Every social platform has specific criteria for image resolution, aspect ratio and size limits. To ensure your photos display crisply on your profile or in advertisements, adhering to these platform-specific guidelines is essential.
Uploading a photo that doesn’t meet these standards can result in distortion, pixelation or awkward cropping. To prevent such issues, consider implementing the practical advice we offer in our guide.
Optimising Image Sizes for Social Media Uploads
Navigating the diverse image size requirements across various social networks can be a daunting task for any SMM specialist managing multiple pages. To streamline this process, many marketers rely on pre-designed templates. While there’s a widely-accepted general template – 1024 x 512 px – that ensures ease of interaction with images across most platforms, it primarily aids in the uniform publication of community content.
However, when it comes to individual profile pictures or advertising visuals, one must consult the specific sizing guidelines for each network, such as Facebook and others.
Name
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Twitter
File format
JPG, PNG, GIF
JPG, PNG
JPG, PNG
JPG, PNG, GIF
Post image
1200 х 630 px
1080 x 1080 px
1280 x 720 px
1024 x 512 px
Cover photo
820 x 312 px
420 х 654 px
2048 x 1152 px
1500 x 500 px
Profile photo
170 x 170 px
320 х 320 px
800 x 800px
400 x 400 px
Stories
1080 x 1920 px
1080 x 1920px
—
—
Link thumbnail
500 x 261 px
—
—
—
Fortunately, these standards seldom change, offering a degree of consistency and longevity to the information. It’s noteworthy that stories are the exception, with a generally accepted template size that goes beyond platform boundaries.
Facebook
Facebook allows the upload of PNG, JPG and HEIC file formats. For ad creatives and Messenger, GIFs are also supported. To maintain image integrity, PNG is recommended as it prevents quality degradation during compression.
Images on Facebook may appear pixelated or of low quality, often due to the platform’s compression of JPEG files. This can lead to visual imperfections.
Profile Photo
For optimal display, create a profile photo with dimensions of 180 x 180 px. On mobile devices, it will be displayed at 128 x 128 px, and on desktops at 170 x 170 px. A high-quality profile photo is crucial for community recognition and competitive distinction.
Cover Photo
Facebook offers five cover photo configurations, varying by usage and device. For universal appeal, centralise text and key elements. Group cover dimensions are 820 x 250 px on desktops and 640 x 360 px on smartphones. Personal profile covers are 851 x 315 px, while event covers are 1200 x 618 px.
Post Image
Images for wall posts should be 1200 x 630 px. Note that in the feed, the width is scaled down to 470 px, and on profile pages, it’s displayed at 504 px.
Link Thumbnail
When sharing a link, Facebook auto-generates a thumbnail with a default resolution of 500 x 261 px. If unsuitable for promotion, this image can be manually replaced.
Event Cover
Create event pages to broaden your audience, using a default event cover size of 1920 x 1080 px. In the feed, these covers appear at 470 x 174 px.
Instagram
The platform serves as a hub for sharing photos and videos. Uploading images with incorrect resolution can lead to user dissatisfaction, causing them to return to their feed. Instagram primarily supports JPG and PNG formats for photos and GIFs can be included in stories.
When uploading, it’s important to concentrate on the photo’s width; the height will adjust automatically to maintain the aspect ratio.
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Profile Photo
Instagram does not specify a maximum size for profile pictures, but they are displayed at 110 x 110 px on your page. A square photo will be cropped to a circular shape upon upload. For profile photos with transparent PNGs, Instagram applies a black background. To prevent this, add a suitable background colour before presenting the profile to your audience.
Post Image
For a seamless display in the feed and on your page, square images are recommended. The official app optimises media well, yet third-party publishing services may compromise image quality.
The ideal size for a photo post is 1080 x 1080 px, which is reduced to 510 x 510 px in the feed. Centering key elements in square images is crucial.
Stories
Adopted by many networks, the Stories feature uses a standard resolution of 1080 x 1920 px, with a minimum of 600 x 1067 px. Videos uploaded to Stories should not exceed 4GB, but their size can be reduced without quality loss using specialised services like Clideo.
In the Feed
While users can upload rectangular images to Instagram, they are displayed as squares, measuring 510 x 510 px, in the feed. Creating higher resolution images is preferable, ensuring details are preserved when displayed.
YouTube
Quality media content is crucial on YouTube. An attractive profile picture significantly impacts clickability, which, in turn, affects your audience growth rate. YouTube supports various image formats, including PNG, JPG and BMP.
