Instagram compresses every upload — designing at the exact recommended dimensions minimizes quality loss. The platform crops aggressively on the feed, so keep critical elements inside a safe center zone.
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Square post | 1080 × 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Portrait post | 1080 × 1350 px | 4:5 |
| Landscape post | 1080 × 566 px | 1.91:1 |
| Story / Reels | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Profile picture | 320 × 320 px (displayed as circle) | 1:1 |
| Carousel slide | 1080 × 1080 or 1080 × 1350 px | 1:1 or 4:5 |
Facebook's cover images render differently on desktop (820 × 312) versus mobile (640 × 360). Design at 820 × 462 and keep essential elements inside the mobile-safe center area of 640 × 312.
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile picture | 170 × 170 px (displayed) | 1:1 |
| Page cover | 820 × 462 px (upload) | ~16:9 |
| Event cover | 1920 × 1005 px | 1.91:1 |
| Feed post (square) | 1200 × 1200 px | 1:1 |
| Feed post (landscape) | 1200 × 630 px | 1.91:1 |
| Story | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Shared link preview | 1200 × 630 px | 1.91:1 |
Twitter / X
X's header image crops heavily on mobile — the full 1500 × 500 upload is visible on desktop but mobile shows roughly the center third. Design accordingly.
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile picture | 400 × 400 px | 1:1 |
| Header / banner | 1500 × 500 px | 3:1 |
| In-stream image | 1600 × 900 px | 16:9 |
| Shared link card | 1200 × 628 px | 1.91:1 |
LinkedIn cares more about professional polish than visual density. Personal profile banners are the single most-commonly-skipped branding opportunity on the platform.
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Personal profile picture | 400 × 400 px | 1:1 |
| Personal banner | 1584 × 396 px | 4:1 |
| Company logo | 300 × 300 px | 1:1 |
| Company page banner | 1128 × 191 px | ~6:1 |
| Shared post image | 1200 × 627 px | 1.91:1 |
| Shared link preview | 1200 × 627 px | 1.91:1 |
YouTube
The YouTube banner renders very differently across TV (2560 × 1440), desktop (2560 × 423), tablet (1855 × 423), and mobile (1546 × 423). Design at 2560 × 1440 with a safe zone of 1546 × 423 in the center.
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Channel profile | 800 × 800 px | 1:1 |
| Channel banner (full) | 2560 × 1440 px | 16:9 |
| Mobile-safe banner zone | 1546 × 423 px center | — |
| Video thumbnail | 1280 × 720 px | 16:9 |
| Shorts thumbnail / video | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 |
TikTok
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile picture | 200 × 200 px | 1:1 |
| Video | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 |
| Safe zone (avoid UI overlap) | Center 1080 × 1610 px | — |
Pinterest is the only major platform that actively rewards tall aspect ratios. The 2:3 standard pin is the baseline; longer 1000 × 2100 pins (the old "infographic" style) are now capped because they're truncated in the feed.
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile picture | 165 × 165 px | 1:1 |
| Standard pin | 1000 × 1500 px | 2:3 |
| Square pin | 1000 × 1000 px | 1:1 |
| Idea pin / Story | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 |
Format & File Size Recommendations
Every platform recompresses uploads. Feeding it a high-quality file gives you the best final result after compression.
- Photos: JPG at 85-92% quality. Upload as large as allowed — platforms downscale better than they upscale.
- Graphics with text or flat colors: PNG. Prevents JPEG compression artifacts around sharp edges.
- Logos or line art: PNG with transparency where supported. Avoid JPG for logos.
- Animated content: MP4 (most platforms) rather than GIF — better quality, smaller file.
- File size cap: Keep under 5 MB for images. Instagram, X, and LinkedIn recompress anything larger heavily.
- Color space: Always sRGB. Adobe RGB or ProPhoto will render with shifted colors on every platform.
Design Tips That Survive Compression
- Avoid small text — anything under 24px in the source often becomes unreadable after platform compression on mobile.
- Keep critical content in the center 70% — platforms crop differently across feed, profile, and share previews.
- Test a screenshot from the actual platform before committing to a design — render previews in design tools are optimistic.
- Use high contrast between text and background — compression makes low-contrast text feel muddy.
- Export at 2x then downscale to the recommended size. This produces sharper results than exporting at the exact dimensions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I use the same image across all platforms?
- You shouldn't. Every platform has a different aspect ratio — a 1080 × 1080 Instagram post will be cropped on Facebook, stretched on X's banner, and rendered tiny on LinkedIn. Designing platform-specific variants from one source file (using a template) takes 10 minutes and roughly doubles engagement relative to reusing a single format.
- What's the best image format for social media?
- JPG for photos, PNG for graphics with text or sharp edges. Most platforms don't accept WebP yet for user uploads, though they may serve WebP back to viewers. GIF is accepted but MP4 always compresses better for the same visual output.
- Why does my image look blurry after uploading?
- Three common causes: (1) uploaded at below the recommended resolution, which the platform upscales — always upload at the target dimensions or larger; (2) used too-aggressive JPG compression on export (use 85-92% quality); (3) used a color space the platform doesn't display (always export in sRGB, not Adobe RGB).
- How often do social media image sizes change?
- Major size changes are usually once or twice a year. The biggest recent shifts: Twitter/X banner resized, LinkedIn personal banner introduced at 1584 × 396, YouTube banner unified across device classes. Bookmark one up-to-date source (like this page, updated 2026) and recheck before major campaigns.
- Should I use vertical or horizontal images?
- For mobile-first platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Stories, Reels, Shorts) — vertical wins every time because it fills more screen. For link-card-style previews (Facebook shares, LinkedIn posts, X cards) — horizontal 1.91:1 is the universal format.