Social Media Image Size Guide (2022)
With many image types available across multiple platforms it’s difficult to know which size is the right one to use. In this article we cover some of the major social media platforms and the main images sizes you should be using.
Daily, billions of people join social media platforms to interact with their loved ones, family members, and companies they are interested in. There’s a huge chance to build your small-scale business, nonprofit or personal brand on social media.
Social platforms all have their set sizes which you should be familiar with in order to make sure your personal or business profile comes across as professionally as possible. Just as you wouldn’t chose an incorrect image size for the messebanner you use at trade shows, nor should you use an incorrect image size for your social media accounts.
Why Is It Important To Choose The Right Social Media Image Dimensions And Formats?
Did you know that people can remember about 65 percent of visual content they encounter nearly three days after the fact? This figure is remarkable compared to written content, where only 10 percent of it is remembered three days after reading it. We hope you don’t forget this article within three days!
So with this in mind, you shouldn’t ignore the power of images in marketing on social media. Visual cues allow people to recognize your company quickly and helps form a cohesive brand across different platforms.
With so many social media platforms out there, and with them changing their requirements all the time, it can be difficult to keep up with ever-changing guidelines for image sizes on social media.
The effect of posting photos is diminished when you upload an image that’s cropped awkwardly or cannot be seen on specific devices, which is why it’s essential to get the right size.
Because of this, we’ve put together this guide for social media to help you with image sizes for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Free Tools For Creating Stunning Social Media Images Using The Right Dimensions
There are many websites that offer free stock images so that you can make your social media posts engaging and stand our on your feed. Check our Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash and Reshot for free images. There are many free stock image websites available, just make sure your check the license to ensure you have the rights to use the image on the platform you’re posting on and whether you need to give attribute to the image creator.
Editing photos and photography aren’t your things? No worries. Image tools like Canva, Stencil, Snapper, Pamunkey, Pablo, Adobe Spark and Photopea help you create images quickly. Many also have customized social media templates that are perfect for each platform!
So now you know why using the right image sizes is important and how you can find and create images, let’s take a look at the important sizes for each of these following platforms:
- YouTube
- Download Our Social Media Image Size Cheat Sheet
Facebook allows you add a picture and banner to personalize your profile picture. Here are the important image sizes you need to know for Facebook in 2022.
Facebook Cover Photo Size
The cover image on your Facebook page is the image that appears in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Keep the image to 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels high, and be aware that smaller images can be stretched to fit. Also note that the bottom left corner will be partially covered by your profile picture (see below for sizes).
Facebook Profile Photo
The profile photo appears to the bottom left of the cover photo of your profile page and overlaps it slightly. Your profile picture appears every post or ad you post, so when choosing your profile picture, be sure you choose a photo representing your personality or company which can work at a variety of sizes. This image should be at a minimum of 170 pixels square which will be cropped into a circle so you will need to bear in mind that some of the image will be lost.
Facebook Post Image Size
If you’d like to post to your personal profile or business page with an image these should be be an ideal size of 1080 by 1080 pixels. This square format (also known as the 1:1 ratio) is the most attractive on desktops and mobile feeds on Facebook when trying to showcase your photos.
Facebook Event Cover Image Size
Making an event on Facebook Event is a fantastic method to promote it, no matter if it’s in-person or virtual. When you create your event’s listing on Facebook, it is possible to upload a cover picture to help explain the event. Cover images suitable for Facebook Events have a recommended size of 1200 pixels wide by 628 pixels high. Need help deciding what for your cover picture? Look through these Facebook Cover photo templates.
Once a simple photo sharing app, Instagram has now branched out into a variety of video formats as well. Below we look at the various formats and sizes used on Instagram in 2022.
Instagram Profile Picture
When it comes to your profile photo, choose a photo that is 110 by 110 pixels square. Be aware that it will be cropped into an circle, so take note of specifics that might be lost along the edges and make sure that it’ viewable at smaller sizes as it will appear alongside any comments on other users posts you leave.
If you’re looking for inspiration, you can use a tool like Picuki Instagram to browse and edit Instagram photos.
Instagram Feed Posts
Images uploaded to feeds uploaded to Instagram are cropped into a square 1080 x 1080 pixel (1:1 ratio) or sized into a rectangle at 4:5 ratio.