Profile Picture
In feeds and recommendations, YouTube displays profile pictures as round images. The minimum recommended size for a profile picture is 80 x 80 px. However, it’s better to upload a higher resolution image at 800 x 800 px for optimal clarity.
Channel Header
The YouTube channel header provides ample space for conveying information. Its dimensions are 2560 x 1440 px, with a maximum file weight of 4 MB. Keep in mind that photos are displayed differently based on the diagonal of the display. To ensure important details are visible, position them in the center of the image.
Video Previews
Video previews (thumbnails) play a critical role in attracting viewers. The recommended resolution for video previews is 1280 x 720 px, corresponding to an aspect ratio of 16:9. In 2024, video content should default to at least 720P quality for optimal viewing.
Twitter / X
Twitter, a leading microblogging service, permits the upload of JPG and PNG images. Additionally, Twitter accommodates looped GIFs, which users can incorporate into their posts or send via private messages.
Profile Photo
On Twitter, profile photos are displayed in a circular format with dimensions of 200 x 200 px. It is advisable to upload an image that is twice the display size for better quality. The maximum file size allowed is 2 MB, and the photo is distinguished from the background by a subtle white border.
Blog Header
The recommended size for a Twitter blog header image is 1500 x 500 px. To prevent distortion, ensure that the image meets or exceeds the minimum resolution. The file size should not surpass 5 MB.
Post Image
Posts on Twitter can feature both static and animated images. The smallest acceptable image size is 440 x 220 px, while in the feed, posts are presented at a resolution of 506 x 253 px. The maximum file size for images is 15 MB.
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TOP 5 Photo Editing Services
The automation of routine tasks has long been a trend. Community managers and social media marketing (SMM) specialists often resort to desktop editors for template use. However, many opt for online services that offer faster image processing due to a vast selection of pre-designed templates.
Users can easily find cover examples for their specific niche, edit by adding text and download the high-quality finished product. Remarkably, some platforms provide this service at no cost.
Photoshop stands as the most renowned graphic editor, offering complete creative freedom. Yet, it may pose a challenge for beginners to craft previews or photos with sophisticated effects without prior experience. In recent years, the focus has shifted towards the subscription-based Photoshop CC, although older versions remain available for free.
Regarded as a prime Photoshop alternative, Figma is an online editor that includes a public library filled with image templates suitable for various websites. Users are responsible for crafting all effects themselves. Figma’s basic version is complimentary, while its paid plans cater to professional needs.
Canva provides an extensive collection of ready-to-use templates for nearly all image formats of popular sites. Users simply select a fitting template and personalise it to their liking. The basic version is free, with the option to purchase a subscription for additional file storage and an expanded icon library.
Shutterstock Editor offers a complimentary photo editing tool ideal for altering images from its extensive library. These images can serve as a foundation for custom cover templates or YouTube video previews.
ACDSee delivers a broad spectrum of editing capabilities for illustrations. Within its interface, users can resize photos, apply various effects, crop images and execute other standard editing tasks. Pricing starts at $60, and a 30-day free trial version is available.
Top 5 Mobile Apps for Resizing Pictures
In moments when a computer isn’t within reach and you need to quickly publish a post or story, mobile editors come to the rescue. These apps allow you to resize images, add text and perform various editing tasks right from your phone.
Photo Resizer
This app is straightforward, focusing solely on resizing photos. Users select a file, adjust the parameters and obtain the edited image. Beyond zooming capabilities, Photo Resizer offers no additional features, ensuring a clutter-free interface.
Resize Me
Resize Me is versatile, enabling image compression, resolution changes and watermark application. It supports batch processing even in its free version and works with both PNG and JPG formats.
LitPhoto
LitPhoto offers four key functions: reducing file size, changing formats, scaling and cropping photos. Its intuitive interface allows for quick edits and it preserves the original images without alteration.
Codenia Image Size
Codenia Image Size adjusts the scale of photos based on user-defined parameters, with the option to measure in pixels or centimetres. It includes a basic photo editor for applying simple effects. The free version displays ads.
Snapseed
Snapseed, developed by Google, is a robust photo editor. It provides a wide range of features, including resizing, effect application, text addition and save file setting customization. It’s a free app and does not display any ads.
Conclusion
When you’re handling several social networks, remembering the right image sizes for each can be tough. This is where tools like Canva come in handy. They let you pick a design, tweak it in an editor and save it to your computer. It’s a straightforward way to make sure your images fit the requirements of each social media platform.
