If you’ve been active on social media for a while, or you just made your accounts, you’ll realize that when it comes social media, visual content and social media go together like French fries and dip sauce, and all comes down to the last pixel.

Social networks are constantly adding up more features, visual elements, and it seems like every day when you wake up, you see a new element or iteration being made to the social networks you are active, making you go back and figure out the right size of cover images, post images and align your campaign according to the latest set of changes.

It has become extremely difficult for businesses to stay on top of all of these changes, and we see many people asking, what should be the size of my Twitter Header? Can I post the same picture on Twitter which I shared on my Facebook feed? Can I add a call to action on my cover?

Anytime you want to make a new visual piece you have to search on Google for dimensions of different social networks.

Lucky for you, we’ve made this Infographic, which will be your cheat sheet when you are designing timeline or header covers or Facebook ads or a LinkedIn Company header.

You’ll get a detailed guide on the image specs and size on the seven most popular social networks, all in one place just below this guide.

Social Media Design Cheat Sheet by Omnicore

1) Facebook

If you are on Facebook, you’d be anticipating the new Facebook page design to be rolled out for your page very soon.

Many pages have already been switched to the new design, and Facebook has prompted businesses to make the switch now, and they plan on make this change applicable to all pages on 5thJune, 2014.

We suggest looking at the latest round of changes and preparing to adapt your brand page to the latest set of changes.

1)  Cover Photo

Facebook New Cover Photo 2014The main cover photo size remained the same in this update, which is 851px x 315px.

However, it is recommended to upload an image 2x the size so it doesn’t lose quality when compressed.

The main change in this update is that the elements have been moved inside as you can see in the above image.

At first, it won’t look prominent, but If you go back and compare your old page to any new page you’ll see that the new elements affect the cover design and any text or graphic that you might have in that area will have to be redesigned.

Below is an overview of the revised Timeline Cover section:

  • The name of your Facebook Page is next to the Profile Picture/Logo on the cover.
  • The “Category” of your Facebook Page is also inside the Cover, making it a lot more prominent. Make sure to review if you’ve selected the right category.
  • The “Like” and “Following” buttons, which used to be right below the Cover, are also inside, and the “Message” button has been added, as well as the dropdown for Report Page, Share, and Create a Page.
  • The Profile image displays at 160x160px but the recommended upload is 180x180px.

2) Post Images

As the Facebook pages had two columns before the individual width of each column was a bit small as you can see the old image post is 377px wide.

Facebook Post Image Old Size
The new layout consists of a single streamlined column feed, so they’ve increased the size by a little more than 100px making it 484px.

Facebook Post Image New Size

Here are the new dimensions for each type of content:

  • Link post: 484x252px – Recommended upload remains the same 1200x600px
  • Image post: 504px wide – Recommended upload: 1200x1200px
  • Video: 504x283px

3) Tab Thumbnails

The Tab thumbnails, as we all know them, have been relocated to the sidebar. The dimensions are still the same 111 x 74px.

2) Google+

Google+ is a really powerful social network and has really powerful communities just like Facebook and LinkedIn Groups.

Google+ has rolled out multiple changes to their design elements and the most recent one has been stable, and we’ve covered it in our Infographic below.

Here is a rundown of the elements:

1)  Photo

The profile picture is displayed in a circular frame. The recommended size is 270 x 270. However, if the logo doesn’t turn out well you can try uploading a larger size image so that the edges will be cut off and fit in the circle.

2) Cover Photo

Google+ Cover photo is the largest of all the social networks that offer cover images for profiles. The cover photo size is 2120px x 1192px.

The image must be uploaded at a 16:9 ratio otherwise you can crop it.

As the cover image gets cropped on mobile and smaller screens the most important information such as the logo, tagline, or call to action should be in the top middle next to the logo in the center so it doesn’t get cropped.

3) Status Update

You have up to 100,000 characters & hashtags when updating your status on Google+.

4) Shared Link

Sharing a link on Google+ will generate a square thumbnail measuring 150 x 150 pixels.

5) Shared Image

A shared image on Google+ will be displayed at 497 x 279 pixels. The image can be uploaded and viewed up to 2048 x 2048 pixels.

