In this blog post we're going to cover what size and image resolution you need to be using to create the best content for social media. I'll be covering the three main sites I use which are Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest and includes links to templates to help graphic designers take their digital designs to the next level.
Quick Links: INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST
Creating a beautiful feed means creating content that is high quality, but low file size, so it's quick to load and looks great on the screen.
There's a few important things to remember here:
1. Instagram is optimised for portrait images 2. While portrait images work best on peoples feeds, when they display on your home feed they are a square or 1:1 ratio, so bear this in mind when you're designing.
3. The same goes for stories, certain areas at the top won't be visible.
INSTAGRAM SIZES
Resolution: 72dpi
Colour: RGB
Format: JPG or PNG
Posts: 1080px x 1080px or 1080px x 1300px
Stories: 1080px x 1920px
Highlights: 1080px x 1920px
Profile Picture: 1080px x 1080px
Download free illustrator files of all these templates here. Includes guides of sections that aren't visible.
Pro tip: When saving your files select 'save for web' from the export menu and choose 'PNG-24' as the preset.
Facebook is a forever evolving little app that makes designing for it quite tricky. Have you ever made a beautiful ad but Facebook has rejected it? Have you designed an amazing cover photo but it's been blurry? Facebook follows very strict rules and there's a lot to remember, so feel free to bookmark this page to reference back to.
There's a few important things to remember here:
1. Facebook ads need to follow strict policies and guidelines for advertising. For a full list click here. 2. Resolution is key with Facebook, be sure to keep it high and the file size low.
3. Most ads only allow 20% text to image ratio.
FACEBOOK SIZES
Resolution: 72dpi
Colour: RGB
Format: JPG or PNG
Posts: 1080px x 1080px
Stories: 1080px x 1920px
Profile Picture: 1080px x 1080px
Event Cover: 1200px x 628px
Newsfeed Ad: 1080px x 1080px or 1200px x 628px
20% text rule applies when adding text to your ad image - Check your ads using this overlay tool.
Text length: max 125 characters
Headline length: max 25 characters
Link description length: max 30 characters
Carousel Ad: 1080px x 1080px
20% text rule applies when adding text to your ad image - Check your ads using this overlay tool.
Text length: max 125 characters
Headline length: max 40 characters
Link description length: max 30 characters
Right Hand Column Ad: 1200px x 628px
Text: 125 characters
Headline: 25 characters
Link description: 30 characters
Instant Articles: 1200px x 628px
Text: 30 characters
Headline: 25 characters
Marketplace Ad: 1200px x 628px
Text: 125 characters
Headline: 25 characters
Link description: 30 characters
Download free illustrator files of all these templates here.
Pinterest isn't just a place to look for recipes or outfit inspiration, it's actually a really great and under-utilised marketing tool. Take some time to carefully plan out your Pinterest and
There's a few important things to remember here:
1. Pinterest is all about aesthetics, so make them as pinnable as possible 2. Long Pins can get shortened so make sure your text is centre aligned to avoid information being cut off.
PINTEREST SIZES
Resolution: 72dpi
Colour: RGB
Format: JPG or PNG
Board Cover: 600px x 600px
Standard Pins: 1000px x 1500px (most common)
Square Pins: 1000px x 1000px
Long Pins: 1000px x 2100px
Pro tip: Long Pins can get shortened, so make sure you text is centred in the middle to avoid being cut off
Infographic Pins: 1000px x 3000px
Carousel Pins: 1000px x 1500px or 1000px x 1000px
This is a lot of information to take in, so to make things easier I've created free Illustrator templates for all of the social media sizes mentioned in this post. Simply hit the button below to download.
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