Image Resizing Guide: How It Works & Platform Requirements
The steps are the same on every platform. The formats, file size limits, and cropping rules are not, so they are listed below for each one.
How to resize any image
- 1
Step 1
Upload your image
- 2
Step 2
Choose your platform's image type
- 3
Step 3
Preview the result
- 4
Step 4
Drag and zoom to crop if needed
- 5
Step 5
Download your resized JPG
Requirements by platform
Etsy image requirements
Accepted file formats
Etsy takes JPG or PNG. For photographic listing images, JPG is the better pick because it gives a smaller file at the same visual quality. Reserve PNG for images with sharp text, logos, or flat graphic elements.
Maximum file size
Etsy recommends keeping listing photos under 1 MB. Exporting as JPG at roughly 80-85% quality usually keeps a 3,000 x 2,250 px photo well under that without visible quality loss.
How cropping works
On desktop, Etsy shows listing photos as a 4:3 landscape thumbnail (570 x 456 px). On mobile, the same photo is cropped to a 1:1 square. Upload a 4:3 image and keep the product centered, so nothing important falls outside that mobile crop.
Thumbnail behavior
Your first listing photo is the thumbnail, used in search results and category browsing. Etsy builds it automatically from that main image, so there is no separate thumbnail upload.
Quality tips
2,000px on the shortest side is the line for Etsy's zoom feature: it only activates above that. Anything smaller gets upscaled, and that upscaling is where most of the blur in listing photos actually comes from. Begin with the highest-resolution original you have, then resize down rather than up.
Mobile tips
Over 60% of Etsy traffic is mobile, and there photos display as a square crop regardless of your original ratio. Preview the 1:1 crop before publishing, not just the 4:3 desktop view.
LinkedIn image requirements
Accepted file formats
It is easy to assume any common format works, but GIF is not supported for banners or company page covers. Stick to JPG or PNG: PNG suits banners with sharp text or logos, and JPG suits photographic backgrounds.
Maximum file size
Profile photos and personal banners allow up to 8 MB. Company page banners have a stricter 3 MB limit - a common reason uploads get rejected.
How cropping works
Placing a logo near the left or right edge of a banner is the classic mistake, because mobile crops inward. Personal profile banners crop to the center ~1200px on mobile, and company page banners crop to the center ~900px. Keep logos and text centered.
Thumbnail behavior
Don't look for a separate banner thumbnail, because LinkedIn doesn't generate one. The uploaded image is scaled down consistently wherever it appears.
Quality tips
Uploading at the display size seems logical, but LinkedIn's help center recommends 4200x700px for company banners, even though they show at roughly 1128x191px on screen. The extra resolution keeps the banner sharp on retina/4K displays.
Mobile tips
Watch the bottom-left corner: your profile photo overlaps it. Keep any text or logo at least 300px from the left edge, and centered toward the right two-thirds of the image.
YouTube image requirements
Accepted file formats
Upload a GIF as a banner and it will be accepted but won't animate. The banner formats to use are JPG, PNG, or BMP, while thumbnails accept JPG, PNG, GIF, or WEBP.
Maximum file size
Channel banners must stay under 6 MB. Video thumbnails have a stricter 2 MB limit - go even slightly over and YouTube rejects the upload.
How cropping works
Put a logo outside the center 1546x423px 'safe area' and some screens will cut it off. YouTube uses one uploaded banner image but crops it differently per device, and only that center area is guaranteed to show on every screen, from TV down to mobile.
Thumbnail behavior
Unlike banners, custom thumbnails get no separate per-device cropping. They display at 1280x720px across search results, suggested videos, and the video page itself.
Quality tips
Stopping at the 2048x1152px minimum costs you sharpness. Upload banners at the full recommended 2560x1440px instead, since the extra resolution keeps text and logos sharp on larger screens and TVs.
Mobile tips
Anything outside the center 1546x423px gets cut off on phones, even when it's visible on desktop. That zone is roughly what mobile shows, the narrowest crop of your banner.
Discord image requirements
Accepted file formats
Discord accepts PNG, JPG, or GIF. Between static images and animated GIFs, the split is simple: static images work for everyone, while animated GIFs work for icons and emojis with Nitro.
Maximum file size
10 MB per file on the free tier, 50 MB with Nitro Basic, 500 MB with full Nitro. Custom emojis are capped at 256 KB regardless of Nitro status.
How cropping works
Your square upload becomes a circle on Discord, for both server icons and avatars. Center the design and leave margin around the edges.
Thumbnail behavior
An icon or avatar keeps the same crop everywhere it appears, and only the size changes depending on context. Discord doesn't generate separate thumbnails.
Quality tips
In chat an emoji shows at around 32px, much smaller than what you upload, yet the full 128x128px is still the right size. That resolution keeps it sharp on high-DPI displays and when enlarged in reactions.
Mobile tips
Server banners only display for members on servers with Boost Level 2+. They also render slightly differently across desktop and mobile layouts, so preview on both.
Steam image requirements
Accepted file formats
JPG compression leaves artifacts on sharp edges, which is why PNG is recommended for capsule art with text or logos. Steam accepts either JPG or PNG.
Maximum file size
Steamworks doesn't publish a strict file size cap for capsule art, but keeping files under a few MB avoids upload issues in the Steamworks partner portal.
How cropping works
Steam never auto-crops capsule art. What you upload is what displays, scaled down for smaller placements, so getting the exact aspect ratio right upfront matters more here than on platforms that crop for you.
Thumbnail behavior
In search results and lists, the small capsule (462x174px) can shrink to as little as 120x45px, the most it gets scaled down in practice. Any text on it has to stay legible at that size.
Quality tips
Start with the small capsule, because it's used across more high-traffic surfaces than the larger ones. Check how it reads at roughly 25% size before finalizing.
Mobile tips
There is no separate mobile safe zone to plan around, since the Steam mobile app displays capsule art at similar crops to desktop. Small capsule legibility at reduced size matters more.
Instagram image requirements
Accepted file formats
Which format should a photo use? JPG is generally the better choice, because Instagram compresses PNG more aggressively. Both JPG and PNG are accepted, and PNG makes sense only for graphics with sharp text or transparency.
Maximum file size
Instagram accepts images up to 8 MB and compresses larger files automatically on upload.
How cropping works
What gets cropped? Square and Story posts display at their full uploaded ratio. Portrait (4:5) posts are the exception, since the profile grid preview crops them down to 3:4, so keep your subject centered.
Thumbnail behavior
Is the Reel cover a separate file? No, it uses the same 1080x1920px file as the Reel itself. In the profile grid it displays cropped to roughly 1080x1350px, so design with both crops in mind.
Quality tips
Why export at exactly 1080px wide? Oversized uploads get compressed more aggressively and can look softer, which is what happens when you let Instagram scale a larger image down.
Mobile tips
Where do people actually see your posts? Nearly all viewing happens on mobile. Preview your grid layout on a phone before posting, since content that looks fine in a desktop preview can end up too small or off-center on a phone screen.