Recent Facebook Cover Image changes mean you must Edit your Images
Have you noticed the cover image on your Groups cut off this past week?
Facebook posted some info about the new sizing for Group photos, but frankly their updates were kind of useless. Very little detail on what sizes to use that work for desktop, mobile and tablet views of your pages – because it is no longer one size will fit ideally on all devices. That is the big change.
How do you know you have a problem? Well, if your cover image looks like the sample one below, it is obvious. This image is from my Insiders Club Group and you can see where the image is now cut off. And it will vary, depending on which device you are on – mobile, desktop, tablet.
This next picture shows the newer sized image – made to fit all – and how you can see everything that is important – but you will note there are still some parts cut off… as you can see in the second image below.
To make matters worse, if you check Facebook’s help it says this: Keep in mind that the recommended size for group cover photos is 1,640px by 856px (or 1.91:1 ratio).
I find that sooooo helpful, don’t you? Me neither!
The fact is you need to create your Cover images (and I mean Page and Groups) at a size of 1920px x 1080px. This is much deeper than in the past, but it is because it will be shown differently on every device and some part will show and some not.
This 1920px x 1080px size is actually a 16:9 aspect ratio. People who work with video, know that this is the standard size for High Definition video. And if you have no clue what that means? This will help – maybe, a little…
16:9 (1.77:1) (16:9 = 42:32) is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2010 it has become the most common aspect ratio for televisions and computer monitors, and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television.
Did that help, even a bit? Let’s try this… in layman’s terms it kinda means, it is a ratio of width over height and determines how images or pictures or videos will display on our screens. But when the screens are different, they look a little different.
Okay, so forget all that techno jabber… it means you will need to design your cover images at this specific size but making note of the various areas that will not show on mobile or tablets versus desktops. Each part will have areas blocked off, so you need to be creative in making these new images.
This new sizing gives the best view on the mobile view because it uses the entire photo and gives you the largest area possible for the photo. It also gives you a larger area for any text that Facebook itself places on top of the photo like your Page or Group name, call to action buttons etc.
As you design the images, be aware of where your photo will get cut off and cropped on the different devices. Make certain you keep text and important images to the safe space (828 x 315 pixels) and check to be sure nothing else in your image looks funny or is missing. You can always test them live – just remember to delete the crappy images from your timelines and maybe warn your group folks you will be doing some testing. I always find this opens up some chit chat on a group… people can be amused by live testing sometimes. 😊 It helps keep you real.
One thing that is very obvious in this update is that Facebook is placing a high value on the mobile experience. These changes are making sure that mobile users can get all the image details now whether using a tablet, mobile device but also the desktop view. They know the world is changing and mobile devices are becoming the norm for internet access… you need to be ready to change with the world.
Your Job Now?
Check ALL Facebook groups and Pages you manage and make the updates and changes to your images so that any important information is not cut off – because it will be.
You will want to edit and fix up your Cover Images. If you used Canva to make the first ones, you can easily resize and layout the new version. It should not take a ton of time, watch for the cut off areas and keep the VIP info where it will always be seen no matter what device your group members are using.
How can you Get Help doing these Changes?
If you want more help on creating images for your marketing, remember that this is some of the support I offer in the Insiders Club Facebook Group. This month our Office Hours call will be covering, in much more detail, these Facebook Cover Image changes and how to edit and design them up properly. I teach by example and will be live in Canva and Facebook showing all the students exactly how to make this design work.
If you want to be part of this amazing group and get the Inside Scoop on your marketing, join us and gain access to all sorts of videos, resources, handouts and live sessions every month.
Learn more and sign up today! I try to share as much as I can in my newsletter and blog articles, but the Insiders get a ton more detail and training, and at a low, low monthly cost.
Are you looking to fix your images, but confused by Canva?
I also have a stand alone course on How to Create Images using Canva. This program offers more than 4 hours of video training on using Canva for designing your marketing images.
Online Marketing with IMPACT so you Get Clients! My passion is helping to guide people just like you, dietitians, coaches and service based business owners, who are often frustrated with all the advice and ideas out there and all the wasted time spent on marketing that gets you nowhere. Check out all the free resources on my Pepper It Marketing website, especially this guide for Online and Content Marketing. I also offer several self-study training programs to help you get more traffic to your website, more leads on your email list so you can make More Sales!