Graphic artists and social media managers face the constant challenge of producing high-quality images and visual materials for social media.
Their goal is to not only create beautiful designs but to pique the audience’s interest and leave a lasting, positive impression that attracts followers and customers.
However, visual appeal isn’t everything. Each social media platform has specific image resolution recommendations, forcing designers and managers to tailor their work for optimal results.
To aid in this, resources like Hootsuite provide detailed image dimension guides for maximizing content engagement across different platforms.
Here’s the different image dimensions to follow in every social media channel.
For LinkedIn
Why LinkedIn Uses These Image Dimensions?
Profile Photo (400 x 400 px)
- Clarity and Recognition: A square image with this dimension ensures your profile picture is displayed clearly within a small space. Potential connections can easily see your face and recognize you.
- Professionalism: A well-cropped, focused, square profile image maintains a professional appearance.
Cover Photo (1128 x 191 px)
- Branding and Expression: This vast, banner-like space allows you to communicate your personal brand. You can use the image to express your industry or interests or showcase your work.
- Visual Appeal: Eye-catching cover photos attract attention and encourage people to learn more about your profile.
Landscape Post (1200 x 627 px)
- Optimal Viewing: LinkedIn is designed to favor the 1200×627 landscape format, ensuring these images take up an ideal amount of space within the feed.
- Clarity on Different Devices: This dimension works well across various devices (desktop, tablet, and mobile), making your images visually appealing and easy to see regardless of screen size.
Square Post (1080 x 1080 px)
- Social Media Compatibility: Square images are easily transferrable to other image-focused platforms like Instagram, maintaining visual consistency.
- Versatility: Square dimensions provide ample space for graphics, short videos, and promotional content.
Portrait Post (626 x 1200 px)
- Mobile-First: The portrait dimension is optimized for mobile devices where people tend to scroll vertically.
- Attention-Grabbing: Portrait images can be more visually striking as they take up more real estate on a mobile screen.
For Facebook
Why Facebook Uses These Image Dimensions?
Profile Photo (170 x 170 px)
- Easy Recognition: This square format is perfect for a small picture that needs to be instantly recognizable. Your face is the focus!
- Consistent Look: Your profile picture will always be the same size and shape, keeping things tidy no matter where they appear (posts, comments, etc.).
Cover Photo (851 x 315 px)
- Wide Visual Space: Think of it like a banner for your profile. You can show more personality with a wider image.
- Flexible: You can use a photo, bold design, or a pattern – perfect for showcasing yourself or your brand.
Landscape Post (1200 x 630 px)
- Visual Focus: Landscapes are like classic photos. They are easy on the eyes and great for scenery or group shots.
- Sharing: This size works well if someone re-shares your image – it’ll still look great across Facebook.
Square Post (1200 x 1200 px)
- Attention-grabbing: Square images occupy more space in the newsfeed, making them harder to miss.
- Artistic Feel: Squares work well for close-ups, product shots, or graphics with text.
Stories & Reels (1080 x 1920 px)
- Mobile-First: Most people view Stories and Reels on their phones, and this tall format matches how we hold our phones.
- Immersive Experience: These images take up the whole screen, so they’re great for videos or photos that need that “wow” factor.
For Instagram
Why Instagram Uses These Image Dimensions?
Profile photo (320 x 320 px)
- Small and focused: This size keeps your profile picture crisp despite displaying as a tiny circle.
- Easy to recognize: A square format makes it easy for people to quickly identify you in their feed.
Landscape post (1080 x 566 px)
- Widescreen feel: This offers a more cinematic view, great for showcasing scenery or group shots.
- Optimized for viewing: The dimensions fit well with how people naturally hold their phones.
Portrait post (1080 x 1350 px)
- Tall and attention-grabbing: This takes up more screen space, making your images stand out in a busy feed.
- Great for close-ups: Perfect for showing off products, fashion details, or even food!
Square post (1080 x 1080 px)
- Classic look: Squares were the original Instagram format, so there’s a sense of familiarity.
- Simple and balanced: They look great on their own and create a clean grid when you post multiple square images on your profile page.
Story and reels (1080 x 1920 px)
- Full-screen experience: When people check your Stories and Reels, they fill up the entire phone screen, making your content super immersive.
- Vertical video optimized: This is how most people film videos on their phones, making it feel natural.
For X (Formerly Known as Twitter)
Why These Image Sizes?
Profile Photo (400 x 400 px)
- Easy Recognition: A square makes your face or brand logo simple to spot in people’s feeds.
- Small but Mighty: It’s big enough to see details and small enough to load fast, even on slower connections.
Header (1500 x 500 px)
- Wide View: Gives you room to get creative with a banner image or a catchy message.
- Personality Plus: Use the space to show who you are or what your brand is all about.
Landscape Post (1600 x 900 px)
- Widescreen Goodness: Great for those eye-catching photos or videos that deserve the full picture.
- Attention Grabber: Fills up more of the screen, making your posts stand out.
Portrait Post (1080 x 1350 px)
- Mobile Friendly: Perfect for when people are checking Twitter on their phones.
- Tall and Clear: Shows off vertical pictures with plenty of detail.
Square Post (1080 x 1080 px)
- The Classic: Versatile for all kinds of images, it looks good in any layout.
- Safe Bet Works well on desktops and phones, no matter how someone’s viewing your feed.
Why is it important to follow standard image dimensions for every social media channel?
Think of image sizing as the “dress code” for social media. Correctly sized visuals look professional, avoid awkward cropping, and ensure your content is seen as intended.
First impressions are crucial, and you don’t want a distorted image to distract from your message. This matters because first impressions are everything online. You want people to focus on your message, not some weirdly distorted image.
Some platforms might even shrink or hide visuals that don’t fit their specifications, which means all your hard work could go unnoticed. Bottom line: play by the rules for maximum impact.
In conclusion …
Navigating those image size rules can be a pain, but remember—it’s totally worth it! Sharp and perfectly sized visuals make your brand or company look polished on every platform.
While you, the social media manager, get to call the shots on content style, graphic designers should always aim for high-resolution visuals. It gives you maximum flexibility and the best chance to impress your audience.