What size should Pinterest images be? [Updated for 2018]

Check out the recommended Pinterest image size for 2018. The good news is, there isn’t just one size fits all! You can experiment with a few different sizes for you pin graphics.

Wondering what size you should create your Pin designs? There’s a lot of chat and questions going around the web discussing this topic. And a lot of uncertainty.

I’ve completely re-written this post to explain the different variety of sizes you can create Pinterest images.

Here’s the quick and dirty run down, but I do highly recommend reading the entire post to get the why and how.

Pinterest Image Sizes

• Minimum Recommendation: 1:1 aspect ratio, or 600×600
• Ideal Recommendation: 2:3 aspect ratio, or 600×900
• Max Recommendation: 1:2.1 aspect ratio, or 600×1260

As you can see, Pin images are discussed in terms of ratios. When you create your images, you can design them between a 1:1 ratio and a 1:2.1 ratio. Pinterest has always recommended that Pins be designed at least 600 pixels wide.

So, in those terms, that’s anywhere between 600×600 – 600×1260

See the below image to get a visual on the different variety of lengths your Pins can be:

I recommend staying between 600×900 and 600×1200. Mostly because a 1:2 ratio is easier to calculate and gives you a little cushion room should Pinterest reduce the max cut off again.

2:3 ratio, close to the middle, is known as the ideal Pinterest size and is highly recommended by Pinterest.

You do not need to limit your Pin designs to 2:3 ratio, but since the 2:3 is the “ideal” recommendation let’s talk about why.

What make 2:3 the ideal Pinterest ratio?

For as long as I can remember, and I’ve been tracking the recommended Pin Size for a very long time, Pinterest has recommended a 2:3 ratio. 2:3 is not an algorithm thing right now, it’s about design.

2:3 ratio is a popular ratio in the photography and design realm.

Let’s talk about what makes 2:3 such a perfect ratio.

1. Most cameras shoot in a 2:3 aspect ratio
2. It is very close to the golden ratio
3. Easy to design using rule of thirds

DSLR and SLR Camera’s shoot in 2:3 aspect ratio

The 2:3 aspect ratio is the ratio of a printed 4×6 image. Here’s an interesting fact about camera ratios for you, “This aspect ratio has been in use as the standard for 35mm cameras ever since Oskar Barnack chose it as the format to use in Leica cameras in the early 20th century.”

This 2:3 ratio is common and has been used in photography for a long time!

Golden Ratio

The 2:3 ratio is very close to the Golden Ratio, or Golden Rectangle. The Golden Rectangle is a rectangle with sides that are in the golden ratio, which is approximately 1:1.618. Put that in Pinterest language and you’ll have a Pin design at 600×970. Very close to that 600×900

The Golden Ratio is much more than the size of a rectangle though,

The Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio. It is commonly found in nature, and when used in design, it fosters organic and natural looking compositions that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye… In fact, our brains are seemingly hard-wired to prefer objects and images that use the Golden Ratio. It’s almost a subconscious attraction and even tiny tweaks that make an image truer to the Golden Ratio have a large impact on our brains.” – Canva

With the Golden Ratio in mind, it’s important to consider where elements are placed inside our rectangle. Take careful consideration to where the viewers eyes will flow.

Rule of thirds

Similar to the Golden Ratio, but a little bit simpler, is the rule of thirds. Any ratio can use the rule of thirds in design but since it is usually discussed among photography design we see the rule of thirds frequently being explained in the 2:3 ratio.

Here’s what creativemarket has to say about the rule of thirds,

The objective of the rule of thirds is simple: it’s meant to help you achieve more balanced and harmonious images when designing images or taking pictures. The best way to understand it as follows: the next time you’re looking through your camera’s viewfinder, or opening up a new document in Photoshop – imagine the image divided up into three sections by two horizontal and two vertical guidelines. The idea is that items of interest are best placed on the intersection of those guidelines.”

Again, it’s about more than the rectangle – it’s about placement inside the shape/size. Whatever size you end up designing your Pin images, you can use the rule of thirds to help you crop your images and place your text.

