How to crop photos for social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)
Each platform has its own recommended aspect ratios and dimensions. This guide lists the common sizes for feed posts, stories, and covers, and how to crop once so your photo looks right everywhere.
Why aspect ratio matters on social media
Social platforms crop or letterbox images that don’t match their preferred ratio. If you upload a 4:3 photo to a feed that expects 1:1 (square), you may lose the top and bottom or get awkward padding. Cropping to the right aspect ratio before uploading gives you control over what’s visible and keeps your feed looking consistent. Our free crop image tool supports 1:1, 4:3, 16:9, 3:2, 2:3, and free crop. All processing runs in your browser – no signup, no watermarks.
Instagram: feed, stories, reels
Feed (square): 1:1 is safe and common (e.g. 1080×1080 px). Feed (portrait): 4:5 (e.g. 1080×1350) is ideal for vertical photos and gets more space in the feed. Feed (landscape): 1.91:1 (e.g. 1080×566). Stories & Reels: 9:16 (e.g. 1080×1920). Crop to 1:1 or 4:5 for feed, 9:16 for stories/reels. Use our crop tool to select the ratio, then resize if you need exact pixel dimensions (our resize image tool).
Facebook: feed, cover, story
Feed: 1:1 (square) or 4:5 for portrait; landscape often uses 1.91:1. Cover photo: 820×312 px (about 2.7:1) – crop to a wide rectangle so important content isn’t cut off on mobile. Story: 9:16 (e.g. 1080×1920). Same as Instagram stories. Crop to the right ratio first so key elements stay visible.
TikTok and YouTube thumbnails
TikTok video: 9:16 vertical (e.g. 1080×1920). For static images used in TikTok, same ratio. YouTube thumbnail: 16:9 (e.g. 1280×720). Crop to 16:9 so the thumbnail isn’t letterboxed or cropped oddly. Our crop tool’s 16:9 option works well for this.
Step-by-step: crop once for social media
- Decide which platform and type (feed, story, cover).
- Choose the aspect ratio (1:1, 4:5, 9:16, 16:9, etc.) in our crop image tool.
- Upload your photo and drag the crop area so the important part is inside the frame.
- Crop and download. Optionally resize to exact pixels (e.g. 1080×1080) with our resize tool.
- For smaller file size, use our compress image tool before uploading.
Tips and common mistakes
Safe zone: For stories and reels (9:16), keep important content away from the very top and bottom; some devices or overlays may cut them. One crop, multiple uses: If you post the same image on Instagram (4:5) and Facebook (1:1), consider cropping to 1:1 so it works on both, or crop two versions. Resolution: Don’t upscale small images; start with a photo that has enough pixels for the target size (e.g. 1080px on the long side for feed).
Summary
Crop to the platform’s aspect ratio (1:1, 4:5, 9:16, 16:9) with our free crop tool. Resize to exact dimensions if needed, then compress for faster uploads. For more on cropping in general, see crop image online free. For product or portrait cutouts, use remove background before cropping.