Facebook Photo Size Cheat Sheet in 2022

In the early days of social media, pictures weren't nearly as popular and important as they are today. The accessibility of powerful Smartphone cameras has largely contributed to the fact that images create a huge portion of our online identity in 2022. Even though anyone can take a photo, being able to post pictures that match Facebook's aspect ratios requires basic photo editing knowledge.

In this cheat sheet, we are going to show you how to optimize your photos before posting them to Facebook and how to ensure that each picture you post attracts thousands of likes and reactions.

Facebook Cover Photo Size

The introduction of the Facebook Cover Photo feature has caught many Facebook users by surprise, but in the years since the cover photo has become a defining element of each successful Facebook page or profile.

A cover photo is a space for panoramic images located at the top of a Facebook page and it often compliments a profile picture. You can use the cover photo to advertise the products you are offering, share political statements or share entertaining content with your friends and followers. Although the cover photos may include different messages, their size is constant.

The image you intend to use as your cover photo is displayed at 820 pixels wide and 312 pixels high on computers, while its size on a smartphone is 640x360 pixels. Using images smaller than 399x150 pixels is not recommended, while the optimum size of a cover photo should be 1640x624.

Uploading a new cover photo is easy because you just need to click on the Update Cover Photo button and select the picture you want.

Facebook Profile Picture Size

A profile picture is usually a portrait or a selfie of the person who manages the Facebook account. Its significance is invaluable because people who visit your page or profile will get their first impression from a profile picture. This picture is included in all comments you post, in everything you share on Facebook, which is the reason why it defines how other people on Facebook see you.

The shape of the profile picture on Facebook is a square, and it is displayed in 170x170 pixels on computers or 128x128 on Smartphones. Most pictures are significantly larger than this, and as a result, your profile picture will be cropped. Cropping is not automatic and you can decide which part of the image you want to be shown in your profile picture. Using images smaller than 170x170 pixels is usually not a good idea because the picture might become pixelated. The size of the image displayed next to your Facebook comments and posts is 40x40 pixels.

Drag your mouse cursor over the profile picture square on your profile and click on the Update Profile Picture option. You'll be able to Upload a photo or set one of the pictures you already uploaded to your Facebook account. Adding a Frame to your profile picture is also an option if you want to make the image more amusing or provocative.

Facebook Post Image Size

The photos are great conversation starters and posting a picture on Facebook can trigger a debate about important issues. A lot of successful brands post images on their Facebook pages with the aim of increasing the user engagement. However, this plan can backfire if you post images that have an inadequate size for this purpose.

The general rule of thumb says to avoid low-resolution images because they don't leave a strong impression. Facebook will always automatically resize your pictures to its default post image size, but it is much better if it reduces the size of the picture than it is if it increases it.

The size of the Facebook post image size depends on the orientation of the photo. A square picture is going to have the 476x476 pixels, so using the image that has a 1200x1200 resolution is going to get you the best results. The optimum size for a Landscape photo is 1200X627 pixels because the image is going to be scaled down to 476 pixels wide while the hight will be adjusted to match the new size.

Pictures with vertical orientation should be around 736X1128 pixels because their size will be reduced to a height of just 394 pixels after you upload it. The width of the image will be adjusted proportionally. 

Posting a photo to Facebook is so easy that even a child can do it. If you want to post an image, simply click on the Photo/Video icon located at the very top of your News Feed and select the picture you want to post from your hard disc. 

Facebook Shared Link Thumbnail

Links that don't have a thumbnail generate less traffic on Facebook, which is the reason why including a picture that reflects the topic of the post is advisable. However, the process of adding a thumbnail picture to a Facebook post couldn't be simpler.

The ideal size of the vertical photo upload is 1200x627 pixels, while the minimum size you can use is 476X249 pixels in a feed and 484x252 pixels on a page. Furthermore, the minimum size of a square thumbnail picture is 154x154 pixels in a feed and 116x116 pixels on a page.

Facebook automatically scales the images down to their minimum size, and for that reason using pictures that have higher resolutions is a good choice if you want to create compelling Facebook thumbnails on links you share on this social network.