Media Item types
Every media item in Medipim has a type that determines how it is stored, displayed, and used across the platform and integrations. There are two media item types: photo and link.
Photos (photo)
Photos are image files (JPEG or PNG) of which packshots, productshots, pillshots, and lifestyle images are subtypes. When uploaded, they are processed and resized into multiple formats.
Each photo has a photo type that describes what it depicts:
| Photo type | Short code | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Packshot | pa | An image of the product's packaging. |
| Productshot | pr | An image of the product outside its packaging (e.g. a bottle, tablet, or brace). |
| Pillshot | pi | An image of the pill or tablet that is inside the packaging. |
| Lifestyle image | ls | Any image that is not a packshot, productshot, or pillshot — typically showing the product in a real-life context. |
Photos also have metadata describing which sides of the product are visible (front, back, left, right, top, bottom) and which languages apply.
When uploading through the API, the photo type, visible sides, and languages are all determined automatically from the file name — there is no separate field in the upload request to set them. See Uploading media for the naming conventions.
Links (link)
Links are non-image media items. When you upload a PDF file through the API, it is automatically created as a link with the brochure subtype.
Link subtypes include:
| Link type | Description |
|---|---|
brochure | PDF documents such as product leaflets, brochures, or patient information. |
video | Video content. |
website | External website URLs. |
app | App links. |
PDF uploads must not exceed 20 MB. Other document formats (.doc, .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.) are not supported — convert them to PDF first.
A note on frontals
You may encounter the term frontal throughout the API and the Medipim platform. A frontal is not a media item type — it is a label that Medipim applies automatically to photos that meet all of the following criteria:
- Photo type is packshot or productshot
- File format is PNG with transparency
- The only visible side is front
In practice, a frontal is just a specific kind of packshot or productshot that is suitable for use on touchscreens, marketing materials, and other contexts where a transparent product image on a clean background is needed.
The reason this matters is that the product response includes a frontals field that lists media items matching these criteria. This is a convenience — it filters the product's media for you so you don't have to check each item's photo type, format, and visible sides yourself. The frontals field does not represent a separate media item type; the items it contains are regular photos that happen to qualify as frontals.
To create a frontal, simply upload a transparent PNG packshot or productshot with only the front side visible. Medipim will classify it as a frontal automatically.