Best image size for FB Timeline updates?

[NoahsDad]

Does anyone know the best size for images that are uploaded to FB timeline? For instance if I make a meme, the worlds seem to always get cut off when they show up on people's timelines, or view them for their phone. Any thoughts on this? At first I thought square worked best (and looks like it does if you visit the actual page) but for people viewing on their phones or their own timeline (maybe?) it looks like they are seeing a 4:3 image. Is the image size that people see not universal? Thanks!

[RebekahMay]

Hi, here is a recently updated (as of May 2012) image sizing "cheat sheet" that may help you

http://www.dreamgrow.com/facebook-cheat-sheet-sizes-and-dimensions/

I think this section is what you are looking for:

Pinned post picture size

This is the size of the picture of your pinned post. Will not be scaled down so that smaller dimension matches 403 pixels. Facebook will take the centre of the image and cut it out accordingly. You can later adjust the horizontal (landscape images) or vertical (portrait images) position of the picture.
Width: 403px
Height: 403px

[NoahsDad]

Thanks, but that is for a pinned picture. I'm looking for just a normal image. Like a meme or something to that effect. The pinned ones go all the way across right? (Actually that's the stared images.)

I'm more concerned with how it looks on people's timelines, as opposed to how it appears on the page, if that makes sense.

Thanks.

[RebekahMay]

The ones which go all the way across are 843X403, the pinned post picture would be the same size as the normal wall post image

[NoahsDad]

Hmmm, unless I'm misreading something 403x403 would be a square format..and that always seems to get cropped when I do that...

[KeriMorgret]

Hi Rick,

I've wondered the same, and my gut tells me that it's a feature instead of a bug. FB recently changed it so the top and bottom are equally cut off in your feed, instead of just the bottom. My guess is that they want people to click on the image and see the full image and thus increase clicks/engagements/chances for advertising. I've been away from my RSS feed for a few days, so I don't know if someone like Inside Facebook has a post discussing this.

[NoahsDad]

Thanks Keri,

I agree with you. I noticed it's changed lately also. And you're probably right about trying to get more clicks...Not cool from a user perspective though, huh?

By the way, I just tried posting a picture on our timeline (it's the one talking about 20K likes.) Would you mind telling me if it looks formatted correctly to you (and the words aren't getting cropped.)

I promise, I'm not just trying to get some shameless clicks! hahahh

[KeriMorgret]

The words are getting cropped in the iPhone feed, though they looked OK on the desktop. Not sure if there's much you can do about it, since I think it's a FB thing, sadly.

[NoahsDad]

Thanks for checking. That's pretty crummy on FB's part. I hope they fix that because those bad images make us look bad!

[ThompsonPaul]

Rick, part of the trick to make images, especially meme images, work for all the multiple variations of a posted image is to create the image without critical parts near the edges of the frame. E.g don't run your text all the way to the borders of the image.

There are just so many different ways those photos get displayed (mobile vs desktop, different phone browsers & screens, full screen vs timeline) that there's really no way a full-frame image can be made to work for all of them.

I know it's a hassle, but you have to build a lot more flexibility into those images in order to handle the variable ways they are displayed.

Paul

[NoahsDad]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Thanks for the info..