Over the years, Twitter has become one of the largest social media platforms, giving people a chance to interact with practically anyone without any barriers. That’s why people who are new to the site need to know about things like the right Twitter banner size to make their profile stand out.
While you can start tweeting as soon as you’ve created an account, it’s better to set up your profile properly first. After all, if you want someone to follow you, you need to convince them that your content is good and your profile means business.
Depending on what kind of persona you have on Twitter and what you’re using it for, you have to choose your profile picture, banner, and bio accordingly.
In this article, we’ll go over the recommended Twitter banner size, along with some tips on designing one for your Twitter profile.
Let’s dive right in.
Table of Contents
What’s the Recommended Twitter Banner Size?
The recommended Twitter banner size is 1500 x 500 pixels, with an aspect ratio of 3:1. Furthermore, the file formats that are accepted include JPG, GIF, or PNG.
However, make sure that if you use GIFs, they’re not animated GIFs.
Additionally, the recommended file size for the banner image is under 2MB.
If your header photo is over the Twitter header size requirements, it will automatically be adjusted and resized when uploaded. However, if the image size is above the maximum file size limit of 2MB, you won’t be able to upload it.
Automatic resizing often leads to bad cropping, rough image edges, and other issues. If your image is more than the 1500x or 500x limit, Twitter will crop your original photo, especially if it doesn’t follow the 3:1 aspect ratio.
Furthermore, there’s another thing you need to keep in mind – since your Twitter profile photo shows up in front of your cover photo, that can obscure and block whatever’s on the header photo.
That’s why there’s a safe zone right in the middle of the header (1500 x 360 pixels). That’s the part that isn’t obscured by anything, so you can focus your design elements in that particular safe area.
When it comes to your Twitter header image design, the following points should be taken into account:
- The recommended Twitter banner size of 500 x 1500 pixels.
- Utilize only the safe zone for design elements.
- Keep the Twitter profile image area clear of any designs.
While keeping these points in mind, you can get a more accurate idea of the Twitter banner size and best practices.
Additional Twitter Dimensions You Need to Know
To completely set up your Twitter profile, you also need to know about some additional Twitter photo sizes and dimensions.
Once your Twitter account is set up, start personalizing your profile. You can start by adding your bio, basic information, and more. However, what’s more important is your banner image and profile photo.
Other than that, once you’ve been on Twitter long enough, you’ll also need to know about things like the ideal Twitter post size, ad size, and more.
The following are all the Twitter dimensions and sizes you need to know about other than the Twitter banner size:
- Twitter Profile Picture Size – The ideal Twitter profile picture size is 400 x 400 pixels. It needs to have an aspect ratio of 1:1 and the supported file types include JPG, PNG, and GIF. Keep in mind that the profile picture safe area in the banner image is 430 x 172 pixels.
- Twitter Post Size – The recommended Twitter post size is 1600 x 900 pixels.
- Recommended Twitter Video Size – The ideal Twitter video limit and size are 140 seconds and 1600 x 900 pixels, respectively.
- Twitter Ad Size – The recommended Twitter ad size is 1600 x 900 pixels. If you want to create a Twitter ad quickly, you can use Pixelied’s editor.
Keeping these dimensions in mind along with the Twitter header image size will help you craft an excellent profile. With the right images, Twitter users can get more engagement, followers, likes, and retweets.
Therefore, it’s best to keep note of all the image sizes so that your photos don’t get cropped or messed up.
How Do I Upload My Twitter Banner?
Once you understand the ideal Twitter banner size, you should also know how you can upload the banner. Here’s a step-by-step process you can follow:
- Open Twitter on your browser or mobile phone and sign in to your Twitter account.
- Go to your profile by clicking the Profile button on the left-hand side of the web page.
- Click on the Edit Profile button under the banner image area on the right side. This will open a window where you’ll be able to edit your header photo, profile photo, name, bio, location, website, and birth date.
- Hover over the camera icon and click it. If there’s already a picture, you can click the X to remove it. When you click on the camera icon, a file explorer window will pop up and you can choose your new banner image. Select the image you’d like to upload and click Open.
- Once the image has been uploaded, you can adjust the photo according to the size and dimensions. If you’ve followed the Twitter banner size, you don’t have to do anything. However, if you’re using an image that’s not sized properly, you can adjust the slider to focus on what you want. Once you’re done, click the Apply button.
- Click the Save button on the top right corner of the popup window and your new Twitter banner will load.
You can also change your profile photo in the same way too. This process is relatively similar for mobile devices too. The only difference is that you’ll have to give Twitter access to your phone’s files to choose your new banner image.
Furthermore, if you’re having trouble uploading images, make sure they’re JPG, GIF, or PNG files.
Tips for Creating a Great Twitter Banner
Similar to other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, your Twitter banner can also play an important role in increasing your followers and engagement. That means you need to put in some extra effort into designing a great Twitter banner.
