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You just shot a wedding. Somewhere between 200 and 2000 images are sitting on your drive, culled and edited, ready to go out. Now you need to deliver them in three different places at three different
One of the easiest ways to make an Instagram carousel feel unpolished is slight slide misalignment. Even small shifts between slides become noticeable when users swipe: edges jump lines don’t contin
You transferred photos from your iPhone to your Windows PC and now you are staring at a folder full of files Windows refuses to open. The extension says .heic and nothing works. This happens to millio
Instagram carousels are one of the highest-performing content formats on the platform. They get more saves, more swipes, and more reach than single images. But most creators are exporting them wrong,
Here are the sizes you need at a glance.
| Format | Size | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Single image post | 1600x900 px | 16:9 |
| Portrait post | 1080x1350 px | 4:5 |
| Multiple images in one post | 1200x675 px | 16:9 |
| Profile picture | 400x400 px | 1:1 |
| Header image | 1500x500 px | 3:1 |
| Max file size | 5MB mobile / 15MB web | |
| Best format | JPG for photos, PNG for graphics and text |
Now here is what the numbers do not tell you.
If you have ever uploaded an image to X and watched it come out cropped, blurry, or weirdly framed in the feed, the problem is almost always the same thing. Wrong dimensions.
X is more aggressive about cropping than most platforms. The platform stores images at 1600x900 pixels but the timeline preview crops to approximately 2:1, which means the top and bottom of your image can get cut off before anyone even taps to expand it. Knowing that one fact changes how you design for X entirely.
The optimal upload size for a single image post is 1600x900 pixels at a 16:9 ratio. If you click through to expand the image, the full 16:9 version is shown. The practical implication: keep any text, faces, or key visual elements in the central horizontal band of the image. That is what survives the timeline preview crop.
Portrait images at 1080x1350 pixels at a 4:5 ratio are also fully supported and display slightly taller in the feed, which can capture more attention while scrolling.
When you post multiple images, the layout shifts depending on how many you include. Two images appear side by side. Three images show one large image with two smaller ones alongside it. Four images appear in a 2x2 grid. Each image gets cropped to fit its slot in the layout, so if you are posting a set of images together, design each one with that framing in mind rather than assuming it will display at full size.
Upload at 400x400 pixels minimum. The image displays at different sizes depending on context: 200x200 on your profile page, 48x48 in the feed, and 32x32 in notifications. X crops profile pictures into a circle, so leave space at the edges.
The cover photo displays at 1500x500 pixels, a very wide and short banner. Keep everything important centered, since the edges get clipped on mobile.
X compresses all uploaded images after upload. JPG quality above 85 percent before upload gives the best post-compression results. PNG works better for screenshots, graphics, and images with text, where JPG compression can introduce visible artifacts on hard geometric shapes.
Maximum file size is 5MB for photos on mobile and up to 15MB on web. Images over 5MB may be compressed by the platform.
The most common mistake on X is designing an image that looks great at full size but loses its meaning in the feed preview. Because the timeline shows a cropped version, anything important that sits near the top or bottom of a 16:9 frame risks disappearing entirely before someone taps.
The fix is simple. Design for the crop first. Place your headline, face, or focal point in the center third of the image vertically. Then check how it looks at the 2:1 preview ratio before you post.
MintyCrop lets you crop images to exact pixel dimensions directly in your browser. Enter 1600x900 for a standard X post, 1080x1350 for portrait format, or 1500x500 for a header image. Your files never leave your device.
If you are preparing multiple images for a thread or a multi-image post, MintyCrop handles the whole batch in one session so every image comes out at the same dimensions without repeating the process manually.
Try it free at mintycrop.com!
