The difficult with Facebook cover photos is that visibility depends on the device that you view a Facebook profile on.
When viewed on a desktop device, the cover photo sits at the top of a Facebook profile and is clearly visible with a very minor overlap in the bottom left hand corner from your circular profile photo.
However, view your profile from a mobile device and you will see a very different view.
On a mobile device and in the Facebook app, cover photos are blocked quite extensively by the profile photo, which sits mainly over the left hand side of the cover image.
As such, selecting and positioning your cover photo needs to be done with an eye to both browsing experiences.
The Shape of a Cover Photo
Your cover photo is portrayed on all devices in landscape mode – with angular corners and straight edges.
The Size of a Cover Photo
The size of your cover photo is 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall.
This proves just how important that landscape mode is, with the cover photo more than twice as wide as it is tall.
Cover Photo Tips
When it comes to selecting a Facebook cover photo, our main tip is to choose an image which is representative of your profile, but which focuses most of its detail on the right hand side of the image. This is the best way of ensuring it makes sense and can be viewed with ease across all devices, rather than cutting half the image off on a mobile device or app.
While it is of course important to note that the cover photo is only visible on a profile page and does not hold the same weight as the profile picture itself, making sure that the aesthetic is balanced and carefully positioned is an important part of building an attractive profile.
We hope this helps! Your cover photo is not the most important element on your profile – but that doesn’t mean you should neglect it or overlook its role in the look and finish of your page.
