Social Media Image Size Guide

The way your brand is represented in social media can directly impact your business.  A lot of prospective customers and clients get their first peek at a business and its practices by visiting their social media accounts.  It's very important that you have the right image proportions on all your social media channels in order for your business page to convey a professional atmosphere.

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Instagram Image Size

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With 500 million active users daily, Instagram is perfect for advancing your business. Unlike other social media channels, Instagram is primarily focused on using high-quality images to promote your brand.

Profile Picture: 110 x 110 px

Your profile picture should either be a clear image of your brand logo, or an image representing your brand's values.

Instagram has three main image profiles: landscape, square, and portrait.

Landscape (horizontal) - 1080 x 566 px

Instagram landscape dimensions recommended size: 1080 x566 px.

It's also possible to use a smaller size such as 600 x 400 px.

Square - 1080 x 1080 px

Instagram square dimensions recommended size - 1080 x 1080 px

Instagram will show these images as a maximum of 600×600 pixels.

Make sure to maintain an aspect ratio of 1:1, when posting a square photo.

Portrait - 1080 x 1350 px

Instagram portrait size recommended 1080 x 1350 px.

Keep in mind Instagram will show the image as 600 x 749 px.

Photo Thumbnails - 161 x 161 px

When a visitor comes to your page they will see your images in a cascading row of smaller images called thumbnails.  When someone clicks on the thumbnails the image will expand.

The thumbnails will appear on the page at 161 x 161 pixels.

Instagram Stories: 1080 x 1920 px

With the ability to add images or video, Instagram Stories have become an essential component of a company's social media strategy.

Image Guidelines - 1080 x 1920 px

1. Recommended resolution is 1080 x 1920.
2. Minimum resolution is 600 x 1067.
3. Aspect ratio is 9:16.
4. Max file size is 4GB.

Video Guidelines - 750 x 1334 px.

1. On Instagram you can upload a video to your timeline or share it to Instagram stories,
2. The maximum duration of the video should be 10 seconds.

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Facebook Image Size

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Facebook is the most popular social media platform with 1.32 billion daily users. Not a channel to be ignored, Facebook should form a large part of your social media marketing strategy.  Knowing the optimal image sizes for all your Facebook posts will help you stay ahead of the competition.

Business Profile Photo - 180 x 180 px

The business profile photo should represent your business ethics,  a logo or an image that encapsulates your brand.

Image Guidelines

1. Must be at least 180 x 180 pixels.
2. Photo will appear on page as 170 x 170 pixels on desktop, 128 x 128 on smartphones, and 36 x 36 on most feature phones.
3. Photo thumbnail will appear throughout Facebook at 32 x 32 pixels.
4. Images will be cropped to fit a square.

Cover Photo - 820 x 310 px

This cover photo is a large detailed image that only appears on your Facebook business page.  HD photos or images that you feel outlines your brand’s mission statement work best here.

Image Guidelines

1. Appear on page at 820 x 312 pixels. Anything less will be stretched.
2. Minimum size of 400 x 150 pixels.
3. Displays at 820 x 312 pixels on desktop and 640 x 360 pixels on smartphones.
4. Doesn’t display on feature phones.
5. For best results, upload an sRGB JPG file less than 100 KB.
6. Images with a logo or text may be best as a PNG file.
7. Business Page dimensions are exactly the same as personal accounts.

Highlighted Image - 1200 x 717 px

A good way to highlight company milestones and product releases is a highlighted image, a bigger image alternative to a standard shared image. A highlighted image is a great way for a business to broadcast/promote their company achievements.

Image Guidelines

1. Will appear on your page at 843 x 504 pixels.
2. Choose a higher resolution at that scale for better quality.

Shared Image - 1200 x 630 px

The most common image form on Facebook, these images appear on your timeline and show up in your follower's news feeds. The more that people like or comment on your post, the more followers will see that post.

Image Guidelines

1. Recommended upload size of 1,200 x 630 pixels.
2. Will appear in feed at a max width of 470 pixels (will scale to a max of 1:1).
3. Will appear on page at a max width of 504 pixels (will scale to a max of 1:1).

Shared Link Image - 1200 x 627 px

While similar to a shared image, the shared link gives you more display options.   You can choose to create a shared link with a small square image to the left and text on the right or with a larger rectangular image on top with text underneath.

Image Guidelines

1. Recommended upload size of 1,200 x 628 pixels.
2. Square Photo: Minimum 154 x 154px in feed.
3. Square Photo: Minimum 116 x 116 on page.
4. Rectangular Photo: Minimum 470 x 246 pixels in feed.
5. Rectangular Photo: Minimum 484 x 252 on page.
6. Facebook will scale photos under the minimum dimensions. For better results, increase image resolution at the same scale as the minimum size.

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Twitter Image Size

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Twitter currently has 330 million active global users, of which (according to Twitter) 80% are affluent millennials. Twitter is usually the first social media channel consumers go to discuss your brand.  Since Twitter has a character limit to its's tweets, images can speak volumes.

Profile Photo - 400 x400 px

Your Twitter profile photo is visible to everyone and is you brand id on Twitter. It will be visible on your home page, and on the Twitter stream of your followers when you tweet. This image should be high resolution and represent your brand.

Image Guidelines

1. Square Image recommended 400 x 400 pixels.
2. Maximum file size 2 MB.
3. Image types include: JPG, GIF or PNG

Header Photo 1500 x 500 px

Your header photo appears on top of your Twitter profile page.  It's much bigger than your profile photo, so make sure you have a high-resolution image. The header photo is often the first thing people see when viewing your Twitter profile. Make it memorable, and in-sync with your brand.

