The one rule behind all the numbers
Before the tables: almost every platform crops differently on phone vs desktop, and behind buttons and captions. So the golden rule is keep the important content centered, with margin from every edge. The outer border is decoration that may disappear — text, faces and logos belong in the middle.
Instagram
| Element | Size | Ratio |
|---|
| Feed post (portrait) | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5 |
| Feed post (square) | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 |
| Story / Reel | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 |
| Profile picture | ≥ 320 × 320 | 1:1 (circular) |
Facebook
| Element | Size |
|---|
| Cover photo | 1200 × 630 (phone-vs-desktop crop!) |
| Post (landscape / square) | 1200 × 630 / 1080 × 1080 |
| Story | 1080 × 1920 |
| Link preview (Open Graph) | 1200 × 630 |
LinkedIn
| Element | Size |
|---|
| Profile picture | 400 × 400 (circular) |
| Background banner | 1584 × 396 (avatar covers lower-left!) |
| Post image | 1200 × 1200 or 1200 × 628 |
TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, X
| Element | Size |
|---|
| TikTok video / cover | 1080 × 1920 (9:16) |
| Pinterest pin (ideal) | 1000 × 1500 (2:3) |
| YouTube thumbnail | 1280 × 720 (16:9), under 2 MB |
| X (Twitter) post image | 1600 × 900 (16:9) |
The safe-zone traps to remember
- Facebook cover: shows a wider crop on desktop, a taller one on phone — keep content centered.
- LinkedIn banner: the round profile picture covers the lower-left corner; put important elements right-of-center.
- TikTok: the interaction buttons sit on the right, the caption at the bottom — keep text in the upper-center.
- Profile pictures everywhere: circular mask — motif centered, ~15% margin, or the corners get cut.
File format and quality
- Photos: JPG at quality 85, sized to the target dimensions.
- Graphics with text/logos: PNG, to avoid edge artifacts.
- Compress before uploading: platforms recompress anyway; a lean, right-sized image survives that far better than a 12 MB original run through compression twice.
