Using the correct social media photo sizes for your posting platform ensures that you keep your online identity polished.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but on social media, it could even be worth a thousand clicks — and much more. Users engage based on what they see. By serving them with high-quality images and videos, you can position your brand as professional, attract the attention it deserves, and encourage users to interact. But if your visuals are the wrong size, they can end up blurry and awkwardly cropped, unable to aptly communicate your message — or worse, get completely ignored by the algorithm. Whether on LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube, using the correct social media photo sizes for your posting platform ensures that you keep your online identity polished, cohesive, credible, and well-performing.
Let’s get into the specifics of this strategy!
Why Social Media Photo Sizes Matter for Better Branding and Engagement
Visuals are the first thing they notice when someone lands on your profile or sees your ad. Crisp, high-resolution images communicate the professionalism and credibility of your brand, while poorly sized images can make it look unpolished.
The team behind Buzzsumo, a content research and analysis tool, found that social media posts with visual media get 2.3 times more engagement than those without. This aligns with findings by Adobe, which state that about 70% of marketers believe content with visuals — including still images — brings better results for their respective businesses.
The same still rings true for business-to-business (B2B) social media marketing, as LinkedIn has confirmed that posts accompanied by images yield twice as many comments as text-only posts. Like other social media platforms, LinkedIn also appreciates video content, with this format receiving 5 times more engagement than any other content type.
If these social media-focused statistics aren’t convincing enough, you’ll be surprised to learn that search engines also prioritize content that includes well-optimized images. Using the right image dimensions, file sizes, and alt text can improve your website’s load speed and increase the chances of ranking higher in search results.
Social Media Photo Sizes Cheat Sheet (2025 Edition) for Every Busy Graphic Designer
Each social media platform has specific requirements for images and videos. Ignoring these guidelines can leave you with blurry images, stretched graphics, or badly cropped content, which can hurt your engagement.
To make sure your visuals always look professional and optimized, here is a detailed breakdown of the recommended social media photo sizes for 2025, according to Hootsuite:
Facebook remains one of the top platforms for businesses to build and engage with online communities through organic content or paid ads.
The platform is notorious for frequently changing its design and preferred image dimensions. Still, you can make sure your content is future-proof and looks great on any device by observing these recommended sizes:
- Profile picture – 170 × 170 pixels (displays as 128 × 128 pixels on mobile)
- Cover photo – 851 × 315 pixels (displays as 820 × 312 pixels on desktop and 640 × 360 pixels on mobile)
- Timeline Photos
- 1 image – 1200 × 630 pixels
- 2 or more images (carousel post) – 1200 × 1200 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
- Videos – At least 1280 × 720 pixels
- Stories/Reels – 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)
- Event cover photo – 1200 × 628 pixels (2:1 aspect ratio)
- Facebook Ads
- Feed ads – 1080 × 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
- Stories ads – 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)
- Marketplace ads – 1080 × 1080 pixels
Facebook can sometimes automatically alter your visual media if uploaded in a different size than what’s ideal, so for good measure, keep important text and logos within safe zones to avoid getting them cropped out.
Instagram is a visual-first platform, which means high-quality images and videos must be a non-negotiable for any brand that wants engagement.
The upside to using Instagram is that you can choose image orientation since the platform accommodates horizontal, vertical, and square image posts. The following are your best options with image sizing:
- Profile picture – 320 × 320 pixels
- Feed posts
- Square – 1080 × 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
- Landscape – 1080 × 566 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
- Portrait – 1080 × 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio)
- Stories/Reels – 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)
- Carousel posts
- Square – 1080 × 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
- Landscape – 1080 × 566 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
- Portrait – 1080 × 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio)
- Instagram Ads
- Feed ads – 1080 × 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
- Stories ads – 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)
A pro tip for your graphic design and visual content team: Use bold, high-contrast imagery to stand out in an ever-busy Instagram feed.
LinkedIn is a go-to platform for thought leadership and B2B marketing. Whether you’re posting as yourself or under your company page, professional-looking, branded visuals are your best approach to reinforcing your branding and establishing credibility. Follow these social media photo sizes to get noticed:
- Profile picture – 400 × 400 pixels
- Profile cover photo – 1584 × 396 pixels
- Company logo – 300 × 300 pixels
- Company cover photo – 1128 × 191 pixels
- Post images – 1200 × 628 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
- Video – Minimum 1920 × 1080 pixels
Twitter (or X)
Twitter (or X) first succeeded from being a text-heavy platform, given its start as a microblog. However, tweets accompanied by visuals now see significantly higher engagement than those without visuals. If you’d like your tweets to get 18% more retweets, observe this image sizing guide:
- Profile picture – 400 × 400 pixels
- Header image – 1500 × 500 pixels (3:1 aspect ratio)
- Tweets
- 1 image – 1600 × 900 pixels (2:1 aspect ratio)
- 2 images – 700 × 800 pixels each
- 3 images – One image at 700 × 800, two at 1200 × 670
- 4 images – 1200 × 600 pixels each
- Video – 1280 × 720 pixels
TikTok
Short-form, vertical videos we now see in every corner of the internet first found their home on TikTok. Here’s what you need to know about image and video sizing to score better chances at becoming an overnight viral sensation:
- Profile picture – 20 × 20 pixels minimum (higher quality recommended)
- Video – 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16 aspect ratio)
To get more eyes on your vertical videos, consider adding captions to make the content more accessible and engagement-worthy, even among users with no audio.
Pinterest is a visual search engine, making it a hub for high-quality, static images. While square images are still accommodated on the platform, vertical images perform best. Observe the following social media photo sizes for best results:
- Profile picture – 165 × 165 pixels
- Standard pin – 1000 × 1500 pixels (2:3 aspect ratio)
- Square pin – 1000 × 1000 pixels
YouTube
YouTube may be a platform for short- and long-form videos, but images (in the form of thumbnails) still play a crucial role in maintaining branding consistency and encouraging clicks and engagement. Here are the sizes to follow when growing your YouTube account:
- Profile picture – 800 × 800 pixels
- Banner – 2048 × 1152 pixels
- Thumbnail – 1280 × 720 pixels
- Video upload – 1920 × 1080 pixels
Increase click-through rates and get more eyes on your videos by designing your thumbnails with bold text and vibrant images.
Achieve Higher Engagement with the Right Visuals, Created by Eight Media Just for Your Business
Followed the social media photo sizes we’ve laid out above? Great! However, building a brand that stands out in a competitive market requires more than properly sized visuals. Your content creation should capture the user’s attention and communicate your brand identity — not just religiously follow a set of guidelines.
If you’re curious to know the creative and design process behind successful social media content, work with experts with years of experience crafting posts that rack up thousands in engagement and reach.
Eight Media is a full-stack digital marketing agency with a proven track record of delivering graphic design and visual content that boosts our clients’ online visibility and improves their lead generation chances.
Start developing high-impact social media content that drives real results. Contact our team today for a free consultation.