The thumbnails that show your uploaded images on your profile are 161pixels square so you may want to consider this size if you’re creating an aesthetic or theme for your Instagram grid.
Instagram Story Size
Instagram Stories are among the most effective ways to interact with your followers via full-screen Content. When posting Content to Stories, ensure that you use the suggested resolution of 1080×1920 pixels or an aspect ratio of 9:16.
You can add photos or videos to stories, and places GIFs, stickers, polls, music and much more on your story to add extra interaction with your friends or customers, and these posts will be visible for 24 hours unless you place them on a highlight.
Instagram recently announced they were changing the video story length from 15 seconds to 60 seconds, although at the time of writing this feature hasn’t rolled out to all users.
Instagram Reels Size
Instagram Reels are a full-screen experience but differ from stories in that they’re up to a maximum of 60 seconds and don’t disappear after 24 hours.
Your videos can be at the same size that you would use for Instagram Stories – 1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels high (9:16 aspect ratio).
IGTV (Instagram TV) Video Size
IGTV allows longer-form videos to be uploaded on Instagram which can be up to 60 minutes in length. The most suitable size for the Content is 1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels high and has an aspect ratio of 9:16.
Like Instagram Stories, the format displays your content in full-screen mode to provide a highly entertaining experience for your viewers.
Download our 2022 Social Image Cheat Sheet for a handy visual guide to Instagram profile, post and video sizes.
Pinterest allows you to display “pins” – links of items you find around the internet – in a picture form, or upload your own images to link to specific webpages. There are two different type of accounts on Pinterest, personal and business, and while both have similar basic functionality the business account gives you access to some extra functionality such as a profile banner and analytics.
Pinterest allows for a variety of pin sizes and types and we’ll discuss some of these below, or you can download our 2022 Social Image Cheat Sheet for a handy visual guide to Pinterest Profile and Pin Image sizes.
Pinterest Profile Image
Your Pinterest profile picture helps users identify your brand. Profile pictures on Pinterest are displayed at a size of 165 pixels square on your Pinterest profile page and at smaller sizes against comments and pins that you have saved.
Pinterest Business Account Profile Cover
If you have a Pinterest business account you can now add a cover photo to your business profile page. These images should be a minimum of 800px wide by 450px high, a horizontal orientation is best and it should have an aspect ratio of 16:9.
Pinterest Pins
Every post on Pinterest is referred to as a Pin. Pins can be uploaded straight to your profile or added to boards which allow you to curate your pins into specific topics.
Pins on your profile or board homepage will be displayed at approximately 300px wide, with the height dependent on the aspect ratio of the pin.
Pinterest Image/Photo pin aspect ratios are:
- Square – 1:1
- Long – 1:2.1
- Infographic – 1:3
- Standard – 2:3
- Carousel – 2:3 or 1:1
- Collections – 2:3 for first image, 1:1 (square) for additional pin
- Story – 9:16
Pinterest now also supports video pins which use the same aspect ratios as the image pins:
- Square Video – 1:1
- Long Video – 1:2
- Standard Video – 2:3
- Vertical Video – 9:16
Download our 2022 Social Image Cheat Sheet for a list of the recommended Pinterest sizes for photos and video.
Twitter allows you to customise your profile with an image and banner, upload videos and attach a maximum of 4 images per tweet.
Twitter Profile Image Size
Your Twitter profile image should be 400 pixels square. Bear in mind that Twitter will crop this into a circle so take not of what will be removed from the edges. This image will also be scaled down when being displayed against your tweets and replies so make sure it can be viewed at a reduced scale.
Twitter Profile Banner Size
The header image you use on Twitter should be a minimum of 1500 pixels wide by 500 pixels high. After uploading you can resize the image so it will fit into these dimensions, or crop a larger image to ensure it displays in a pleasing manner.
If you’re using your Twitter profile for professional purposes, be sure to select an image that best represents your business or brand.
Twitter Card Image Size
If you share a link, Twitter will generate a Twitter Card to show the associated image. The image will be displayed at 1200×628 pixels.
You can’t resize these images as they’re taken from data provided by the website that you’re sharing. You can however remove the card info and replace it with a photo (size below).
