What’s the Ideal Twitch Banner Size? [With Best Practices]8 min read

With a user base of 7.16 million, Twitch remains at the forefront of online streaming. And like any other social media platform, it has its own rules when it comes to creating native visual assets. One of them is sticking with the recommended Twitch banner size.

A Twitch banner (or profile banner) is the equivalent of a standard cover image.

It’s one of the first things that your existing and potential followers see when they visit your Twitch profile. And if they see a cropped out/pixelated banner, that won’t look good for you.

To make sure that doesn’t happen, keep reading. In this guide, I’m going to discuss:

• The recommended Twitch banner size (along with other Twitch sizes)
• The reason why Twitch banners matter
• How to craft Twitch profile banners (without Photoshop or Illustrator)
• Best practices for designing stunning banners

Let’s jump right in.

What’s the Perfect Twitch Banner Size?

The recommended size for Twitch profile banners is 1920 x 480 pixels, which is an aspect ratio of 4:1.

The official recommendation is 900 x 380 pixels, but that’s not the best option – just hear me out. On larger (HD) screens, those dimensions don’t work so well. For that reason, it’s best to stick with the bigger (1920 pixels) width.

However, the Twitch profile banner size isn’t the only thing you need to worry about. Additionally, you need to make sure that you use the right file types (only JPG or PNG formats). Furthermore, the maximum file size for profile covers is 10MB.

A Quick Size Guide for Other Twitch Graphics Elements

To reiterate, the dimensions that we discussed were for Twitch profile banners.

There are a good few other elements that go on a Twitch page as well, with each having its own dimensions.

To avoid mixing things up, here’s a list of all the recommended Twitch sizes (apart from the standard Twitch banner size):

• Twitch Avatar – this is the equivalent of a standard profile photo. The recommended dimensions are 1600 x 1600 pixels (aspect ratio of 1:1).
• Offline Banner – this is an offline screen that your followers see when you’re not live. For best quality, the Twitch offline banner size should be 1920 x 1080 pixels.
• Twitch Panel – these appear below your live streams, and you can use them to share information about what you’re doing. The recommended Twitch panel size is 320 x 160 pixels.
• Twitch Video Thumbnail – the recommended video thumbnail size for Twitch is 1280 x 720 pixels.
• Video Player Banner – these should be kept at 1920 x 1080 pixels to avoid the elements being cut out.

What’s the Big Deal with Twitch Profile Banners?

Becoming famous on Twitch – like every other social network – is a popularity contest.

Some people would argue that the way you present yourself matters more than the actual content you push out. Even if that’s not true, you have to admit: The banner is the most important element on your Twitch channel page.

As implied earlier, it’s your chance to set a great first impression. If you fail to do that, there’s a very good chance that first-time visitors might leave without checking out your content.

Besides, with your profile banner, you can:

• Brand yourself
• Click with the ideal audience right off the bat
• Give the visitors an idea of what your content is mostly about

Considering that, make sure you stick with the right Twitch banner size and follow all best practices (more on that shortly).

How to Create a Twitch Banner Using Templates? [A 3-Step Guide]

Creating a custom Twitch banner from scratch isn’t exactly easy.

Apart from getting the dimensions right, you need to embellish it with eye-catching elements and icons. And don’t even get me started on the color schemes.

However, with the help of Pixelied – a powerful and user-friendly online graphic design tool (and one of the best Canva and Snappa alternatives) – you can create professional-looking Twitch banners in a matter of a few minutes.

How? With the help of awesome pre-made banner templates.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

Step 1: Open Pixelied’s Fast Editor

To start stunning Twitch profile banners, simply go to our free Pixelied editor.

You can view all the Twitch banner templates on the left sidebar along with its recommended dimensions and settings.

Step 2: Select a Twitch Banner Template That You Like

You can easily navigate using our search feature by searching for a specific template based on a category, tag or keyword.

Once you make up your mind, simply click on the template you like to start customizing it.