6) Shared Video

Uploading a video on your Google+ profile will measure 497 x 279 pixels.

3) Twitter

Twitter rolled out a new design for profiles, which is available for all profiles now. Again, the cover photo size has increased, and we are seeing this a lot as all social networks are focusing on large visuals.

1) Profile Photo

The new profile photo size is 400px x 400px, try uploading a picture with 2x size so that it doesn’t lose the quality. Also when the profile picture is clicked, it pops up in a window with a size close to or more than 450 x 450px.

2) Header Image

The header image is one of the most prominent features in the latest design and a great way to use a call to action on the profile page instead of the small header cards that were available in the previous design.

The recommended dimension of the header image is 1500px × 500px, a maximum file size of 5MB. You can update your header image from the top drop-down menu.

3) Shared Image

When Twitter first launched it was just 160 characters that one could use, however, as the network evolved, they’ve introduced visual elements.

Now users can upload images with their tweets, which helps in a higher click through rate. The ideal size of the shared image with tweet is 590px x 295px.

4) Instagram

Instagram photos are uploaded through mobile application. However, we’ve featured the hack that allows uploading Instagram photos from desktop.

1) Profile Photo

The new profile photo size is 110px x 110px; this is uploaded from the smartphone itself.

2) Instagram Upload Image

The header collage section shows two sizes of images. The small thumbnail size is 205px x 205px, and the large thumbnail size is 410px x 410px.

The lightbox preview is 612px x 612px. The max resolution is 2048px x 2048px which varies by the device.

5) Pinterest

Pinterest is the mother of visual social media marketing for me. As It is purely and solely built on imagery.

While Instagram is built on photos too, Pinterest is more public and suitable for businesses as you can curate and upload all kinds of images.

1) Profile Photo

Pinterest profile photo size is 160px x 165px; you can upload either logos or headshots here.

2) Pinterest Boards Thumbnail

Pinterest boards have a small cover photo, which is 225px x 150px in size. You need to upload a few pins before you get the option to upload a cover so don’t panic. If you’ve just made a Pinterest profile and want to add covers.

3) Enlarged Pin

Individual Pinterest pins are unique as they offer indefinite length; the image size is 500px x indefinite px.

6) LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a place where professionals hangout and as a professional yourself, you need to showcase your products or services in the best manner.

Below is the cheat sheet of the company page.

1) Logo

There are two types of logos, the horizontal logo dimensions are 100px x 60px; the square logo is 50px x 50px.

2) Banner Image

The company page has a banner image or cover image under the logo which is 646px x 220px.

3) Careers Page

The company page has a job section to post job openings. The cover photo size of the careers section is 974px x 238px.

4) Products & Services Page

The products and services tab on the company page has covered photo size i.e. 646px x 220px.

7) Youtube

YouTube channel pages allow artwork, which is quite tricky as the image resizes a lot.

1) Cover Photo

The cover art size is 2560px x 1440px. However, this size is for the TV, on the desktop the visible section is 2560px x 423px, and it goes down on smaller screen sizes.

Social Media Design Sizing Cheat Sheet

Facebook

Timeline

Profile Picture

160×160 px

At least 180×180 px

Cover Photo

820×312 px

About Us

255 Characters

App Preview Image

111×74 px

Total Length of Apps bar (including gaps)

350 px

Timeline Profile Picture

32×32 px

Shared Image

403×403 px

Photos must be uploaded at minimum 1200×717 px

Shared Facebook Video

403×226 px

Status Update

63,206 characters

Shared Link Preview

156×116 px

Shared Link Title Tag

Up to 100 characters

Event Photo

1920×1080 px

Highlighted Post or Milestone

843×403 px

Highlighted Video Post or Milestone

843×475 px

News feed

News feed profile picture

50×50 px

News Feed Status update

Up to 5 lines of text before Facebook truncates & appends ‘See More’ at the first break after the fifth

