The Common Social Media Image Sizes Cheat Sheet

Save The Complete Common Social Media Image Sizes Cheat Sheet

MaiLy Thao

22.10.2024

In today’s digital world, image content is a powerful tool for engagement and connection across all major social media platforms. From Instagram and Facebook to Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, posting the right images with proper formatting and captions can significantly increase your visibility and reach. With the correct dimensions, your images will display perfectly, avoiding awkward crops or pixelation.

Each platform has its own set of visual guidelines, and whether you’re an experienced marketer, a creative content creator, or a beginner, mastering these dimensions is crucial for success.

What’s the secret to getting it right?

Stick around as we dive into the details of image sizing to ensure your social media content stays sharp and engaging on every platform.

>>> Related topic: The Ultimate Guide to Short-form Video Content

Why image posts matter

Images create an immediate visual impact, grabbing attention faster than text alone. Well-designed image posts help convey messages, showcase products, and boost brand identity. Posts with high-quality visuals often see increased likes, shares, and comments, driving engagement and interactions with your audience. To maximize your reach, it’s crucial to understand the image specifications and best practices for each platform.

Image Size Guidelines for Popular Platforms

Here are the recommended image sizes for posting on the top social media platforms:

1. Facebook

As the world’s largest social network, Facebook has become an essential platform for reaching today’s consumers. It’s a highly visual medium, where images play a vital role in showcasing your brand and telling engaging stories. Making sure your visuals are up to standard is crucial for maximizing impact and connecting with your audience.

1.1. Single photo

The square image is one of the most commonly used sizes for Facebook posts. Its 1:1 ratio makes it perfect for cross-posting to Instagram as well.

While not as frequent, vertical images can catch viewers off guard and grab their attention, as they require more scrolling to fully view.

Horizontal images are also widely used and simple to post. For a more cinematic feel, try using images with a 16:9 ratio at 1920 x 1080 pixels.

1.2. Two photos

Using a variety of photo sizes allows you to tell your story or showcase your product in a more creative and artistic way. When sharing a post with multiple images, it's important to choose a layout that aligns with the content you want to highlight. Be sure to follow Facebook's recommended image sizes to ensure your visuals look their best.

1.3. Three photos

When posting three photos, prioritize the most important message by featuring it in the largest image, while the other two images can support with additional details or secondary messages.

1.4. Four photos

When it comes to Facebook posts with multiple photos, the 4-photo layout is the most popular option. It allows you to convey more messages in a single post while giving viewers the impression that there's plenty of exciting content for them to explore, much like a gallery. The recommended Facebook image sizes for posts with 4 images are as follows.

2. Instagram

2.1. Instagram feed posts

Instagram offers three formats for feed posts: square, landscape, and portrait. Here are the recommended sizes and aspect ratios for each:

Square: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1)
Landscape/horizontal: 1080 x 566 px (16:9)
Portrait/vertical: 1080 x 1350 px (4:5)

While many businesses stick with the traditional square format, each orientation has its own advantages. Square posts are ideal for symmetrical images, but some photos look better in landscape or portrait formats.

Portrait orientation is great for capturing tall subjects like buildings, using the full vertical frame.
Landscape works best for wide, scenic views, such as vistas.

Remember, even if you use portrait or landscape formats, your profile grid will display all posts as squares, so consider how your image will crop. Carousel posts can feature any of these formats, but all images or videos within the carousel will align with the size of the first image. For example, if your first post is a square, the rest of the carousel will follow suit.

2.2. Instagram stories and reels

For Instagram Stories, vertical images or videos are the best choice. Using landscape orientation will result in a lot of empty space around your content. The ideal size for Instagram Stories is 1080 x 1920 px (9:16).

Since Instagram Stories are meant to be viewed full-screen with the phone held vertically, portrait mode ensures you utilize the entire screen for both videos and images. If you have a great landscape image or video, it's better suited for an Instagram feed post rather than a Story to avoid losing visual impact.

Instagram Reels must be recorded in vertical portrait orientation. In case you're wondering, all Instagram videos are now uploaded as Reels, as IGTV was phased out in 2022 when it was removed from the mobile app. The ideal dimensions for Reels are 1080 x 1920 px (9:16).

When Reels are displayed in your profile grid, they are automatically cropped into a square format. However, viewers will see the full vertical video when they tap on the Reel or view it in their feed, on the Explore page, or in the Reels section.

For the cover photo of your Instagram Reels, the platform automatically selects a frame from your video to serve as the thumbnail in your feed, but you can opt to choose your own cover image if you wish. To do this, simply tap ‘Edit cover’ during the final step of creating your Reel. You can select a frame from the video or upload a new photo from your camera roll.

Keep in mind that your Reel cover will always be displayed as a square on your Instagram grid. Fortunately, Instagram offers a preview feature in the ‘Edit cover’ section, allowing you to see how the image will be cropped and make adjustments as needed—this is particularly helpful for maintaining a cohesive look for your Instagram grid.