Step 3: Customize and Download

This is where the actual work begins.

After clicking on a template, it’ll load onto the editor – packed with some of the best tools offered by any free online graphic designing platform.

This is what it should look like (apart from maybe the template – that’s only there for the sake of the tutorial):

The first thing you’ll notice is how, unlike most online designing tools, Pixelied has a clean and highly intuitive UI.

Even if you’ve never designed a single thing in your life, this tool will make you seem like a professional graphic designer.

Here are the main tools that it offers:

• Huge Library of Templates – Pixelied offers one of the largest libraries of free templates for social media, email, and blogs. And the best part – you can change the templates right there on the editor in case you change your mind.
• Native Access to Stock Images – you can download and use millions of free stock images (from Unsplash) as you edit. This is perfect if you’re on a short deadline, as you won’t need to switch between tabs.
• Access to Over 900 Fonts – Pixelied also provides native access to Google fonts to help you nail your typography.
• Awesome Elements and Icons – visuals, especially Twitch banners, are incomplete without some icons and design elements. You can add, adjust, and/or remove elements thanks to the simple drag-and-drop feature.
• Option to Upload Files – want to use your logos and other custom files? No problem. You can easily upload your own files and incorporate them into your designs.
• Folders – your designs are automatically saved and stored on the cloud. You can organize them into folders.

In addition to the above, you can manipulate text, add borders, move layers, and do a whole lot of other things.

Best Practices for Creating Groovy Twitch Banners

Now that you know about the ideal Twitch banner size and how you can make one from scratch, it’s time to look at how you can make yours stand out by following certain best practices.

Now don’t get me wrong – these are, in no way, hard and fast rules.

But they can help leave a lasting impression (and increase your odds of gaining new followers).

1.      Brand Your Banner

The Twitch community cares a lot about personal branding.

You have to realize that this isn’t Facebook where you can put up a vague blurry photo of fireworks you once captured on your phone.

Your Twitch profile banner needs to be professional, and it needs to help make you more memorable.

For that reason, create and use your own logo (if you have one).

If you’re a professional gamer, use the logo of your eSports team as well.

Include anything special that might make you more recognizable, and not just another Twitch streamer.

2.      Keep Things Consistent Throughout Your Channel

This is somewhat related to the previous tip.

A professional-looking Twitch channel, just like a YouTube channel, should be consistent from the top to the bottom.

What this essentially means is that you have to use the same typography, art style, and color scheme throughout your channel.

This includes your profile banner, offline banner, video player banner, webcam/Twitch overlay, info panel, and thumbnails.

If you already haven’t, I suggest creating formal brand guidelines for yourself and sticking with them.

3.      Don’t Clutter Your Banner

When designing a Twitch banner, it’s easy to get carried away and just slapping on up to 10 different elements that leave little or no whitespace.

While there’s no rule specifying that you can’t do that, it’s best that you don’t.

This is especially true for the text. Only include information that you feel is vital.

Avoid including long slogans or catchy one-liners. That’s what your bio’s for.

4.      Keep it Relevant

Last but not least, it’s important that your banner immediately clicks with the target audience you’re hoping to capture.

But what does this entail exactly?

By using subtle design elements and copy, you should be able to tell your visitor the main type of content you create.

For instance, the Twitch profile banner template we used in the example shows Tracer from Overwatch, which might indicate that the channel specializes in streaming Overwatch content.

Final Thoughts

With the correct Twitch banner size and a free powerful tool at your disposal, go crazy.

Remember – while templates are very useful, customization will help you win the race.

In addition to getting the profile banner right, you should also focus on creating an eye-catching and interesting username for your Twitch profile. Here is a guide on the best Twitch name generators to help you get started.

If you’re also planning on repurposing your content on YouTube, make sure that you stick with the recommended YouTube thumbnail size.

To learn more about the different Pixelied features, check out our in-depth guide on how to use it to level up your social media design.