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2020 Social Media Image Size Cheat Sheet

2020 Social Media Image Size Cheat Sheet

May 20, 2020 / Maddie Wilson

This updated article for 2021 gives you the inside scoop on the best dimensions to follow when making posts on Instagram and Facebook. Includes a free downloadable all-in-one guide, so you can refer back to it quickly while designing!

Our social media image size cheat sheet is divided up by platforms, which lists Facebook specs followed by Instagram.The dimensions we recommend are guidelines for achieving the best quality results as of January 2021, and are subject to change as updates occur on social media platforms.

Some points to note:

- Dimensions are listed as width x height in pixels, followed by the aspect ratio in brackets
(if it's a standard size)

- Image uploads work best exported as JPEGs with RGB colour profile, unless otherwise specified

- Video uploads work best exported as MP4 or MOV files

- Facebook and Instagram scales down the quality of large images and videos in order to speed up their sites


 

Facebook Cheat Sheet

Profile Picture Image/Video

1080 x 1080 (1:1)

SDS-BLOG-FB-CHEAT-SHEET-MOCKUP-PP

The profile picture is best uploaded as a square, which will then be cropped to a circle when displayed across Facebook. You may see a better result by exporting the image as a PNG if it features a logo or text. You can upload a video here also, which can be between 1 and 7 seconds long. You might like to set your profile picture or video to 'temporary' as well, which makes it disappear after a select amount of time.

 

Personal Profile Cover Photo

We recommend: 2553 x 945

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The cover photo is probably the most confusing and complex size on Facebook, as it is cropped differently between desktop and mobile view. Ensure that nothing important falls over 1667px wide due to cropping on mobile. The circular shape of the profile picture also overlaps this cover image on both mobile and desktop in the centre. Another point to note is that on mobile, the top two corners are cropped to be slightly rounded. We recommend having anything important placed in the top area, at least 430px from the bottom. You may also see a better result with the image exported as a PNG if it features text.

 

Business Page Cover Photo/Video

We recommend: 2460 x 936

SDS-BLOG-FB-CHEAT-SHEET-MOCKUP

Similar to the personal profile cover image, the business page cover image is just slightly smaller. It doesn't have the page profile picture overlapping it unlike the personal profile cover image, which makes it easier to plan as you can see the entire photo in this space. It also crops to a shorter length on mobile, so ensure that no text falls over 1667px wide. You may see a better result with the image exported as a PNG if it features a logo or text. If using a video here, make sure the length is somewhere between 20 and 90 seconds too.

 

Event Cover Photo/Video

1920 x 1005

Facebook event cover image dimensions for desktop and mobile

Event covers are much easier than profile or page covers as they feature at the same size across different screens. The cover image became thinner in 2020, being reduced from 1080px tall to 1005px. You can use either an image or video for event covers. Videos can be up to 5 minutes long for these, however we would recommend something much shorter than this maximum limit in order to capture the attention of viewers quickly.

 

Group Cover Photo

1640 x 856

Facebook group cover image dimensions for desktop and mobile

Group cover photos feature at the same size across different screens. You are only able to upload an image for a group cover. Try exporting the image as a PNG if it features a logo or text for sharper results.

 

Image Post

We recommend: 1080 x up to 1620 (2:3)

Facebook best practice image dimensions for desktop and mobile

Square or portrait image orientations work best for singular image posts, as they occupy more screen space in the mobile newsfeed (which a majority of Facebook users are on). The post displays differently if you are uploading multiple images at once, however. Normally, the display will be determined by the orientation of first image that is uploaded.

 

Video Post

See ‘Image Post’

Facebook best practice video guidelines for desktop and mobile

The same recommendations apply to posting videos on Facebook as images. The maximum size for a video is 4GB. With the short attention spans of people online, make sure your content is engaging in the first few seconds of viewing. It may also be desirable to upload videos to a streaming platform such as YouTube, and then sharing these to Facebook in order to retain the quality of the original video. The standard size for a video being viewed on a HD television has a landscape aspect ratio of 16:9, which may be something to keep in mind if you are creating professional content which will be presented across multiple screens.

 

Story Post

1080 x 1920 (9:16)

Facebook story post dimensions for desktop and mobile

The Facebook story dimensions are conveniently the same as Instagram's. Facebook stories may last for up to 20 seconds, where we usually aim for about 10 seconds when making story content. As a general guide, also ensure you leave about 250px from the top and bottom free from any text or important visuals, as Facebook features will be placed in these zones over the top of your story upon upload. You can access our downloadable story template here!

 


 

Instagram Cheat Sheet

 

Profile Picture

1080 x 1080 (1:1)

Instagram profile picture image dimensions cheat sheet

Like Facebook, the Instagram profile picture is best uploaded as a square, which will then be cropped to a circle when displayed on the site. Ensure no important information is featured in the corners as it will be cropped out. You may also see a better result by exporting the image as a PNG if it features a logo or text.

 

Square Post

1080 x 1080 (1:1)

Instagram square image post dimensions cheat sheet

The square is the easiest image size to use on Instagram, as no cropping occurs when the image is displayed anywhere on the site.

 

Portrait Post

We recommend: 1080 x 1350 (4:5)

Instagram portrait image post dimensions cheat sheet

The height of a portrait post may vary anywhere between 1080px and 1350px tall. A portrait orientation is favourable when seen on the Instagram feed as it adopts more screen space. Keep in mind that this will be displayed as a square when seen on the Instagram profile feed.

 

Landscape Post

We recommend: 1080 x 608 (1.9:1)

Instagram landscape image post dimensions cheat sheet

A landscape post may vary anywhere between 608px and 1080px in height. A landscape image takes up much less space on the feed, so is a less favourable orientation as the image content will often be harder to view. A landscape image will also be displayed as a square when seen on the Instagram profile feed, so be aware of this cropping.

 

Video Post

See ‘Square/Portrait/Landscape Post’

Instagram video post guidelines cheat sheet

The same recommendations apply for video posts as they do for image posts. Instagram limits video posts to be short and sweet, between 3 and 60 seconds in length.

 

Story

1080 x 1920 (9:16)

Instagram story post dimensions cheat sheet

The Instagram story dimensions are also the same as Facebook's, which makes it easy to share the same design across the two platforms. If uploading a video, you have between 3 and 15 seconds of time for a story, so we aim for about 10 seconds when making content. As a general guide, also ensure you leave 250px from the top and bottom free from any text or important visuals, as Instagram features will be placed in these zones over the top of your story upon upload. You can access our downloadable story template here!

 

IGTV

1080 x 1920 or 1920 x 1080 (9:16 or 16:9)

Instagram IGTV video post guidelines cheat sheet

IGTV videos can be up to 60 minutes long when uploaded separately to a normal Instagram post via the IGTV app. The landscape and portrait dimensions are standard sizes, but keep in mind the video cover will be cropped to a 4:5 aspect ratio on the IGTV feed, and a 1:1 aspect ratio on your profile.


 

We truly hope this quick and easy cheat sheet helps you as much as it helps us to optimise our content on Facebook and Instagram! Click below to access the free downloadable PDF version so you can save and keep it on file. Subscribe to our blog to be the first to know when there are sizing updates.

 

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