The Best Guide to Social Media Image Sizes Every Marketer Needs
Social media is changing all the time. That means the optimal social media image sizes for each network sometimes change, too. Instead of trying to keep track of all of those changes yourself, we compiled them all in this handy dandy social media images cheat sheet.
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Before We Start
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Facebook Image Sizes
Facebook is one of the most popular social media networks, which means that to break through the noise you need to have great images.
Here are the current correct Facebook image sizes.
- Profile Image: 180×180 pixels
- Cover Photo: 820×312 pixels
- Timeline Image: 1200×630 pixels
- Highlighted Image: 1200×717 pixels
- Event Image: 1920×1080 pixels
- Facebook Ad Image: 1,200×628 pixels
Facebook Profile Image
Your profile picture is the image that your fans will associate with you on Facebook. Many brands will rely on their logo to serve as their profile picture, so make sure your logo is a high quality image and sized correctly.
Facebook Cover Photo
Your Facebook cover photo is a place where you can express a bit more creativity and showcase the personality of your company. For CoSchedule, our culture is an important part of our business and we like to have fun. So, we showcase it!
Facebook Timeline Image
Your timeline image is the standard image that you see as you scroll down your Facebook feed. You see a lot of these images so the more you can make your images pop and stand out the better.
Highlighted Image
Highlighted images refer to images that Facebook users can amplify on their newsfeeds. These images are wider and will always be featured on your profile, while other images will move to the bottom of the feed over time. Highlighted images are not promoted images and are available to all users!
Event Image
Event images are the images that sit above your created Facebook event. These help highlight and showcase what your event is all about. You could showcase photos from last year or new branding for a yearly event. What you choose to do can help draw people in to your event, so make them pop.
Facebook Ad Image
Facebook Ad images are images that users can pay to promote. These images will appear in more users newsfeeds and allow you to choose specific demographics and attributes of users to target.
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Twitter Image Sizes
Twitter has about 5,700 new tweets being sent every second. That’s a lot of messages being sent at once. How do you stand out? Images.
Here are the correct Twitter image sizes.
- Profile Picture: 400×400 pixels
- Header Photo: 1500×1500 pixels
- In-Stream Photo: 506×253 pixels
- Twitter Ads : 600×335 pixels
Profile Images
Like Facebook, your Twitter profile picture is one that will follow you around the site. Most profile pictures are of logos if it’s a company account, although some people will include personal pictures if it’s an individual account.
Header Photo
The header photo for Twitter is once again much like your Facebook cover photo. Throughout my interactions with Twitter I have noticed that some companies will tend to keep the same header photos across all social networks for a more consistent look, but that will be up to you to decide.
In-Stream Photo
The In-Stream photo is the same photos that you scroll through every time you check Twitter. Unlike some of the other social channels, Twitter’s in-stream photos are more horizontal in style, giving you a bit more creative room.
Twitter Ads
Twitter ads are the same as most promoted content that is available on social media channels. However these images are usually a bit smaller then the normal in-stream photos that you see.
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Instagram Image Sizes
Instagram is the social networking site known for it’s spectacular images. If you want to stand out, the first thing you need to is have the right size images.
Here are the correct Instagram image sizes.
- Profile Image: 110×110 pixels
- Photo Thumbnails: 161×161 pixels
- Photo size (In the Instagram App): 1080×1080 pixels
- Instagram Ads : 1080×1080 pixels
Profile Image
Profile images for Instagram are a bit more particular then Facebook and Twitter because you’re working with a much smaller space. Their photos are circular, which works out great for CoSchedule since our logo is circular, but if your logo doesn’t perfectly fit the confines, try your best to make your logo work.
Photo Thumbnails
Photo thumbnails are the smaller sized versions of your photos that you can only see through the profile section the Instagram app. While you can post wider versions of your Instagram photos, only the traditional photo size will show in this view.
Photo Size (In the app)
This view is usually seen while you’re scrolling through the app. It is important to mention that these are only views within the Instagram app. Viewing them on your computer screen will enlarge the photos but the dimensions should carry across either desktop or mobile.