Shared Image

Landscape

398×296 px

Portrait

296 x 398 px

Square

320×320 px

News Feed Sponsored Story Profile Picture

32×32 px

News Feed Sponsored Story Image

Landscape

358×268 px

Portrait

268×358 px

Square

300×300 px

Shared Facebook Video Preview

500×252 px

Shared Video Link Preview

130×73 px

Shared Link Thumbnail

90×90 px

Shared Link Title

Up to 100 Characters

Editable

Shared Link Description

Varies based on Thumbnail & Title Size

Editable


Ads

URL Ad Title

25 Characters

URL Ad Copy

90 Characters

Page Ad Profile Picture

50×50 px

Page Ad Title

Page Name

Page Ad Copy

90 Characters

Page Post Ad Profile Picture

32×32 px

Page Post Ad Title

Page Name

Page Post Ad Copy

First 90 characters of selected post

First 120 characters if post is text-only

Page Post Ad Image

90×118 px

Page Post Ad Video Preview

128×72 px

Page Post Ad Link Thumbnail

50×50 px

Sponsored Story Fan Picture

50×50 px

Sponsored Story Profile Picture

32×32 px

Premium Page Post Ad Profile Picture

50×50 px

Premium Page Post Ad Video Preview

185×104 px

Premium Page Post Ad Image

168×128 px


Twitter

Profile

Background Image

90% of visitors see first 78 px of the background

67% see 204 px

43% see 247 px

Cover Photo

1500×1500 px

Recent Image Preview

90×90 px

Profile Picture

200×200 px

Upload as 400×400 px

Tweet Length

140 Characters

In-stream

Profile Picture Preview

48×48 px

Shared Media Tweet Length

140 characters, including link

Shared Link Preview

120×120 px

Must be at least 60×60 px

Shared Link Title

First 70 characters of twitter:title tag

Shared Link Description

First 200 characters of twitter:description tag

Shared Image

590×295 px

Shared Video Preview

483×274 px

Video Details

Video Title and first 160 characters of video description


Google +

Company Profile

Cover Photo

1080×608 px

Profile Picture

250×250 px

5 px border

Horizontal Profile and cover photo gap

614 px

Status Update

100,000 Characters

Can include hash tags

Shared Link Thumbnail

150×150 px

Shared Video Preview

497×279 px

Shared Image

497×373 px

Can be uploaded and viewed up to 2048 x 2048 px


YouTube

Branded Channel

Channel Art

2560×423 px

Mappable Header

970×150 px

Can map links off of YouTube

Profile Picture

250×250 px

Uploaded through Google+

Featured Video

640×390 px

Video Thumbnail

288×162 px

YouTube Brand Channel Background Size

90% of users see 8 px on either side of the content container

Up to 1 mb in size

67% see 136 px

43% see 180 px

21% see 216 px

Video

Title

Up to 100 characters

User Banner

Up to 170×25 px

Video Preview

640×390 px

Description

Up to 5.000 characters

Tags

Up to 500 characters

Hidden, can be found in page source under “meta:keywords”

Recommended Playlist Details

Playlist Title

Recommended Playlist Large Thumbnail

120×67 px

Recommeded Playlist Small Thumbnail

40×25 px

Recommended Video Details

Video Title, Author, and Views

Recommended Video Thumbnail

120×67 px


LinkedIn

Overview

Horizontal Logo

100×60 px

Cover Photo

646×220 px

Company Square Logo

50×50 px

Company Comment Logo

30×30 px

Shared Link Thumbnail

180×110 px

Shared Link Details

Shared Link Title and up to 230 characters of description. The description is editable.

Careers

Careers Cover Photo

974×238 px

Products and Services

Products and Services Banner Image

646×220 px

Product Image

100×80 px

Product Details

100 character title and 2000 character description


Pinterest

Profile

Profile Picture

160×165 px

About Section

Up to 200 characters

Boards

Board

222×207 px

Big Thumbnail

222×150 px

Small Thumbnails

55×55 px

Pins

Profile Picture

165×165 px

Title & Description

100 & 200 Characters

Board Display

222×150 px

Pin

Pin on board

236 x scaled height

Enlarged Pins

500 x infinity

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Salman Aslam
Salman Aslam is the Managing Director at Omnicore, a leading Healthcare Digital Advertising & Marketing Agency helping clients across the globe. You can follow him on Twitter for tweets and rants about the latest news, tips, and advice on digital marketing.