Current dimensions of graphics
on popular social networking sites

Social media is constantly changing. Dimensions of graphics on Facebook or YouTube, which work great today, may become unreadable or unattractive after some time. Only perfectly matched graphics can achieve specific image or sales goals. So how to deal with this "multidimensional" chaos? What should you remember when designing graphics for social media in 2024? We have prepared a short cheat sheet.

Why is it worth knowing the current dimensions for social media?

Content published on social media should, above all, be attractive to recipients. Success lies not only in the content of posts and the emotions they provide, but also in the form of presentation itself. There is nothing more annoying than a cut off piece of graphics or a blurry photo. Although quality matters, it is no less important to maintain... moderation. Graphics with too high a resolution affect the loading time of a given profile, significantly extending it.

The variety of formats available on all social media can be dizzying. A dimension that works for Facebook will not necessarily fit the requirements of Instagram or YouTube. The creators of all social media platforms must dynamically adapt their offer to the changing reality, such as the increasingly new devices used by users.

Moreover, if they want to earn money and attract investors and advertisers, they must provide them with enough space on the desktop for the so-called commercial content. Hence the frequent changes that, like it or not, we must take into account when planning our own communication strategies. Of course, individual platforms publish suggested dimensions of graphics - on FB, Instagram or YouTube, but it is always worth testing them yourself on various types of devices.

Current dimensions of graphics on Facebook

Each social media platform offers a range of different types of formats. Each of these formats looks different not only depending on the device we use, but even on whether we hold it vertically or horizontally. Indexing robots particularly appreciate those creators who skillfully "juggle" between individual formats and use their full potential.

Wanting to choose properly dimensions of graphics on Facebook, First, consider the following guidelines:

• photo size on FB – profile photo – 320 x 320 px cropped to the shape of a circle (although FB itself recommends a much smaller size of 170 x 170),
• cover photo on FB (cover) of a personal profile or company website - 820 x 312 xp, remember that this area is covered by a fragment of the profile photo and its actual visibility depends on the device on which it will be finally displayed,
• FB cover photo size (cover) group – 1640 x 856 px,
• cover photo – dimensions under Events – 1200 x 628 px,
• Facebook post – dimensions: horizontal – 1200 x 900 px, vertical – 800 x 1000 px,
• FB posts dimensions in a square – 1080 x 1080 px,
• stories on FB – 1080 x 1920 px,
• FB ad directing to a specific website – 1200 x 628 px or 1080 x 1080 px,
• FB advertising in the form of a carousel of photos/graphics – 1080 x 1080 px,
• FB advertising aimed at increasing likes of a given fanpage – 1200 x 444 px.

Current dimensions of graphics for Instagram

Although Instagram is still associated primarily with characteristic square photos to which more or less fanciful filters are added, with the development of social media and new formats (including video and InstaStories), non-standard photos and graphics are also becoming more and more popular.

The current guidelines for standard dimensions of Instagram graphics are as follows:

• profile photo for Instagram – 320 x 320 px cropped to the shape of a circle,
• standard photo dimensions for Instagram – 1080 x 1080 px,
• graphic/photo vertical – 1080 x 1350 px,
• graphics/photo horizontally – 1080 x 566 px,
• InstaStories and Reels – 1080 x 1920 px,
• ads/ad carousels.video ads – 1080 x 1080 px,
• ads on InstaStories – 1080 x 1920 px.

Current dimensions of graphics on YouTube

Contrary to appearances, the dimensions of graphics used on the YouTube platform are extremely important, especially when the Community part appears. A well-designed film cover attracts attention and encourages further exploration of the profile's content. Moreover, attractive graphics affect not only the aesthetics of the profile, but also its positioning in search engines. So how to prepare graphics that take full advantage of the YouTube platform?

• profile photo – 800 x 800 px,
• background – 2560 x 1440 px, which allows for proper display on large home theater screens and 1546 x 432 px, which will work well on mobile devices,
• thumbnail (film cover) – 1280 x 720 px,
• post/gif in Community – 1080 x 1080 px.

Current dimensions of Twitter graphics (X)

Although Twitter (currently the X platform) is mainly associated with short text information, during the evolution of the platform it was decided to take advantage of the fact that nothing strengthens the message like properly selected graphics. In this way, the currently functioning X platform uses the following types of graphics:

• profile photo – 400 x 400 px,
• background photo – 1500 x 500 px,
• photo for the entry – 800 x 418 px or 800 x 800 px (the platform allows you to display up to four graphics in one entry, so for this type of entries it is recommended to maintain appropriate proportions and files with dimensions of 1000 x 500 px),
• stories – 1080 x 1920 px.

Current dimensions of graphics on TikTok

The matter here is extremely simple - graphic materials posted on the TikTok platform should have the size of standard files posted on other social media as part of Stories, i.e. 1080 x 1920 px. When it comes to a profile photo, a standard format will also work here, e.g. 200 x 200 px, cropped to the shape of a circle.

Current dimensions of graphics on LinkedIn

The LinkedIn platform is valued especially for building and maintaining professional relationships. It is used to build the image of an ideal employee, employer or business partner, hence it is so important to maintain all standards regarding properly selected graphics:

• personal profile photo – 400 x 400 px,
• company profile photo – 300 x 300 px,
• background on personal profile – 1584 x 396 px
• background on the company profile – 1128 x 191 px,
• graphics in posts – 1200 x 628 px,
• graphics for the article – 1280 x 720 px,
• single ad or carousel – 1080 x 1080 px.

What should you remember when preparing graphics for social media?

To crop a graphic or photo to the appropriate size, all you need is a regular editor in which you enter specific numerical values or proportions. However, it is worth entrusting the graphic design itself to a specialist who will make sure that its individual elements are in the right place. The most important elements of the message should be placed in the very center of the graphics so that they are always fully visible regardless of the device.

Since the most important graphic symbol of every brand in all social media is a profile photo, it is worth paying special attention to its quality and consistency. If we want to signal some significant changes in the life of the company or an important event with a profile photo, we can use special overlays or supplement them with an additional small graphic element.

When preparing graphics for social media, it is worth remembering both the dimensions and weight of the files. All graphic files should be saved in .png format. In addition, it is worth taking care to give the files names that precisely describe their content and give them specific attributes for optimization. These seemingly trivial rules are crucial for our communication - no fancy creation will save us if we present it to the world in an incorrect and illegible way.