The LinkedIn profile picture is an important element of your professional presence on the platform. Having the right profile photo can help convey professionalism, trustworthiness, and approachability to connections and potential employers or clients. When uploading your profile picture to LinkedIn, it’s cropped to fit different parts of the site. Knowing the right size to upload and how LinkedIn crops photos can help you choose and edit a picture that looks great wherever it appears. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll look at what size LinkedIn crops photos to, best practices for picking and editing a profile photo, and tips to ensure your picture looks professional across LinkedIn.
What Size Does LinkedIn Crop Photos To?
LinkedIn crops profile pictures to fit different parts of your profile and the site. The main versions are:
Profile Picture Thumbnail
This small circle photo appears next to your name and headline on your profile. LinkedIn crops images to fit a 100 x 100 pixel space for the thumbnail profile picture.
Profile Header Photo
The larger banner-style photo that appears at the top of your profile uses two cropped sizes:
– 1584 x 396 pixels – Desktop website
– 1128 x 376 pixels – LinkedIn mobile app
Share, Comment and Post Photos
When you share posts, comment or post images on LinkedIn, the photo thumbnail is cropped to fit 96 x 96 pixels.
InMail and Messages
The small photo that appears next to InMail and LinkedIn messages uses a crop with dimensions of 36 x 36 pixels.
| Location on LinkedIn | Crop Size |
|---|---|
| Profile Picture Thumbnail | 100 x 100 pixels |
| Profile Header Photo – Desktop | 1584 x 396 pixels |
| Profile Header Photo – Mobile App | 1128 x 376 pixels |
| Share, Comment and Post Photos | 96 x 96 pixels |
| InMail and Messages | 36 x 36 pixels |
As you can see, LinkedIn uses a range of crop sizes depending on where your photo appears. The profile thumbnail and header have larger dimensions, while comment, share and message pictures are quite smaller.
How to Pick the Right Photo for LinkedIn
Since LinkedIn crops images in different ways, it’s important to choose a profile photo that looks professional across all sizes and crops. Here are some tips for picking an optimal picture for your LinkedIn profile:
1. Use a clear headshot photo of just you.
The profile photos that look best and convey professionalism feature just the LinkedIn member, looking directly at the camera with a friendly smile. Full body shots or photos with other people often get cropped in unflattering ways. A straight-on headshot is ideal.
2. Dress professionally and avoid busy backgrounds.
LinkedIn profile pictures are often cropped tightly, so dress as you would for an interview. Busy or distracting backgrounds can also draw attention away from you. A photo of you in professional attire against a plain wall looks classic.
3. Pay attention to lighting and image quality.
With a small profile thumbnail, poor lighting and image quality really stand out. Use a high resolution camera or smartphone and take photos in bright, natural light for best results. Avoid dark, grainy photos.
4. Maintain eye contact and don’t tilt your head.
Since cropping can cut off parts of your photo, maintain eye contact with the camera and keep your head straight when taking the picture. Tilting throws off the composition in tight crops.
5. Experiment with different poses and smiles.
Take a few photos with different smiles – some more reserved, some more enthusiastic. This allows you to choose the one that conveys the impression you want for prospective employers.
Editing Tips for LinkedIn Profile Pictures
Once you choose the right photograph, do some minor editing to make sure it looks polished across LinkedIn. Here are some quick tips:
1. Crop to square dimensions.
Cropping the image square (same height and width) prevents unwanted cuts off the sides when LinkedIn crops to circles and squares. Aim for around 600 x 600 pixels.
2. Adjust brightness, contrast and color.
Light levels can change how your face, skin tone and clothes look. Gentle brightness, contrast and color adjustments can improve the photo’s appearance.
3. Add subtle touch-ups if needed.
Minor touch-ups like blemish removal and whitening teeth can help, but avoid going overboard. You want to look natural.
4. Save image as JPG or PNG.
LinkedIn only allows JPG or PNG format for images. Save your photo in one of these formats before uploading. JPGs smaller than 8MB are ideal for quality and file size.
5. Review on multiple devices.
Since LinkedIn thumbnail sizes vary, review your edited photo on desktop, mobile and at small sizes to ensure it looks professional everywhere.
Best Practices for a Great LinkedIn Photo
Follow these best practices, and your profile picture will look sharp across all areas it appears on LinkedIn:
– Take a high quality, well-lit headshot against a plain background
– Maintain eye contact and proper posture in the photo
– Dress professionally as you would for an important interview
– Edit the photo to adjust brightness, contrast, color and cropping
– Save the image in JPG or PNG format at 600 x 600 pixels
– Review the photo across devices and at small sizes to confirm quality
– Update your profile photo regularly to keep your look current
Conclusion
With LinkedIn cropping profile pictures in a range of sizes, choosing the right photo and editing it properly ensures you put your best face forward across your profile. An updated quality headshot displays professionalism and builds trust with your network. Pay attention to image dimensions, appearance, and technical photo quality. With these tips, you can pick and prepare a profile photo that looks fantastic wherever LinkedIn displays it. A polished, business-appropriate profile picture helps advance your career goals and engage your network on LinkedIn.