Understanding the photo size is just the first step. The next step is to understand what makes header images great. Regardless of whether you’re marketing something, have a business page, or just looking to increase the number of followers on your personal account, you need to keep a few things in mind.
The following points consist of Twitter content guidelines as well:
1. Brand Your Banner
If you want to build a loyal Twitter following, you need to create a brand. If it’s just you, you will need to build a personal brand based on certain likes, dislikes, characteristics, and more. Users like to relate to the people they’re following, increasing the importance of building a consistent brand.
That’s why your brand must showcase all aspects of your Twitter profile, including your banner image, profile image, and more.
You can brand your banner by adding a logo, using the display in a certain way, or by uploading something that can automatically be associated with you.
2. Establish Emotional Appeal Based on Your Audience
Your content should always be based on emotional appeal to relate to other Twitter users. When you upload something, there’s a good chance it’s going to be seen by a lot of people. To make them engage, it has to be relevant enough.
That’s why when you create your banner, you have to add some sort of emotional elements that speak to your followers.
For example, The Pet Collective uses pictures of animals to build emotional appeal.
3. Center-Align Key Design Elements
While the ideal Twitter banner size and dimensions are there to ensure your picture gets shown properly, you still need to worry about the safe area. You don’t have the entire space to showcase your design because the profile picture obscures some part of the banner image.
While you can use the top, bottom, and right sides of the banner, however, the lower-left corner should be left alone. The bottom left dimensions you should leave alone are 420 x 172 pixels.
You’ll see a lot of cropped brands that don’t take the profile photo into account. At times, it obscures their personal brand assets.
For a proper background design, make sure all your design elements remain in the safe zone.
4. Simplify the Design
The most important thing is to simplify your design as much as possible. You don’t want someone to look at your banner image and question what they’re seeing, or worse, ignore it altogether.
Utilize some graphic design tips when creating your banner image. Some common tips include focusing on clarity, cleanliness, intelligent use of fonts (a minimalist font works best), and alignment.
If you have a business Twitter account, you probably already understand the concept of marketing design – utilizing images, graphics, and other design elements to communicate a brand’s message.
To do that effectively, you can’t make your banner image design so complex that it’s hard to understand by users.
Therefore, it’s crucial to keep your design as simple as possible. A simple design increases your chance of you making a positive impact on your followers. Here’s a prime example of this:
Sure, it’s Nike, but the point remains. Nike could put a picture of their latest sneakers on the banner section, instead, they choose to keep it simple by using their slogan. It’s much more impactful because the majority of people on Nike’s Twitter profile wouldn’t be there to look at a picture of their sneakers, especially in the banner image.
Designing Your Twitter Banner Using Pixelied
Once you’ve developed a solid understanding of the Twitter banner size and how you should design your banner, you can move on to the actual creation process. To make things quick and simple, Pixelied already has Twitter banner templates that you can use without having to worry about the size and dimensions.
Here’s how you can design your Twitter banner with Pixelied:
Step One – Open Pixelied’s Editor
Open Pixelied’s editor in your browser. You’ll immediately see a massive canvas with preset dimensions for your Twitter banner.
On the top right, you can choose what background color you want to set. Or, you can move on to step two.
Step Two – Choose a Twitter Header Template
On the left-hand side, you’ll see templates for Twitter headers. These templates are already designed according to the Twitter banner size.
You can choose from various eye-catching templates designed for different types of profiles. You’ll find personal profile templates, brand profile templates, and more.
Once you choose a template, it will replace the blank canvas and you can start editing.
Step Three – Edit Your Header Using the Design Elements
After choosing your template, you have a lot of design elements to choose from.
Here’s the list of options you have.
- Images – let you add stock photos from all over the internet, or you can upload your own.
- Text – lets you add multiple text boxes.
- Illustrations – allow you to add custom vectors and illustrations.
- Mockups – give you an idea of what your design would look like on different devices.
- Brandify – is for utilizing your personal brand assets if you’ve saved them.
- Elements – let you add various shapes and characters.
- Icons – allow you to add website icons, social media icons, and more.
- Blend – allows you to mix colors.
You can also play with opacity, shadows, and other options.
Step Four – Download Your New Twitter Header
When you’re done with your design, click on the Download button in the top right corner. You’ll see the following window:
Choose a format between JPG or PNG for Twitter.
You can also adjust the quality. However, it’s best to go with the highest quality (100).
Other than that, you don’t have to worry about the size option, since it’s already been set as per the standard banner size.
Once you’re done, click on the Download button at the bottom and you’ll have your new Twitter banner.
Bottom Line
If you want to build a good personal brand on Twitter, you need to have a uniform and well-aligned design in your images. If you’re new to Twitter, you can use a Twitter handle generator to help you get started.
Once you’ve entered all your information, upload a good-looking profile picture with a clear background. After that, use Pixelied’s editor to design your ideal banner image.
That way, you don’t have to worry about the Twitter banner size. More importantly, you can create a great design that resonates with the brand you’re trying to build.