Twitter Feed Photo Size
When tweeting a single photo, the image will be displayed at 1200 pixels by 675 pixels. If you place multiple photos in one tweet then they will be scaled at a ratio of 2:1 and arranged based on the number of images. You can add a maximum of 4 images per tweet
Download our 2022 Social Image Cheat Sheet for a handy visual guide to how Twitter arranges multiple images in a single tweet and other images used on the platform
YouTube
If you have a YouTube channel you are able to upload a profile image and channel banner, and if you’re a regular user then your Google Account avatar will be used to represent you when you’re leaving comments on videos.
YouTube Channel Profile Picture Size
The profile image of your YouTube channel allows you to brand your channel so that it’s quickly recognizable by your viewers.
The profile image for your YouTube channel ought to be 800 pixels square which will be cropped into a circle after uploading so bear this in mind when selecting it.
A good profile picture should include either your business logo or a picture that represents you so that people can easily recognize your company’s brand.
This images is scaled down to be used on your comments, search results and in other places so it’s important to ensure the image can be seen when it’s at a smaller size.
YouTube Channel Banner Size
YouTube lets you upload a channel banner (similar to a cover image) to your YouTube channel. It will also help with developing your brand’s identity. The minimum size for your cover image is 2560 pixels x 1440 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16:9.
The same image will be displayed across all devices such as TVs, PCs, tablets and phones so it’s important to ensure that the elements you want to display on each device is in the banner “safe area”.
Download our 2022 Social Image Cheat Sheet for a visual of how your banner is displayed across these devices.
YouTube Thumbnail Image Sizes
When you upload a YouTube video, the platform will automatically generate three thumbnails from the contents of your video. While this is a handy feature, the generated thumbnails might not be representative f your video, or eye-catching enough to attract viewers.
If you have a verified YouTube account, you can upload your own thumbnails. Custom thumbnails could help attract your Content’s attention when uploading videos on YouTube. Create custom YouTube thumbnails of your videos that must be 1280 pixels wide and 720 pixels high.
You might think that LinkedIn is merely a way of connection with people in a similar industry or to find a new job but the platform has evolved and now allows you to upload photos, videos and share web pages to your connections.
LinkedIn Personal And Company Profile Images
Confusingly, LinkedIn uses two different images sizes for personal and company profiles.
Personal profile images are 400 pixels square and will be cropped in to a circle.
Your company profile image should be 300 pixels square. This image will not be cropped into a circle and will be displayed in a square format.
Uploading your logo for your business will ensure that employees, customers, and other visitors can easily recognize your profile and brand.
Make sure that both your logos can be viewed at a smaller size as this will be used against comments, updates and in other places on the site.
LinkedIn Personal And Company Banner Sizes
Again, LinkedIn uses two different sizes depending on whether you’re uploading to a personal or business page.
Personal banner sizes are 1584 pixels wide by 396 pixels high.
LinkedIn’s corporate background image extends across the entire front of your page. It is suggested to upload an image that measures 1128 pixels wide by 191 pixels high.
LinkedIn Image Posts, Stories And Video Sizes
There are three recommended image sizes for your photo posts depending on the orientation you are using: Square (1080 pixels wide by 1080 pixels high), Landscape (1200 pixels wide by 628 pixels high) and Portrait (1080 pixels wide by 1350 pixels high).
Video stories are vertical and are 1080 pixels high by 1920 pixels high.
LinkedIn allows video posts of a maximum of 10 minutes and should be a minimum 256 pixels wide by 144 pixels high, with a maximum of 4096 pixels wide by 2304 pixels high.
Download our 2022 Social Image Cheat Sheet for a list of the recommended LinkedIn image size.
Download Our Social Media Image Size Cheat Sheet
Bookmark this page in order to use it as a handy resource for all your social media needs, but if you would like access to this guide offline and get extra image sizes then you can download our 2022 Social Image Cheat Sheet below.
If you’re not already signed up to access our downloads, you can gain access by joining our mailing list which also gives you access to over 100 other downloads including meal planners, diaries, time sheets and much more.
If there are any platforms or sizes you think that we’ve missed out, drop us a comment below and we’ll look into adding them to this guide.