Using high-quality images across social media is important for developing a strong online presence.
Not only can images attract more attention, but they can also improve your branding to make your posts more recognizable to your audience. However, social platforms seem to change their image sizes all the time.
As different platforms change their layouts, structures, or designs, the image dimensions and requirements can change. If you’re not paying close attention, it can be difficult to keep up.
If your images aren’t the right dimensions, they may be too large for their designated space or warped to expand to fit the open area. This can make your social media page seem poorly planned or low-quality, thus decreasing your authority online.
To help you stay on top of different platforms’ image dimensions and requirements, we’ve created a size guide you can follow.
Not an Automation Agency client? Download our Design Portfolio PDF to see a sample of the types of designs we offer businesses like yours.
The 2018 Social Media Image Size Guide
1. Facebook
There are many different ways you can use images on Facebook. The size and dimensions of the images will depend on where you’re using them.
On a traditional profile, your profile image needs to be a minimum of 180 x 180 px. This stays consistent whether you’re operating a fan page, business page, or regular Facebook page.
A traditional Facebook profile has a cover photo that needs to be 351 x 310 px. However, for fan pages, the cover photo is 820 x 312 px. For groups, cover photos are 820 x 428 px, while event cover photos are 500 x 262 px.
If you share a specific image or link within a post, your image will appear as 1200 x 630 px.
2. Twitter
Like Facebook, Twitter has a few different ways in which you can share images. However, the number of options is much more limited.
Your profile image on your Twitter page should be 200 x 200 px, with a cover photo of 1500 x 1500 px.
Images shared in posts will look different, depending on if there is a link attached or not. Just an image should be 1024 x 512 px. If the image is shared
with a link, the image will be 520 x 254 px.
3. Instagram
In the early days of Instagram, all images were the same size. However, Instagram now allows you to share square images, vertical images, and horizontal images.
Square images should be 1080 x 1080 px. Vertical images are 1080 x 1350 px and horizontal images should be 1080 x 566 px.
However, all images will appear on your timeline the same size. Timeline images appear as 293 x 293 px.
On Instagram, you should also upload a profile image of 150 x 150 px.
4. Pinterest
Pinterest is one of the most visual platforms, so it’s especially important you’re complying with the platform’s dimensions and sizes.
Like other sites, you’ll want to upload a profile image of 165 x 165 px.
However, you have a lot of freedom when it comes to the images you’re uploading. In fact, images can be just about any size. There is no height limit for Pinterest images, but they should be 236 px in width.
Your board images will display in a type of collage. The main image should be 222 x 150 px, with other images appearing 100 x 100 px.
5. iTunes
While iTunes isn’t one of the traditional social media platforms, you’ll still want your images to fit within the requirements for podcast or artist thumbnails.
For your podcast thumbnails, images should be a minimum size of 1400 x 1400 px.
6. Google Plus
Images on Google Plus will appear similarly to Facebook. Like Facebook, images can be shared as a profile image, your cover photo, or in various posts.
Your profile image should be 250 x 250 px with a cover photo of 968 x 545 px.
The size of post images will depend on the type of post. If you’re just sharing an image, they should be 502 x 282 px. A link’s image should be 502 x 250 px. Highlighted images will be 502 px with a max height of 892 px.
7. LinkedIn
The images you share on LinkedIn will depend on if you have a LinkedIn profile or page.
For each, your cover photo should be 1584 x 396 px. Profile images for a profile should be 400 x 400 px, while for a page it is only 130 x 130 px.
When sharing posts, images alone should be 520 x 320 px. However, when there is a link included, images are only 520 x 272 px.
Outsourcing Your Image Design to Automation Agency
It takes time to create high-quality images to share on your social media platforms. However, keeping your images consistent and aligned with the dimensions and requirements is important for building your online presence.
Luckily, Automation Agency can help you create high-quality images to share on social media. If you’re already a concierge client, just send us a task to create an image and we’d be happy to get started! (If you need a little inspiration, check out these Facebook Cover Photo Examples and Twitter Cover Photo Examples.)
Not an Automation Agency client? Download our Design Portfolio PDF to see a sample of the types of designs we offer businesses like yours.