>>> Read more: 8 Strategies to Boost Instagram Engagement in 2024

3. TikTok

When producing content for TikTok, it's crucial to use the correct image sizes for a smooth visual experience.

The optimal size for TikTok videos is 1080 x 1920 pixels, maintaining a 9:16 aspect ratio that perfectly fits the vertical screen. Videos can last up to 3 minutes, providing creators with plenty of time to captivate their audience.

For TikTok carousels, the same dimensions of 1080 x 1920 pixels are recommended, with a preferred aspect ratio of 9:16 or 1:1 for square images. A 4:5 ratio is also permissible, giving you more options for presenting your content.

When uploading images or videos to TikTok, you need to pay attention to TikTok's safe zone.

4. Threads

Launched in July 2023, Instagram's Threads creates a platform for conversations while still emphasizing the importance of visual content. Although Meta originally designed Threads with a focus on text, images and videos play a vital role in posts.

On Threads, users don’t have to worry about image ratios, as it supports full display for ratios ranging from 2:3 to mixed formats. However, the recommended size is 1080 x 1920 pixels with a 9:16 aspect ratio, perfect for both single and carousel posts.

Each post can include up to 500 characters of text and up to 10 photos or videos, allowing users to combine engaging visuals with meaningful discussions.

5. X (Twitter)

X (formerly Twitter) is known for its short, punchy tweets, but images and videos play a big role too! Including visuals in your posts can help you share more detailed stories or provide extra content, which often leads to higher engagement.

X In-Stream Images:

Recommended image size: 1600 x 900 px (16:9 aspect ratio).
Images in the feed are cropped to 500 x 335 px, but users can click to view the full 1600 x 900 version.

While the 1600 x 900 px size is optimal for preventing cropping in the preview, you can upload images in various resolutions:

Square: 1080 x 1080 px
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 px

Aspect ratios vary depending on the device. For desktop, 2:1 or 1:1 works best, while for mobile, 2:1, 3:4, 5:4, or 16:9 are ideal.

Additional factors for X in-stream photos:

Maximum image size is 5 MB.
Supported file types: GIF, JPEG, and PNG.
Unsupported file types: BMP, TIFF, or other formats.
You can include up to four images per post, but note that the display and aspect ratio will change based on the number of images you upload.

6. LinkedIn

Social media strategist Jenni B. emphasizes that adding images to LinkedIn posts is one of the most effective ways to enhance engagement. To help ensure that the photos you share are sharp and captivating for the right reasons, we’ve compiled a guide on the ideal image sizes for LinkedIn posts.

Square images: Use 1080x1080 pixels with a 1:1 aspect ratio.
Portrait images: Recommended size is 1080x1350 pixels with a 4:5 aspect ratio.
Landscape images: Best size is 1080x566 pixels with a 1.91:1 aspect ratio.
Article cover photos: Should be 1280x720 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio).

LinkedIn mandates that all images must have a minimum size of 552x276 pixels and an aspect ratio ranging from 3:1 to 4:5. For multi-photo posts, you can include up to 20 images, with the first image prioritized and resized to a maximum aspect ratio of 4:5. Additionally, the maximum file size allowed for each photo is 5 MB.

7. Pinterest

Visuals are at the heart of Pinterest, a platform where users explore everything from recipes to home decor and beyond. For brands, Pinterest offers an excellent opportunity to engage with your target audience by sharing content that captures their attention and sparks inspiration. It's also a powerful way to showcase your products, turning new discoveries into potential customers. To maximize impact, ensuring your Pinterest images are high-quality is key.

Pinterest pin size

When adding a pin to your board, remember that Pinterest restricts the image width but not the length, allowing for flexibility with square or taller images that display vertically. However, it's essential to prioritize creating larger images due to the added benefits they provide, rather than merely exploiting the format.

For vertical images, the recommended dimensions are 1000 x 1500 pixels, with an ideal aspect ratio of 2:3 to enhance the user experience. Pins appear in the feed and on boards at a width of 236 pixels, and the maximum file size allowed is 20 MB.

Pinterest board display

When creating boards, it's essential to select photos that not only appeal to your audience but are also relevant to the specific board.

Large thumbnail: 222 x 150 pixels
Small thumbnail: 55 x 55 pixels

Find more information in the Pinterest Help Center.

In Conclusion

One of the most effective ways to capture attention on social media is through striking visuals. An added advantage of creating these visuals is ensuring they’re the right size for each platform.

While following social media image size guidelines may seem like a hassle, it’s essential. Even the most captivating images will go unnoticed if they appear blurry or distorted in users' feeds.

You've put in the effort to design those images, so don't let incorrect dimensions or aspect ratios diminish their impact. Use this guide to master the exact post sizes for various social platforms—it's a must for achieving success in social media marketing.

The next step is crafting the stories you want to tell and delivering valuable, engaging content to your audience.

Best of luck!