Social Media Image Standards for 2024
CJ Haag
April 3, 2024
Are your social media account images up-to-date and looking sharp for 2024? The page formats of social media profiles change and evolve often as social networks get updated, and their image sizes and formats change along with them. What’s more, profile pictures, cover photos, post images, and more all have their own ideal dimensions that differ across platforms. For optimal viewing, it’s best to know and follow each platform’s image standards. That is to say, using the same image from 2010 on all your social profiles just isn’t cutting it these days! High-quality, correctly-sized images help to put your best foot forward on social and make a good impression with potential customers and loyal fans alike. Here’s a comprehensive guide with the latest specs and image tips. Find your downloadable cheat sheet at the link near the bottom!
Profile Photo: 170 x 170 px
Profile photos are small and should be simple and not too busy. This is a great place to use your business logo as a page identifier. The profile photo displays in a circle format so be sure to have your image optimized properly as the outside of the image may be cut off.
Cover Photo: 851 x 315 px
Keep in mind that it’s important to pay attention to the design of your cover photo. These photos shouldn’t be too busy or filled with much copy. Use a high-quality photo or graphic that represents your brand or showcases your products.
Post Photos:
Square: 1200 x 1200 px
Landscape: 1200 x 630 px
Portrait: 630 x 1200 px
There are a few different options here depending on what format of photo you want to publish… landscape, portrait, or square. All three are effective formats, however, you will need to resize them to the optimal aspect ratios for best viewing.
Stories: 1080 x 1920 px
Stories are a great way to showcase your business with video and behind-the-scenes photos. These photos are taken vertically and last for 24 hours before disappearing.
Event Banner: 1920 x 1080 px
If you’re hosting an event, be sure that the photo or graphic of the event includes copy that contains pertinent information such as the location, date, and time of the event. Keep the font of the copy clean and readable.
Profile Photo: 320 x 320 px
Your Instagram profile photo will be in a circle format. So, when choosing or creating your profile pic, keep the round shape in mind as it will crop out space around it to format your photo as a circle.
Post Photos:
Square: 1080 x 1080 px
Landscape: 1080 x 566 px
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px
There are a few options for posts on Instagram. However, if you stray from the standard 1080 x 1080 square aspect ratio, you will wind up with blank space around your post on your grid. This isn’t necessarily terrible, but in my opinion it can create a bit of a messy look. However, if you create ALL of your posts using a portrait or landscape format, it can lend itself to a visually interesting account.
Stories: 1080 x 1920 px
Stories are a great way to showcase your business with video and behind-the-scenes photos. These photos are taken vertically and last for 24 hours before disappearing.
Reels: 1080 x 1920 px
Reels are extremely popular on instagram and have the ability to garner a mass amount of views, engagement, and followers. They are vertically shot videos that can be added to your main grid or solely visible in the Reels section.
X (Twitter)
Profile Photo: 400 x 400 px
Using your business’ logo for your X/Twitter account profile photo is your best option. You’ll want to keep your profile and cover photo images the same across all social platforms for best branding practices and easy identification for anyone who may be looking for your business.
Cover Photo: 1500 x 500 px
The X/Twitter cover photo is a unique size. It’s very narrow, so creating a custom image or even using a specific photo must be thought out to best utilize this aspect ratio. Again, keep this cover photo clean and simple.
Post Photos:
Square: 1080 x 1080 px
Landscape: 1600 x 900 px
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px
There are a few different options here depending on what format of photo you want to post, landscape, portrait, or square. All three are effective formats, however, you will need to resize them to the optimal aspect ratios for best viewing.
Profile Photo: 165 x 165 px
Again, with Pinterest’s profile pic, you’ll be dealing with a round size to consider. It’s best to use your business logo.
Cover Photo: 800 x 450 px
The cover photo is available for business accounts only and should be similar to any other cover photo that you have displayed on all of your social media accounts.
Pin Images:
Square: 1000 x 1000 px
Portrait: 1000 x 1500 px
Story: 1080 x 1920 px
There are a few options for pin images on Pinterest. Often these pin images also include some copy overlaid on the photos. Do your best to keep the copy clear and readable.
Profile Image: 400 x 400 px
The LinkedIn profile image should simply be your company’s logo.
Cover Photo: 1128 x 191 px
The LinkedIn cover photos are very narrow. Not only is the cover photo narrow, but the profile image overlaps onto the cover photo. You might have to adjust your cover photo image several times before you get it just right for your profile. Try to use very little copy on the LinkedIn cover photo as it becomes pretty difficult to read.
Post Photos:
Landscape: 1200 x 627 px
Linked Post: 1200 x 627 px
Square Post: 1080 x 1080 px
LinkedIn displays landscape formatted post images best and are most commonly used. However, you can certainly still use square images for posts, but steer away from portrait-sized posts for this platform.
YouTube
Profile Photo: 800 x 800
Again, another circle profile pic to be considered.
Channel Cover Photo: 2560 x 1440 px
YouTube’s channel cover photo has changed multiple times over the years. Creating an eye-catching graphic or high-resolution photo that best utilizes this space is important. Just remember to create a cover photo that clearly speaks to your brand’s voice.
Videos: 1920 x 1080 px
A big “no-no” when posting a video is posting one that is low-resolution. With video formats changing and increasing all the time, and phones in our pockets that capture stunning video, it’s important to always upload high-definition resolution.
Shorts: 1080 x 1920 px
Shorts are YouTube’s version of Instagram’s Stories. However, there are some requirements for this feature. Your channel needs 100 subscribers to publish Shorts. The Shorts can only be up to 60 seconds long and must be shot vertically.
TikTok
Profile Photo: 200 x 200
Again, another circle profile pic to be considered.
Videos: 1080 x 1920 px
TikToks are shot vertically and can be up to ten minutes long. TikTok is a space for all creators and brands with the freedom to publish professional commercials and ads, to very laid-back, casual promos. Have fun creating on this platform!
Here at Fuzzy Duck, we’ve made it easy for you to follow the correct image size standard for each social platform via this infographic we’ve created.
We are continually researching current social media trends and marketing. If you are looking for some assistance with creating your social media content and strategies, contact us today!
