_slice($imageFiles, 1)
        );
        \CIBlockElement::SetPropertyValueCode($elementId, 'GALLERY', $gallery);
    }
}

Image Formats: WebP

Bitrix does not generate WebP automatically. Two approaches for WebP support:

1. At the nginx level: the webp_rewrite module converts JPEG/PNG to WebP on the fly if the browser supports the format. Converted versions are cached.

2. Duplicate properties: a separate GALLERY_WEBP property with WebP versions; the component template selects the format via <picture>.

Timelines