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Social media is constantly morphing and changing its rules regarding images. One minute you have the ideal cover photo for your account, and then because of altered image requirements, it appears resized and pixelated like a 1990’s version of itself. In addition to this, it is difficult to locate the information you need about the standard image sizes for social media, and each platform has different recommendations. Here is a quick image sizing guide for social media in 2023, so get it while it’s hot — or at least before the rules change again.
Why Are Image Sizing Guides For Social Media Important?
When your law firm brand needs great visual content for social media, there are things to get right, such as avoiding copyright laws, finding quality images, and using the best photo optimizing tools.
Besides this, your social media images need to be sized correctly. This image sizing guide for social media step is essential because properly sized images:
- Avoid unattractive image stretching
- Bypass pixelation
- Stay optimized for the social media feeds
- Increase engagement
- Ensure full photo display
Types of Social Media Images
- Profile photo. Your law firm logo should appear as your profile photo and match its color and appearance as much as possible. The identical image should appear on each of your social media networks.
- Header photo. This image displays at the top of your page. Here you can use a creative, current, eye-catching image. Try updating your header photo when key events happen in your law firm.
- Post photos. These are the images that you include in your social media posts to engage visitors and followers. Posting once per day keeps you visible to your audience, while posting too much appears spammy.
2023 Social Media Image Sizing Guide
For additional social media guidance, consider consulting the U.S. Department of Interior’s Digital Media Guide. Below are some additional social media image sizes to consider, alongside some tips for correctly using social media image sizes in 2023:
Instagram TV (IGTV) Sizing Guide
Using IGTV is a great way of making your firm more visible on Instagram since the algorithm favors those who use Instagram’s new features. When looking to use IGTV, remember these social media image sizes:
- Vertical videos use an aspect ratio of 9:16
- Horizontal videos use an aspect ratio of 16:9
Here are some tips to consider when using IGTV images and videos:
IGTV Tips
IGTV videos require at least a 720p resolution. Moreover, videos under 10 minutes long can be a maximum size of 650MB, while videos between 10 minutes and 60 minutes long can have a maximum size of 3.6GB. Alongside this, ensure any videos you upload are in MP4 format, with a 420 x 654 cover image.
Also, note that the video’s preview has a 4:5 ratio, and avoid uploading videos from your smartphone that are longer than 15 minutes. Additionally, profile images on IGTV have a resolution of 110 x 110 or 180 x 180, irrespective of the original image quality. Due to this, upload perfectly square images to prevent poor image quality.
YouTube Sizing Guide
By adopting the correct sizes, you can produce high-quality content on YouTube that is more likely to result in additional likes and subscribers to your law firm’s channel. Here are the social media image sizes in 2023 for YouTube:
- Profile image: 800 x 800
- Video thumbnail: 1280 x 720
- Cover image: 2560 x 1440
- Video ad: 1920 x 1080
- Horizontal ad: 300 x 600
Below are some tips to consider when working with YouTube images:
YouTube Image Quality Tips
Video thumbnails are the first thing that a viewer sees when coming across your video, so it is important that the quality of this image is good to avoid deterring the user from opening the video. When uploading a video thumbnail, aim to create one that exceeds the 1280 x 720 image size, but still within the same aspect ratio, so that it looks good when opened on devices with large screens.
Moreover, when uploading the cover image for your YouTube profile, remember to not include any important information, such as your law firm’s name or contact information, around the outside of the image. YouTube often displays these images differently, depending on the size of the device, meaning on some devices this key information may not display correctly or at all.
TikTok Sizing Guide
As one of the newest social media platforms, knowing the image sizes for TikTok can help law firms fully utilize this platform and avoid producing content with low-quality video footage and images. These are the social media image sizes for TikTok:
- TikTok video footage: 1080 x 1920
- TikTok wallpaper: 1080 x 1920
Here are some tips to consider when working with TikTok videos:
TikTok Video Quality Tips
To improve the quality of your TikTok videos, check the settings before recording. Here, you can select the maximum video quality and the highest frame rate. That said, if you plan on recording footage in a setting with low light or visibility levels, it might be better to opt for a lower video resolution. Moreover, make sure you record with the camera on your mobile device with the most advanced video quality (which is normally on the back) and consider disabling TikTok’s data-saving mode to prevent blurry videos.
Facebook Image Sizing Guide
Facebook keeps updating its image dimension and design guidelines. To protect your future image uploads, try to consistently use premium quality images and stick to the current file formats for best results.
- Profile Photo: 170 x 170
- Portrait: 630 x 1200
- Landscape: 1200 x 630
- Square: 1200 x 1200
- Stories:1080 x 1920
- Cover Photo: 851 x 315
Facebook Ads:
- Feed ads: Minimum 1080 x 1080 pixels. Maximum file size of 30 MB.
