Understanding Facebook Image Sizing And How To Make Your Photos Stand Out
Make sure your photos stand out and look good on Facebook. The right image draws attention and will get more follows and likes.
A poorly cropped photo or one that doesn’t have a high enough resolution will make your profile and timeline look amateurish.
With recent changes to Facebook image sizing, it’s time to make sure you know what size photo to use and how to make them stand out from the crowd.
Read on to get all the details about the 5 main types of images on your Facebook page.
Cover Photo
The cover image is the big banner image at the top of your timeline. Upload an image that is at least 1800 x 704 pixels. Choose an image that works best in landscape orientation.
The most impactful images are big and bold. Single photos work best.
Recent updates to Facebook automatically add a small gradient overlay to the bottom of the cover photo. When choosing your preferred image make sure there’s nothing important in the bottom part of the image as it might get washed out by the gradient.
Profile Picture
Your profile image is the one found at the top left of your Facebook page. On a desktop, Facebook image sizing automatically resizes it to 180 x 180 pixels. On a mobile device, it gets resized to 128×128 pixels.
You should upload an image that is 360 x 360 pixels. That way it has enough resolution to ensure high quality when it is resized. Use photo software to make sure your photo fits the Facebook image sizes requirements.
On a mobile device, the image is a circle. Make sure that your face or the part of the photo you want visible will fit within a circle.
Shared Link Images
When posting a shared link, use an image that is at least 1,200 x 628 pixels. Facebook will resize the image to 500 x 262 pixels.
The image is going to display on your timeline. This is a good opportunity to put your design skills to work and create something that includes some information or a call to action.
Timeline Images
Timeline images are different from event or profile or cover images because they work best in square or portrait layouts. Facebook has a maximum width of 500 pixels for timeline photos, but they will display with different heights depending on the original image.
Upload a photo that is doubled the number of pixels on the smallest side. Doing this ensures your photo will still look good when Facebook image sizing automatically kicks in.
Selfies are great for timeline images because they are usually taken in a portrait format.
Event Images
Add an eye-catching photo to your event to draw people’s attention. Pick an image that is relevant to the event.
The pixel dimensions for an event image should be at least 1,000 x 524 pixels. When Facebook automatically resizes your image, it will have enough resolution to look good on any device.
Make Sure You Understand Facebook Image Sizing
As you can see, the most important thing when about Facebook image sizing is to upload an image that is at least double the required number of pixels on the short side.
Choose images that work well for the shape and size of the space on your timeline. If the space is a landscape one like an event or cover photo don’t use a portrait photo.
We love great photos, and we love sharing them through Facebook. Culture and music are perfect for showcasing incredible images, so check out what we’re highlighting on our website.
