Making a strong first impression is important on LinkedIn, and visuals play an important part in that.  By optimizing your photos for LinkedIn, you’ll be able to present yourself as qualified and confident.

It won’t matter if you’re sharing a company update, a blog post, or a personal achievement, optimizing your photos for LinkedIn will ensure your content looks sharp and professional.

And this is the guide that will help you understand the best practices for optimizing photos on LinkedIn, so you can enhance your visual presence on the platform.

Let’s get started …

LinkedIn’s Image Requirements

Like most online platforms, LinkedIn has specific image size and format requirements that you need to follow to ensure your photos display correctly across all devices:

• Profile Pictures: Recommended dimensions are 400 x 400 pixels, with a 1:1 aspect ratio. A professional headshot is ideal here, ensuring that your face is clearly visible and well-lit.
• Cover Photos: The optimal size for cover photos is 1584 x 396 pixels. This size ensures that your cover photo looks good across both desktop and mobile views. Be mindful of any text or important details in your cover photo, as LinkedIn crops images differently depending on the device.
• Post Images & Web links: 1200×627 pixels
• Article featured image: 1200 × 644
• Article banner image: 600 × 322
• Stories image size: 1080 × 1920
• Carousel posts*: 1920 x 1080 or 1080 x 1080

 * – LinkedIn doesn’t actually have a Carousel post – images must be saved as a multi-page PDF and uploaded as a document. I will share more on this later in the guide.

Composition and Image Quality

The quality and composition of your images are key to standing out on LinkedIn:

• Professionalism: LinkedIn is a professional platform, so your images should reflect that. High-resolution, clean, and clear images are a must. Avoid using overly casual or low-quality photos that could detract from your professional image.
• Centered Composition: For profile pictures and post images, keep the subject centered to avoid cropping issues, especially when viewed on mobile devices.

For more information on photo composition, please check out my article:

Composition for Product Photography

Although written for product photography, the composition guides I share there actually apply to all types of photography.

Creating & Optimizing Carousel Documents

Since LinkedIn doesn’t have an image scroll feature for carousels, they require extra steps to create for the platform.

You may create the carousel images from photos, graphics or even slides that are sized to the specifications. As a product photographer, I create photos and save them as .jpg’s.

These are the steps I use on my Macbook Pro – if you have a PC, I am certain you probably have something similar or will be able to Google the answers based on this description.

• Open all the Desired Carousel Images in Preview: Move the images, slides or graphics around to place them in order.
• Select the Print Option: Size the printer to print the size of the images: 1920 x 1080, 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350 pixels.
• Select the option to print to PDF: The software will now save the images as a PDF in the proper size so your images stay sharp.

To post, you will upload the PDF as a document. It will then appear under your post as a swipe file.

Optimize for Mobile Viewing

A significant portion of LinkedIn users access the platform via mobile devices, so it is important to make sure your images look good on smaller screens:

• Test on Multiple Devices: After uploading your images, check how they display on both desktop and mobile devices to ensure they maintain their quality and clarity.

Use the Right File Formats and Compression

To maintain image quality while ensuring quick load times, it’s important to use the appropriate file formats and compression methods:

• JPEG and PNG Formats: JPEG is ideal for most photos due to its balance of quality and file size. PNG is better suited for images that require transparency or contain text, as it preserves sharpness better than JPEG.
• Optimize for Web: Before uploading, compress your images using tools like TinyPNG, JPEGmini or Photoshop’s “Save for Web” option to reduce file size without sacrificing quality. Remember that too much compression will lower the quality of your images.

Leverage Visual Content in Posts

Visual content is a powerful tool for increasing engagement on LinkedIn:

• Include Multimedia Elements: Adding images, infographics, or videos to your posts can significantly boost engagement by making your content more visually appealing and easier to digest.
• Test Different Formats: Experiment with different image sizes and formats to see what resonates best with your audience. LinkedIn posts perform well with images sized at 1200 x 627 pixels.

Remember …

Optimizing photos for LinkedIn is about more than just following technical specifications; it’s about presenting yourself or your brand in the best possible light.

By sticking to LinkedIn’s image guidelines, creating high-quality visuals, and strategically using visual content, you can enhance your professional presence and increase engagement on the platform.

Need help creating professional photos for your business? If you are the owner, founder or marketing professional of a consumer product goods business, reach out to discuss your product photography and social media content needs!