- Right Column ads: Minimum 1080 x 1080 pixels.
- Instant Articles: Minimum of 1080 x 1080 pixels. Maximum file size of 30 MB.
- Facebook Marketplace ads: Minimum of 1080 x 1080 pixels. Maximum file size of 30 MB.
- Facebook Search: Minimum 1080 x 1080 pixels. Maximum file size of 30 MB.
- Sponsored Messages: Minimum 1080 x 1080 pixels. Maximum file size of 30 MB.
- Messenger Inbox ads: Minimum 1080 x 1080 pixels. Maximum file size of 30 MB.
- Messenger Stories ads: Minimum 1080 x 1080 pixels.
Tips for Facebook Images
- Upload JPG or PNG files to avoid distortion.
- For quick loading, use the recommended pixel size.
- Cover or profile photos with a logo perform best when uploaded as a PNG file.
- Once you have uploaded a cover photo, avoid dragging the photo to reposition it.
- After an event, the size of your event cover photo cannot be edited.
Twitter Image Sizing Guide
Tweets with images included gather more engagement than tweets without images. In fact, tweets with some kind of visual content attract three times more engagements. So, images do matter on Twitter, and it is essential to get the images sizing correct.
- Profile Photo: 400 x 400
- Portrait: N/A
- Landscape: 1024 x 512
- Square: N/A
- Stories: 1080 x 1920
- Cover Photo: 1500 x 1500
Twitter Ads
Twitter image sizes for ads:
- Multi-image and single tweet ads: 600 x 335 pixels minimum. For best results, use larger images.
- Direct Message card: 800 x 418 pixels for 1.91:1 aspect ratio. Max file size of 3MB.
- Conversation card: 800 x 418 pixels for 1.91:1 aspect ratio. Max file size of 3MB.
- Website card image: 800 x 418 pixels for 1.91:1 aspect ratio. 800 x 800 for 1:1 aspect ratio. Max file size of 20MB.
- App card image: 800 x 800 pixels for 1:1 aspect ratio. 800 x 418 pixels for 1.91:1 aspect ratio. Max file size of 3MB.
- Carousels: 800 x 800 pixels for 1:1 aspect ratio. 800 x 418 pixels for 1.91:1 aspect ratio. Max file size of 20MB for 2-6 image cards.
Tips for Twitter Images
- The minimum image size for Twitter is 200 by 200 pixels
- Maximum file size for Twitter is 2 MB.
- To future-proof your Twitter images, use the maximum allowable size.
- Twitter header images are cropped to a 3:1 aspect ratio.
- Header image display depends on the device being used.
LinkedIn Image Sizing Guide
As on all social media platforms, using images on LinkedIn consistently shows an increase in sharing, comments and overall engagement. Use the following recommended sizing for LinkedIn images and always confirm the display and content before finalizing your post.
- Profile Photo: 400 x 400
- Portrait: 627 x 1200
- Landscape: 1200 x 627
- Square: N/A
- Stories: 1080 x 1920
- Cover Photo: 1128 x 191
LinkedIn Ads
When you invest in ads for LinkedIn, you want to make sure you get the image sizing correct, so here are the recommendations for LinkedIn Ads in 2023.
- Company logo size for ads: 100 x 100 pixels
- Spotlight ads logo size: 100 x 100 pixels
- Spotlight ads custom background image: 300 x 250 pixels
- Sponsored content images: 1200 x 627 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)
- Sponsored content carousel images: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Tips for LinkedIn Images
- LinkedIn can accommodate photos to a maximum of 7680 x 4320 pixels.
- You can use files up to 8MB on LinkedIn, so use the maximum allowable when you can.
- Depending on the device use, cover photos are cropped differently. Make sure to double check your photos on both desktop and mobile before completing your content.
- When posting an image update to your law firm’s page, be sure to use JPG or PNG images.
Digital Marketing Next Steps:
In 2023, visual content rules. Images should be a crucial part of your law firm’s social media marketing, from your company logo to your posts and ads. Using the right video or image can attract your audience’s attention and keep users engaged, but each platform has its unique optimal size requirements. Sticking to these image guidelines will keep your visual content attractive and its message clear. However, photos that are poorly cropped or awkwardly stretched are a turn-off, so before posting, be sure you check the current guidelines for image use on social media. Also, take the time to go back and make sure that the pictures and images you have posted on recent social media platforms look correct!
How Law Quill Can Help You With Your Image Sizing Guide for Social Media
We are here to help and would welcome the opportunity to visit with you for free regarding your website content and your social media. You DO KNOW we do social media marketing as well, right?
Schedule a free visit with us by scheduling a quick phone or zoom call at your convenience on our calendar today. You can also email us at support@lawquill.com
