Nov 15, 20199 min
Updated: Mar 5, 2020
Visual content rules the social media landscape and it is here to stay!
Be it video, brand promotion, news update or just a meme, visual content is making its presence felt everywhere. Social media posts help convey your brand message effectively to your audience.
Visuals are often the first thing your audience notice about your brand and probably the only thing they remember. If you want to make the right impact with your audience, it is important to have great images for social media.
It’s a free tool that can be used to crop, resize and scale social media images sizes.
Here, we have shared the specific dimensions that will help you decide image size for different social media channels.
Instagram is one of the most widely used social media networks across the globe. It has over 600 million users and is the best place to showcase your visual creativity.
Instagram profile image size:
Make sure that your profile picture is recognizable and such that users can find you easily. The profile image size should ideally be 110 X 110 pixels. If it is a square photo, make sure to maintain an aspect ratio of 1:1.
Instagram Post Size / Thumbnail photo size:
Thumbnails are smaller versions of your images and videos which expand when users click on it. This enables users to comment on it as well. Thumbnails should appear at 161 x 161 pixels and square photos should have an aspect ratio of 1:1 ratio.
Photos
Instagram is all about the images and videos but if you upload from other devices, the resolution will be much lower.
Follow these guidelines;
The size of images has to be 1080 x 1080 pixels
Instagram scales down the photos to 612 x 612 pixels
It appears at 510 x 510 pixels in the feed
For square or rectangle photos, maintain an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 4:5 ratio
For portrait (4:5) photos, stick to 1080 x 1350 pixels
Smaller featured header images should be 204 x 204 pixels while larger featured header images should be 409 x 409 pixels
Instagram Story Size:
Instagram Stories are popular among the millennials and rely heavily on visuals. Although these stories have a short life-span, you can upload your content.
Instagram Image Guidelines
Minimum resolution should be 600 x 1067 and recommended resolution is 1080 x 1920 pixels
Aspect ratio must be 9:16
The file size should be maximum 4MB
Facebook is the world’s largest social network and if you want to make the most of it, you will have to upload engaging images. It has a huge user base and one bad image choice can spell doom for your brand.
Do remember that the photos will appear differently on your timeline and the user’s newsfeed. Therefore, it is important to choose your dimensions carefully based on where you want the viewers to see your image.
Facebook Profile Picture Size:
The profile image is a square photo that appears on your timeline. This picture will also appear when you’re searched for, post to other walls or comment on posts.
Image guidelines
Image must be at least 180 x 180 pixels
The image will appear as 170 x 170 pixels on desktop, 128 x 128 pixels on smartphones, and 36 x 36 pixels on most feature phones
On desktops, profile pictures are located 16 pixels from the left and 176 pixels from the top of your cover photo
On smartphones, the profile pictures are located 24 pixels from the left, 24 pixels from the bottom and 196 pixels from the top of your cover photo
Photo thumbnail appear throughout at 32 x 32 pixels
Facebook Cover photo size:
The cover photo is bigger than your profile picture and will appear only on your Facebook timeline. While you can choose to upload your brand logo or a picture of you in the profile, you can use the cover space to post something more about your brand or as an individual.
Image guidelines
Appears at 820 x 312 pixels, anything below this will appear stretched
The minimum size of 400 x 150 pixels
Appears at 820 x 312 pixels on a desktop and as 640 x 360 pixels on smartphones
Cover photos don’t display on feature phones
Upload an sRGB JPG file less than 100 KB for great results
Images with a text or logo may be best as a PNG file
Business page profile images
The profile image for business pages appears to the left of the screen now and helps the page stand out among personal accounts.
Image Guidelines
Business Page images will be cropped to fit a square
Image must at least be 180 x 180 pixels
The image will appear as 170 x 170 pixels on desktop, 128 x 128 on smartphones, and 36 x 36 on most feature phones
Photo thumbnail will appear throughout at 32 x 32 pixels
Shared Image
Shared images are the most common ways of sharing images on Facebook. Shared images appear on your timeline and will also show up on most of your follower’s News Feed. The more the engagement, the more likely it is for the rest of your followers and their followers will see the activity.
