Image Sizes for Social Media

Start with four reusable aspect ratios

Prepare 1:1 square, 4:5 portrait, 9:16 vertical, and approximately 1.91:1 landscape compositions. Common working canvases are 1080 × 1080, 1080 × 1350, 1080 × 1920, and 1200 × 627 pixels respectively. These are production conveniences, not universal platform mandates.

Do not stretch one master into each shape. Crop deliberately or extend the background while preserving the subject. A landscape photograph may need different subject placement in a vertical story or reel, and a text-heavy graphic may need a redesigned hierarchy rather than a narrow crop.

Use current platform examples carefully

LinkedIn currently recommends 1080-pixel-wide feed photos, accepts ratios from 3:1 through 4:5, and uses 1200 × 627 for a custom Page-post link image. Meta describes 9:16 as the full-screen vertical ratio for Reels creative. YouTube currently recommends 3840 × 2160 for a standard video thumbnail and a 16:9 ratio, with device-dependent file-size limits.

Those examples cover different products and placements; they should not be combined into one supposed universal chart. Profile images, covers, ads, link previews, feed photos, stories, reels, shorts, and thumbnails each have different cropping and overlay behavior. Follow the current upload screen and official help page for the exact destination.

• Check whether the requirement is a ratio, minimum, recommendation, or hard limit.
• Distinguish an organic post from an advertisement or profile asset.
• Record the review date when dimensions are part of a repeatable workflow.

Design for cropping and interface safe areas

Responsive feeds can show the same asset at different sizes, and cover images may be trimmed horizontally or vertically. Keep essential information near the composition center, allow generous edge padding, and avoid placing a logo or call to action where buttons, captions, avatars, or navigation may cover it.

Preview at small display sizes. Thin type, low contrast, and intricate patterns can become unreadable after scaling and platform compression. Include text in the accompanying post when it is necessary for meaning; an image of text alone is less adaptable and can create accessibility problems.

• Keep an editable master with guides for each placement.
• Use large, high-contrast type sparingly.
• Add meaningful alternative text where the platform supports it.

Export, compress, and verify after upload

Use JPG for opaque photographic artwork and PNG where transparency or sharp flat graphics justify it, subject to the platform's accepted formats. Export at the intended aspect ratio, then reduce file size without dropping below required dimensions or making text and faces visibly soft.

Inspect the published result on both a phone and a larger screen. Check crop, focal point, overlays, color, sharpness, and text readability. Keep the source composition because platform rendering can change and a fresh derivative is safer than repeatedly re-encoding an old social download.

• Use Image Cropper to compose a ratio without stretching.
• Use Image Resizer for exact pixel dimensions after the crop is approved.
• Use Image Compressor on the final derivative and retain the master.