With everyone glued to the screen nowadays, it isn’t a mystery where businesses have to be: online. Marketing your brand online has expanded to the point that it’s extremely difficult to appear on the very congested social media feed—much less, get engagement from potential customers.
But one thing is for sure: we’re getting more visual than ever. The Internet is continuously expanding to handle more images, graphics, and videos than when it could back in its earlier stages. Which means that more apps and features are being invented to convert socializing into a visual one. To get your customer’s attention, there’s a real need for eye-catching visual content.
To help you leverage your visual marketing efforts, we’re providing a guide to specifications and standards for web visuals.
Image Source: 2 – IG. Dark mode concept by Matt Wojtas on Dribble
Common Image File Formats
JPG (also, JPEG), is perhaps the most common file type for photos. JPG images are typically compressed in order to cut file size.
PNG is an open source format that takes up a little more space than JPG images do in order to display an image in the most efficient quality possible. The PNG format is ideal for either full-color or transparent photos.
GIF is usually associated with moving images or mini clips, but it can actually be animated (multiple frames) and static (one frame). Since GIF images do not display as many colors as JPG or PNG images, you
probably wouldn’t want to use them for static images
There are also image file formats that you can only view and modify with an image editing software—which is to say, they are not supported by common photo viewing applications. Such would be TIFF or PSD. If you don’t have special software to access these files, you can always download the apps yourself—or tap us for expert-level help!
Optimizing Images for Social Media
Unlike printed images, there is no dpi or ppi for quality web images. But there is a number of pixels (px) recommended for different platforms and image types. Here are the recommended pixel sizes for typical websites and social media platforms!
For Facebook:
Profile Pictures
Must be at least 180 x 180 px.
Cover Photos
Must be 820 x 462 px at best for both desktop and mobile viewing.
Displays at 828 x 315 px on desktops and 640 x 360 on mobile.
Image must at least be 399 x 150 px.
Upload an sRGB JPG file at less than 100KB so
it loads on browsers faster!
Shared Photos
Must be at 1200 x 630 px.
Highlighted Photos
For best results, image should be 1200 x 717 px.
Photos for Shared Links
Must be at least 1200 x 627 px.
For rectangular photos 470 x 246 (feed) and 484 x 246 (Timeline).
For square photos 154 x 154 px (feed) and 116 x 116 px (Timeline).
Event Cover Photos
Must be at least 1920 x 1080 px.
For Instagram:
Profile Photos
Must be a square photo at 110 x 110 px.
Shared Photos
In general, must be 1080 x 1080 px.
For vertical photos, must be 1080 x 1350 px.
For horizontal photos, must be 1080 x 566 px.
For Twitter:
Profile Photos
Must be 400 x 400 px.
Header Photos
Must be 1500 x 500 px.
You can use JPG, PNG, or GIF. Maximum file size is 10MB!
Uploaded Photos
Recommended size is 440 x 220 px.
Maximum file size is 5MB for plain images
and 3MB for animated images (GIFs).
Uploaded Photos
Recommended size is 440 x 220 px.
Maximum file size is 5MB for plain images and 3MB for animated images (GIFs).
For Personal LinkedIn Pages:
Profile Photo
Must be 400 x 400 px.
Maximum file size is 10MB. JPG, PNG, and GIF formats
are acceptable!
Custom Background Photo
Must be 100 x 425 px.
Keep the file size under 4MB. JPG, PNG and yes, even GIF are all accepted.
For Business/Brand Pages on LinkedIn:
Logo Photo
Recommended size is 400 x 400 px.
Keep the file size under 4MB and the logo clear, attractive and reflective of your brand to gain followers!
Hero/Main Banner Image
Upload an image size of at least 974 x 330 px.
Business Banner Image
Must be at least 646 x 220 px.
Square Logo
Size is 60 x 60 px and will be rescaled to fit.
For Youtube:
Cover Photo
Best size for viewing on different devices is 2560 x 1440 px.
Maximum file size is 2MB.
Video Still Images
Must be at least 1280 x 760 px.
For Pinterest:
Profile Photo:
Usually displayed at 165 x 165 px on your page, so it’s best to stick to that size!
Image Thumbnails for Boards
Main image is at least 222 x 150 px.
Smaller images are at 50 x 50 px.
Pinned Images on Feed
Displayed at 238 px width x adjusted to height.
, Warmth, Clarity, Energy, Joy, Playful, Confidence
Brands: McDonald’s, Shell, Nikon, DHL, Ferrari, Snapchat
Optimizing images and graphics for different platforms is a lot of work, especially if you own a page on several social media platforms. But nailing the correct size will attract prospects and customers and make your brand look professional.