Image guidelines
Recommended image size of 1,200 x 630 pixels
The image will appear at a max width of 470 pixels in feed
The image will appear at a max width of 504 pixels on the page
Shared link
Sharing a link is similar to posting a shared image. However, a shared link gives you more fields to work with. You can create a shared link with a small square image to the left and text to the right or with a large rectangular image on top with text below it.
Image guidelines
Recommended size of 1,200 x 628 pixels
Minimum 154 x 154 pixels for a square photo in feed
Minimum 116 x 116 for a square photo on page
Minimum 470 x 246 pixels for a rectangular photo in feed
Minimum 484 x 252 for a rectangular photo on page
Always increase image resolution at the same scale as the minimum size as Facebook will scale photos below the minimum dimensions
Highlighted image
A milestone or achievement is a great time to create a highlighted image. The highlighted image will be placed on your timeline and will take up more space than a shared link or image.
Image Guidelines
The image will appear at 843 x 504 pixels on your page
For better quality, choose a higher resolution at that scale
Facebook Event Image Size:
Event images help capture the attention of users. Reminders are sent to your audience, so make sure to make a good image in the event space.
Image Guidelines
Facebook will scale the image to 470 × 174470 × 174 images will be shown in the feed
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and is a great place to source employees and connect with leaders from other industries.
Linkedin Profile Picture Size
The profile image is the main image that represents your profile. If someone looks at your profile for some info, your image will be noticed as well. So, it is important to get the size right.
Image guidelines
The image should be between 400 x 400 and 20,000 x 20,000 pixels
Minimum image size 200 x 200 pixels
Maximum file size 10MB. The image can be JPG, GIF or PNG
Linkedin Background Image
The background image is the latest feature included by LinkedIn for your profile. You may find it a little difficult to find something that will fit that space well but if you do, your profile will look great.
Image Guidelines
Recommended image is 1584 x 396 pixels
Maximum size should be 4MB
The image can be JPG, PNG or GIF
Linkedin Company Logo
Your company logo is the bigger logo and will show up right next to your brand name on your LinkedIn homepage. This logo will also appear in the “companies you may want to follow” section and therefore, has to be enticing. An attractive company logo will help you gain more followers.
Image guidelines
The image should be 300 x 300 pixels
The minimum size should be 300 x 300 pixels
A square layout should be maximum 4MB Image types can be GIF PNG or JPG
Square logo
The square logo shows up when your company is searched. Make sure that you use an image that stands out from others and lets your customers know what your brand is about.
Image Guidelines
60 x 60 pixels (resized to fit)
Maximum size 2MB
Images can be JPG, PNG or GIF
Company cover image
The company cover image covers the entire top of the page, unlike the personal background image. The image appears much larger than personal dimensions, giving you more space to upload something that defines your business.
Image Guidelines
The image should be between 1536 x 768 pixels
Minimum size is 1192 x 220
Maximum size is 4MBThe image appears at 1400 x 425 pixels
Image may include PNG, JPG or GIF
Banner Image for Company pages on Linkedin
Banner image is the most prominent of the images used on LinkedIn. It appears when a user visits your homepage. Make sure to upload a great image here as it appears on your homepage and a visitor may be actively looking for your brand.
Image Guidelines
Minimum dimensions 646 x 220 pixels
Maximum 2MB - Landscape Layout
Image may include PNG, JPG or GIF
Linkedin Hero Image
It is important to find the right people to work for your company. You can include a separate tab that is based on career opportunities in your company.
A big banner sits at the top of this page that is bigger than any other image on LinkedIn. This space should be used to upload a picture that will help attract potential talent.