Image Guidelines

1. Recommended 1,500 x 500 pixels.
2. Maximum file size of 5 MB.
3. Image types include: JPG, GIF or PNG.

In-Stream Photo - 440 x 200 px

Twitter users can attach up to four images to their tweets. Uploaded photos will appear in your followers’ streams and if retweeted in the stream of their followers.

Image Guidelines

1. Minimum to appear expanded 440 x 220 pixels (a 2:1 ratio).
2. Can tweet up to 4 images at one time.
3. Can edit images if tweeting from Twitter iOS or Android app.
4. Maximum to appear expanded 1024 x 512 pixels.
5. Appears in stream collapsed at 506 x 253 pixels on desktop.
6. Maximum file size of 5 MB for photos, and 5 MB for animated GIFs on mobile and 15 MB on web.

Shared Link 520 x 254 px

A link shared on your profile will have these dimensions.

Power Tip  - Canva is a powerful design tool that has a beautiful image library and resizes images for all social media channels.

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Pinterest Image Size

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Like Instagram, Pinterest is primarily image focused, and with 40% of Pinterest users having a household income of $100k plus that's a lot of buying power concentrated in one social media channel.  In fact, 93% of active pinners said that they use Pinterest to plan their future purchases. So it’s very important for your business to make sure you’re optimizing your Pinterest page and using proper image sizes for your boards and pins.

Profile Picture - 165 x 165 px

If you are signing in with your email, upload a large square photo (Pinterest will resize it) that you feel represents your brand. You also have the option to use your Facebook or Twitter photo as your Pinterest profile image.

Image Guidelines

1. Appears at 165 x 165 pixels on home page.
2. Appears at 32 x 32 pixels on the rest of Pinterest.
3. Maximum 10 MB (wouldn’t allow me to upload anything larger).
4. Image types include: JPG and PNG for profile pictures.

Board Display

Creating boards by categories and keywords, and organizing images by these boards is an essential part of Pinterest. It's important that these images fit the right parameters in order to look professional on these boards.

Image Guidelines

1. 222 x 150 pixels (large thumbnail)
2. 55 x 55 (smaller thumbnail)

Pin Sizes

When adding a pin to your board, it’s important to remember that Pinterest puts a limit on the width of the image but not the length. This gives you the opportunity to add a photo that’s square or one that will scale to be even taller. Just remember to make sure you’re creating large images because they add more value, not just because you can.

Image Guidelines

1. Pins on main page appear as 236 pixels (height is scaled).
2. Pins on a board appear as 236 pixels (height is scaled).
3. Expanded pins have a minimum width 600 pixels (height is scaled).
4. It’s recommended to use an image aspect ratio of 2:3 to 1:3.5

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LinkedIn Image Size

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LinkedIn is used primarily for businesses to connect with other businesses and influencers in the field. A great channel to establish relationships, and find brand advocates.

Company Logo Image - 400 x 400 px

Your company logo that appears next to your brand name on your LinkedIn homepage. This image also appears in the “Companies you may want to follow” section.

• Recommended 400 x 400 pixels.
• Minimum 400 x 400 pixels.
• Maximum 4MB (Square layout).
• Image types include: PNG, JPG or GIF.

Company Cover Image - 1584 x 396 px

The business background image covers the entire top of the page, so make sure you pick an HD image that represents your brand.

Image Guidelines

• Recommended between 1536 x 768 pixels.
• Minimum size of 1192 x 220.
• Maximum 4MB.
• Appears as 1400 x 425 pixels.
• Image types include: PNG, JPG or GIF

On your page or in LinkedIn boards, you can post either a shared image or a shared link.

Shared Image

520 x 320 px

Shared Link

520 x 272 px

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YouTube Image Size

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YouTube has more than 1 billion unique users every month, and 400 hours of video uploaded every minute, with over a million brands on YouTube already, YouTube is the perfect social media channels for businesses to reach consumers.

Channel Profile Image: 800 x 800

This image gives the audience a glance at your brand, so make sure you pick an image synonymous with your brand and its ethos e.g. brand logo. Keep in mind that it's possible to have more than one YouTube channel, so maybe a variation of your logo to match channel contents.

Image Guidelines:

• Recommended 800 x 800 pixels.
• Displays as 98 x 98 pixels.
• Image types: JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG

Channel Cover Photo: 2,560 x 1,440

The channel cover photo should be a high definition image telling viewers what kind of videos should they expect to see on your YouTube channel.

Image Guidelines:

• Recommended 2560 x 1440 pixels.
• Safe area for mobile and web (without text and logo cropping) 1546 x 423 pixels.
• Maximum file size: 4MB.
• Image types: JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG.

Note - There are a lot of different ways users can stream YouTube, so make sure your cover photo is optimized for different devices.

Display Sizes

• Tablet display: 1,855 x 423.
• Mobile display: 1,546 x 423.
• TV display: 2,560 x 1,440.
• Desktop: 2,560 x 423 (1,546 x 423 pixels are always visible). Flexible Area (may be visible): 507 pixels to the left and 507 pixels to the right of the safe area.

Video Uploads: 1280 x 720

Uploading videos are the main way for brands to connect with their audience on YouTube. Videos could be anything from product demonstrations to conference highlights, as long as they give the viewer a positive look at your business.

Video Guidelines

• Videos must maintain a 16:9 aspect ratio.
• In order to qualify as full HD, your dimensions must be at least 1,280 x 720 pixels.

Using the correct image dimensions for all your social media channels, and picking out enticing high-quality images that give viewers a glimpse into your business is essential for maintaining a strong social media presence for your brand.