Start from the platform placement
A social profile image, feed post, link preview, banner, and YouTube thumbnail all use different framing. Decide where the image will appear before choosing dimensions or crop shape.
When possible, keep the subject away from edges. Social apps often crop previews differently on mobile, desktop, and embedded cards.
- Choose the platform and placement before resizing.
- Crop first, then compress the final sharing copy.
- Check text overlays at mobile preview sizes.
Protect quality while reducing size
Social platforms may recompress images after upload. Starting with a clean, correctly sized image gives the platform less work to do and makes the final result more predictable.
Avoid repeated downloads and reuploads. Keep the source file, export a platform-specific copy, then upload the prepared version once.
Review privacy before posting
Screenshots and photos can reveal names, locations, tabs, notifications, faces, addresses, and metadata. Crop out private details and remove EXIF data before posting public images.
If the post is for a brand or client, add watermarks or text overlays intentionally and check that they do not cover the core subject at small sizes.