Social Media Cover Photo Templates for the Most Popular Social Networks

The post Social Media Cover Photo Templates for the Most Popular Social Networks appeared first on Dustin Stout by Dustin W. Stout.

Your one-stop resource for always-updated cover photo sizes (and templates) for Facebook profiles, Facebook Pages, Facebook Groups, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.

Social media is becoming more and more visual every day. Ever since Facebook revealed its timeline cover photo, people have really taken to it this idea of a large header and/or cover images.

It’s a lot of work though to create a good cover photo for your profile– especially when the dimensions for these cover photos are so hard to find. Well, you’re in luck! I’ve gathered the cover photo dimensions from the top social networks that incorporate them, and put them all in one place for you.

I also promise to always stay on top of social network changes, and update these templates accordingly.

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The primary social networks that I have included for you to download are as follows [click to go straight to that template]:

Facebook Cover Photo Template (Profile)Facebook Cover Photo Template (Page)Facebook Group Cover Photo TemplateTwitter Header TemplateLinkedIn Background Image (Profile)LinkedIn Background Image (Company)Pinterest Cover PhotoYouTube Channel Art

Each template showcases the maximum display dimensions. I’ve also marked out where certain interface obstructions or cropping may occur. The grey areas are what will be seen, the dark areas are what will be covered up.

Make sense? Cool, let’s get started.

A Brief Word of Advice

One thing I tell all my clients when crafting these for them is that they should not look at it as a billboard or a marketing opportunity. It should be used to showcase the person or brand– not to sell something. It is a means of visually enriching your online story.

Too much text is unattractive and people won’t read it anyways. Trying to communicate too much ends up communicating nothing at all. So keep your cover photos high-quality and simple.

Lastly, I always recommend that you keep your cover photos consistent across all your social profiles. They don’t have to be the exact same photo, but consistency builds brand recognition and trust. Just something to keep in mind.

Facebook Cover Photo Template (Profile)

Over the years there have been a lot of changes to the many Facebook image sizes. Currently, your Facebook profile cover photo is a maximum resolution of 2,048×758.

Make sure you look out for the areas that will be covered up by your profile picture, your name, and a row of action buttons. While these obstructions are annoying at times, you can also get creative and make them a part of your background if you want.

For example:

Notice how the profile photo is seamlessly a part of the cover photo. Very creative.

Facebook Cover Photo Template (Page)

If you have a Facebook Page, your cover photo gives you 100% of the space to work with. The maximum display dimensions are 2,048×779.

There are no interface elements or obstructions of any kind.

Just keep in mind that your Facebook Page Cover Photo is not a flyer. It’s also not a billboard. Don’t try and put a ton of information all over it because people don’t want to sit and read through it.

Use your Cover Photo to showcase your brand as visually as you can with color, photography, and/or illustrations that show your audience what your about without using words.

A Tool to Make Your Life Easier!

My friends over at Placeit.net have an incredible tool that allows you to create cover photos quickly and easily using professionally designed templates.

You can choose from hundreds of image or video templates for your cover photos and then use their customizer tool to change colors, add your own text, and swap photos. It literally couldn’t be easier!

This content is Sponsored by Placeit.net.

Facebook Group Cover Photo Template

If you manage a Facebook Group, the Cover Photo is also unobstructed. You have 2,048×830 to tell the visual story of your group.

Since groups tend to get a lot more visits than a Facebook page, the group Cover is something you might consider updating frequently to showcase updates or upcoming events for the community.

Twitter Header Template

Since the day it was introduced, the Twitter Header has not changed it’s dimensions. It still sits at a maximum resolution of 1,500×500.

Like your Facebook profile, there is an obstruction to be aware of from your profile photo. It’s a much smaller area than Facebook’s photo obstruction, but still enough to have some fun with if you want.

LinkedIn Background Image Template (Profile)

If you want to pretty-up your LinkedIn Profile, the background image is a nice touch. You have a very narrow area, however, maxing out at a resolution of 1,584×396.

Since LinkedIn is a more professional environment, I highly recommend keeping your Background Image a photo or illustration. Leave the text off of it–especially since it’s such a small area to work with.

Just like Twitter, LinkedIn also places your profile photo over top of a portion of the Background Image.

LinkedIn Background Image Template (Company)

If you manage a LinkedIn Company Page, you also have the ability to upload a Background Image. The maximum display resolution is 1,536×768.

This maximum resolution is deceiving, however, as most of it ends up getting cropped out. There is only a very narrow sliver of the uploaded photo that will actually display.

On top of that, there is also a portion of the Background Image covered by your company profile photo. Yikes!

I have no idea why LinkedIn decided to make this so complicated. I’m hoping it changes soon so it doesn’t feel like so much of our photo is wasted.

Pinterest Cover Photo Template

Pinterest was one of the last big platforms to allow for a cover photo. You can upload one for yourself at a maximum resolution of 1,600×900.

Again, a small portion of the photo will be covered up by your profile photo.

If you choose not to upload a cover photo, Pinterest populates a dynamic one which displays your latest pins. I think this was a brilliant (and beautiful) move by the Pinterest team.

YouTube Channel Art Template

Now we come to the last, and most complicated of all the social media cover photos-the YouTube Channel Art.

YouTube requires you to upload a photo with a minimum resolution of 2,560×1,440. You can upload one that is larger, but it will get reduced in size (and quality).

The challenge with YouTube Channel Art is that there are 3 different display possibilities–Desktop, Mobile, and TV. Each of the 3 display environments will show your Channel Art in a different crop.

In my template above, the white area is what will be displayed on most mobile screens. The extended grey areas to the left and right of that white area is the additional space that will be seen on desktop, laptop, or some tablet devices.

Everything else is what will be seen when your YouTube channel has gotten so popular that people are browsing it from their television set. And even then… I have no idea how they would even see your channel art.

Quick Reference Infographic

In case you need a quick reference guide, I’ve put this simple infographic together so you can get all these dimensions at a glance. Simple, lite, effective, and highly sharable.

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<a href=”https://dustinstout.com/social-covers/”><img src=”https://dustinstout.com/free-resources/social-covers/social-cover-templates-reference.jpg” alt=”Social Media Cover Photo Templates” width=”600px” border=”0″/></a><em>Image courtesy of <a href=”https://dustinstout.com”>dustinstout.com</a></em>

You can save each one of the photos above and use them at your leisure. Of course proper credit is appreciated, but not required. Make your cover photos beautiful, be creative, and always have fun.

What are some of the best cover photos you’ve seen online? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

The post Social Media Cover Photo Templates for the Most Popular Social Networks appeared first on Dustin Stout by Dustin W. Stout. If you are reading this on a website that is NOT dustinstout.com, it is STOLEN.

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