In the wild world of social media, keeping your finger on the pulse of what’s hot and happening is super important, and one thing that seems simple but can make or break your content is getting your content size and resolution right.
With that in mind, we’ve made it easy for you in this break down of the best dimensions in 2024 for different types of post and content on all your favourite social media platforms, along with our insider tips and tricks.
Why is image size important?
Using the correct image sizes of socials matters is so important because it determines how clear and crisp your content looks across different devices and platforms.
Get it wrong? Your images and videos can appear blurry, unreadable and very scroll past-able.
Getting the image sizes right allows your audience to see you content in the highest quality, read your messaging and make your social media presence (whether that’s for your business or yourself) look more professional and put together. Plus, because the platform doesn’t have to do any extra work, your content is automatically optimised for sharing!
Doing this one small thing correctly can boost your engagement and make your social media marketing efforts more effective.
Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.
What are pixels?
Pixels are tiny dots that make up digital images. Think of them as the building blocks of your photos! The more pixels, the sharper your image. Understanding pixels helps you create images that look great on any screen, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
What’s an aspect ratio?
Aspect ratio is just a fancy term for the relationship between an image’s width and height. Think of it as the shape of your picture (for example, an image with a 1:1 aspect ratio is a square). Different platforms have their own aspect ratio requirements. Knowing these ratios ensures your visuals don’t get distorted or cropped when you share them.
What’s the best size for each platform?
Portrait Feed Posts: 1080 x 1350 px
Square Feed Posts: 1080 x 1080 px
Instagram Stories: 1080 x 1920 px
Instagram Reels: 1080 x 1920 px
Profile photo: 320 x 320 px
Highlight Covers: 1080 x 1920 px
Our tips:
-Use portrait posts to take up more screen real estate and increase your chance of stopping the scroll and increasing the amount of time someone looks at your content.
-When using portrait posts, keep the text in the middle square (1080 x 1080) of the post so it can still be seen when auto cropped on the grid.
-Film and/or export your videos for reels in 1080p resolution and 60FPS to ensure the highest quality. You can find out more here (link to PA summary blog).
-Keep reels text within the safe zones so that it’s not obscured by buttons, captions and other features. These will appear when you add text to your reels in the Instagram app and drag it.
-If taking story photos on your smartphone, you can change the aspect ratio of your photos in the settings so you know exactly what will show up in frame when you post on your stories in app.
Portrait Posts: 1080 x 1350px
Square Posts: 1200 x 1200 px
Landscape Posts: 1200 x 630 px
Stories and Reels: 1080 x 1920 px
Cover photos: 851 x 315 px
Profile photos: 170 x 170 px
Profile photo: 400 x 400 px
Square posts: 1200 x 1200 px
Portrait: 1080 x 1920px (recommended by LinkedIn), but we like 1080 x 1350 px
Cover photo: 1128 x 191 px
Blog post link images: 1200 x 627
Page Banner: 1128 x 191 px
Stories: 1080 x 1920 pixels
TIKTOK
Portrait video (standard): 1080 x 1920 pixels (9:16)
Landscape video: 1080 x 1920 px
Carousel photos: 1080 x 1920px
Profile picture: 200 x 200 px
Our tips:
-When adding text, make sure it’s easy to read. Place it in a blank space not covered by app features/buttons (in the top 1/3 of the screen is great as it is where people’s eyes often first land) and adjust the colours/formatting to ensure it’s readable.
-When creating landscape videos, don’t place text on the black blank zones – otherwise your audience won’t be able to view your video in full screen landscape mode.
-Film/export your videos for reels in 1080p resolution and 60FPS to ensure the highest quality. You can find out more here (link to PA summary blog).
-You can post any size photo in carousels on TikTok, including 9:16 and 4:5 ratio photos, but we find 1080 x 1920 works best!
Check out all our tips for creating TikToks here.
YouTube Video: 1920 x 1080 pixels (16:9)
Channel Cover Photo: 2560 x 1440 pixels (16:9)
Thumbnail: 1280 x 720 px
Profile photo: 800 x 800px
Our tips:
-Thumbnails play a crucial role in attracting viewers. Design them thoughtfully and ensure they’re clear and eye-catching even at small sizes.
Pinterest Pin: 1000 x 1500 px (2:3 ratio).
Square Pins: 1000 x 1000 px
Story Pins: 1080 x 1920 px
Video Pins: 1080 x 1920 px
Carousels: 1000 x 1000 px or 1000 x 1500 px
Pinterest Board Cover: 800 x 450 px minimum (16:9 aspect ratio)
Our tips:
-Pinterest is highly visual, so prioritize high-quality, visually aesthetic images to maximize engagement.
Tips for high resolution social media
Use High-Quality content: Start with images or videos that are already high-resolution to maintain clarity when resized or compressed. You can check out our tips for capturing great content here
Avoid Over-Compression: Most social media platforms apply compression algorithms to optimize file sizes. Try to minimize additional compression before uploading by using images in the correct sizes above and filming any videos in the right resolution. For videos, we recommend 1080p and 60FPS, as this minimises blurriness when uploading and any jumpiness when adjusting the speed at the editing stage.
Canva hack: If you need to increase or decrease the resolution of your content, you can use the slider on Canva when downloading to increase or decrease the file size that exports, keeping the same ratio.
Test Before Posting: Before publishing your post, preview it on different devices and screen sizes to ensure it looks sharp and clear across various platforms.
Nailing the right dimensions for your social media posts in 2024 is key to grabbing attention and keeping your online social presence strong. When you know the perfect sizes for each platform and apply these tips for top-notch resolution, you can ensure your content stands out and hits home with your audience.
Save this one to come back to for later, or download our handy social media size guide cheat sheet here!
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