Image Guidelines
1128 x 376 pixels size recommended
Minimum dimension of 1128 x 376 pixels
Maximum 2MBLandscape Layout
The image type can be PNG, JPG or GIF
Display size can vary between desktop and mobile, so it is important to test out a few different configurations of the image
Shared Image or link
This is for posts that share a photo or a link with an image to blog posts or articles. You may have more space if you share only a photo.
Image guidelines
Recommended size 1104 x 736 pixels
The image will appear at 552 x 289 pixels
Maximum size for shared images 1104 x 736
Image may be JPNG, JPG or GIF
Note: The image will appear slightly vertically cropped on mobile
Linkedin Header photo:
The header photo occupies the top of your Twitter profile page. This image is larger than your profile photo and so you must upload a captivating image in this space. Also, this space is slightly bigger, allows you to be more creative with this image. Make sure to make the most of the opportunity as your visitors are likely to see this image first.
Image Guidelines
Recommended 1,500 x 500 pixels
Maximum size 5 MB
Image types can be GIF, JPG or PNG
In-Stream Images
Twitter allows you to attach photos to any of your Tweets. These photos will appear in your followers’ as well as their followers’ stream (retweeted posts).
Twitter downsizes photos into smaller versions to fit in a user’s stream. Therefore, it is important to set the width of the image to fit the minimum requirements if you want your followers to see the photo. Besides, make sure to center the content horizontally so that the important elements of the image are visible in the smaller version.
Image guidelines
Minimum size 440 x 220 pixels (a 2:1 ratio)
Aspect ratio is 16:9
Can Tweet 4 images at one time
Images can be edited from Twitter iOS or Android app
Maximum expansion of 1024 x 512 pixels
A collapsed version appears at 506 x 253 pixels on desktop
Maximum file size of 5 MB for photos and animated GIFs on mobile and 15 MB on web
Twitter is widely used by customers to discuss your brand. Interestingly, 79% of the accounts are held outside of the U.S.
Twitter made some major changes in its layout some time back.
Twitter Profile image:
The profile photo is the main photo that represents you or your brand across Twitter. It will be seen by several people across the network and so it must be one of your best images.
How does the image appear?
On your page: Your profile picture on your homepage is the largest display and can be viewed by not just your followers but individuals who stumble upon your page.
In-Stream: A small image of your profile picture appears in your follower’s Twitter stream every time you tweet or retweet.
Who to Follow: Your profile image will also appear next to a link to your page in the “Who to follow” box which is located to the right of your Twitter stream. Therefore, it is important to have a compelling image here.
Image guidelines
Square Image dimension 400 x 400 pixels
Maximum file size 2 MB
The image includes JPG, GIF or PNG
YouTube has more than 1 billion users and is the second-largest search engine after Google. Many brands have realized that YouTube is a great way to reach their target audience.
Youtube Channel profile Image:
YouTube allows you to choose a profile image and different image borders for it.
Image Guidelines
Image size 800 x 800 pixels
Displays as 98 x 98 pixels
The image can be BMP, JPG, GIF, or PNG
Youtube Channel cover photo
Use this space to include some appealing images to entice your users. It will help them stay on the page for longer and watch more videos on your channel.
Image Guidelines:
Image size 2560 x 1440 pixels
Safe area without text and logo cropping for mobile and web is 1546 x 423 pixels
Maximum file size should be 4MB
Image types include GIF, JPG, BMP or PNG
Across various devices:
Users can stream YouTube on different platforms and devices and so it is important to optimize your photo for every device.
Display Sizes
For mobile display 1,546 x 423
For tablet display 1,855 x 423
For TV display 2,560 x 1,440
For desktop 2,560 x 423 (1,546 x 423 pixels are always visible)
Video upload
Uploading videos to YouTube is very important to establish your presence. Also, videos allow users to know about you as a person or your business.
Video Guidelines
Videos must have an aspect ratio of 16:9
For full HD, the dimensions must be at least 1,280 x 720 pixels
Social media presence is important and you will have to play right to be noticed by people.
Hopefully, this social media image size guide will help you achieve better results and stay ahead of your competitors.