People often ask for an exact photo size and get five different answers. The honest answer is that it depends on where the photo will be seen. This guide explains the three things that matter, and gives starting points you can adjust.
Pixels, shape and file size are three different things
Pixels are the width and height of the picture, for example 1,920 by 1,080. Shape (the aspect ratio) is the proportion between the two, such as square, 4 by 3 or 16 by 9. File size is how many kilobytes or megabytes the file takes up. They affect each other, but they are not the same. Two photos can have the same pixel size and very different file sizes, depending on how much detail they hold and how they were saved.
Most confusion comes from mixing these up. A website that says 'photos must be under 2 MB' is talking about file size. A site that says 'at least 800 pixels wide' is talking about pixels. A site that wants a square photo is talking about shape. Look at which one is being asked for before you change anything.
Starting points for common jobs
These are sensible rules of thumb rather than official rules. Platforms change their guidance, so if a service publishes its own recommendation, follow that first.
- Email and messages: about 1,200 to 1,600 pixels on the longest side. Anything bigger is rarely shown at full size.
- Social media posts: about 1,080 pixels wide is usually enough. Use the 4:5 shape for a tall post and the square shape for a profile picture.
- Stories and vertical video covers: the 9:16 shape, around 1,080 by 1,920 pixels.
- Website pictures: 1,000 to 2,000 pixels wide, kept under a few hundred kilobytes so the page loads quickly.
- Slides: 1,920 by 1,080, which is the 16:9 shape of most screens and projectors.
- Small prints: aim for 300 pixels per inch of print size, so a 6 by 4 inch print wants about 1,800 by 1,200 pixels.
Choosing a shape before you choose a size
If a platform wants a particular shape, crop to that shape first and resize second. If you resize first and then crop, you may end up with fewer pixels than you intended. Our Crop and rotate page has fixed shapes for square, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 4:5 and 9:16. Pick the shape, drag the box over the part of the photo you want to keep, and save. Then use Resize image to set the exact number of pixels.
When you crop, think about where the eye goes. Leave a little room around a face so it does not touch the edge, and keep the horizon level. If the photo looks sideways, rotate it first; phones store the way they were held in a hidden note and some programs ignore it. Our crop page reads that note for you.
How big should a print be?
Printing needs more pixels than screens do, because paper shows detail that a screen smooths over. As a guide, 300 pixels per inch gives a sharp print at normal reading distance, and 150 is acceptable for large posters that are viewed from further away. So a photo that is 3,000 pixels wide can make a sharp print about ten inches wide.
Do not enlarge a small photo to reach a bigger print. Making a photo bigger cannot add detail that was never recorded, so it just looks soft. If you need a large print, start from the biggest original you have, and do not resize it down first.
File size: when it matters and when it does not
File size matters when something has a limit: an email attachment, an upload form, a website that needs to load quickly. It does not matter for photos you keep on your own computer. Do not shrink your own archive to save space unless you have to, because you cannot get the lost detail back.
If you need a smaller file, the best order is to set the pixel size first, then lower the quality setting. See our tip on sending large photos for the full method, and the Compress photo page for the slider.
A short checklist
Before you resize, ask three questions: where will the photo be seen, what shape does that place want, and is there a limit on file size? Answer them in that order and you will rarely need to try twice. Keep the original untouched and work on copies.