Instagram Ads
Instagram ads are the same size as the normal photos that you see within the Instagram app. The only difference is that sponsored will appear underneath your username.
LinkedIn Image Sizes
LinkedIn may be the more professional social media network but that doesn’t mean you should avoid using images!
Here at the correct LinkedIn image sizes.
- Profile Picture: 400×400 pixels
- Background Image: 1000×425 to 4000×4000 pixels
- Shared Image: 350 pixels in width
- Ad Image: 1200×627 pixels
Profile Image
The profile image in LinkedIn is incredibly similar to the Instagram in shape and size, so the same circular layout will apply.
Background Image
The background image is relatively new for the LinkedIn profile layout. Unlike some of the other header photos, the LinkedIn profile is partly blocked by the introduction and profile images. This needs to be taken into account when you’re designing your image.
Shared Image
The shared image for LinkedIn is just like the normal in-stream photos that you see on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Although photos aren’t as popular in the LinkedIn, having a great image is still important. One thing to note about shared LinkedIn photos is that there are no height limitations.
Ad Image
Unlike shared LinkedIn photos, ads are more restricted in their sizing. However, like every other social network, in order to access the ad images, they need to be paid for.
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Pinterest Image Sizes
Like Instagram, Pinterest is full of visually stunning photos. Unlike Instagram however, Pinterest allows you to expand your visual content to include infographics as well. See how they can affect the size of images you upload.
Here at the correct Pinterest image sizes for 2017:
- Profile Picture: 165×165 pixels
- Pins (on main board): 236 pixels in width
- Pin Board Large Thumbnail: 222×150 pixels
- Pin Board Small Thumbnail: 55×55 pixels
A quick note: Pinterest can support ads, however, most of them can be promoted from the pins that you normally add to your board. Therefore, the standard image size (236 pixels wide) is the size for your Pinterest ads.
Profile Picture
Of all of the social networks, Pinterest has the smallest profile picture even though it’s the most image-centric network. Like Instagram and LinkedIn however, the profile picture is also circular.
Main Pins
The unique thing about Pinterest is that the pins you upload have no height limit. Pinterest pins can sometimes be long infographics that users can expand to see more of them, giving you more creative ability.
Pin Board Large Thumbnail
When you’re scrolling through your Pinterest boards, some of the pins you have will enlarge slightly highlighting them in your board view.
Pin Board Small Thumbnails
Extra pins on your board will be condensed into smaller pins that your board will feature.
Google+ Image Sizes
Don’t worry we didn’t forget about Google+. Much like Facebook Google+ has it’s standard set of image sizes.
Here at the correct Google+ image sizes for 2017
- Profile Picture: 250×250 pixels
- Cover Photo: 1080×608
- Shared Image: 497 pixels in width
Profile Picture
The profile picture for Google+ is a lot like Instagram and Pinterest, where there is not a prominent feature of the social profile.
Cover Photo
The cover photo for Google+ is the most interesting of all the social profiles because it’s size changes as you scroll down the profile.
Shared Image
Google+ images are a lot like the other social profiles but the images are usually more horizontal like Twitter.
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Further Reading: Everything (Else) You Need to Know Social Media Images
Now you have a handy bookmark-able resource covering optimal image sizes. But, how do you actually create quality images that are shareable and stand out on social media? Here are a few resources for further reading to help answer that question:
Recommended Reading:
- How to Make the Best Social Media Images the Easy Way
- How to Attract an Audience With the Best Blog Photography Tips (+128 Free Images)
- How to Make an Infographic Like a Pro In 7 Easy Steps
- How to Make More Meaningful Visual Content
- The Ultimate Guide to Using Color Psychology in Marketing + Free Color Schemes
Let’s Wrap It Up
With your newfound knowledge, you can up your image game for social media. But as an added bonus we included 72 free pre-sized stock images for you to get started.
If you want to make even more out of your social media, use CoSchedule to pre-schedule all of your content.
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