Width of Pins

Pins can be almost any width.

Pinterest recommends creating Pins at least 600 pixels wide, but that doesn’t have to be the exact number.

Although Pinterest is not currently displaying Pins at 600 pixels wide, I do recommend creating them at least that wide. Why? First, because that has been their recommendation and you never know when they might change things up and start displaying larger image.

Start with 600 pixels wide but if you want them to be wider, you can.

If you place Pin images inside your posts and like them to be full width, use the ratios to come up with what your own width + length will be.

If you want your images to be 800 pixels wide, that’s fine! If you want them to be 1000 pixels wide, that’s fine too! (Though, do be cautious of placing large image files on your site, don’t want pictures slowing your blog down.)

How to calculate ratios

We’ll use the 2:3 ratio as an example. Take your known width to find your unknown length.

The equation is: width multiplied by 3 and then divided by 2.

If I wanted to design my Pins 800 pixels wide that would be 800×3=2400 2400/2=1200. My Pin size is 800×1200.

Calculating ratios with a 1: any size is much easier. Simply take your width and multiply by the second number, no dividing necessary. 800×2.1=1680

The max length for Pins

There’s been a lot of chatter going on lately about not designing Pins any longer than a 2:3 ratio. I’m not a believer in that thinking and I don’t think you have to be either. You can design Pins that are longer.

Here’s a little history lesson for you:

• Pinterest Beginning – the max cut of was 1:3.5 (2,100)
• Summer of 2016 was the first length reduction t o 1:2.8 (1680)
• 2017 the max length was shortened to 1:2.6 (1560)
• Early 2018 they changed the longest pin size to 1:2.1 (1260)
• Pinterest is currently not giving a max number in their best practice guides

Here is the current recommendation (take 9/11/2018) from the Creative Best Practice guide,

“Since Pins are organized in columns, vertical images look and perform best. We recommend using a 2:3 vertical aspect ratio. There’s no right size for Pins, but keep in mind that longer Pins might truncate.”

Recently, I’ve noticed that the cut offs vary from platform and even Pins. I’ll see longer Pins on my phone than I do on my desktop. I’ve even seen Pins displaying a little bit longer than the 1:2.1 ratio. (GASP!)

It is okay to design Pins longer than the ideal 2:3 ratio! Try designing a few different legnths. Experiment for yourself. You audience and content is different than everyone elses.

Pinterest ad team is still recommending designing Pins up to the 1260 pixels and Pinterest themselves are creating Pins with a wide variety of lengths.

But, are they down ranking long Pins?

Not to the extreme length that FB hype makes you think. The powers that be at Pinterest felt that super long pins, those 1:3.5 ratio ones, were causing a poor user experience in the feed for Pinners. Pinterest’s mission is to help people search and then discover things they love. They felt these “giraffe” Pins made it harder for Pinners to discover things they love. Last year, 2017, they started analyzing Pins lengths. They haven’t fully divulged their algorithm secrets, but the gist is: If the Pin takes up double the space, it should get more engagement. So, no they aren’t saying “this pin is long, we’re not showing it.”

They just wanted to see more engagement on longer Pins – and the good news is, most of them do get more engagement! If designed well.

That being said, you will see a wide variety of Pin lengths preforming well on Pinterest.

My recommendation is that you test out several different lengths. Don’t shy away from designing longer Pins if they look good and are working for you.

What matters most when designing Pins

For the most part, size isn’t about algorithm. It’s about looks. I know it sounds vain, but Pinterest is a visual platform and the appearance of your Pin does matter.
Size is not the most important element when it comes to designing your Pins. What matters more is that the Pin is well designed. That it looks good and will capture the attention of your desired audience.

Aim to design Pins that flow, resonate with your audience, and stand out in a feed of Pins.

Hopefully the discussion on what makes 2:3 ratio ideal helps you understand that how elements are placed inside your image make a big difference – regardless of the length of your design.

Other Pinterest Specs and Sizes

Pin images must be:

• At least 100×200 (or 200×100) in order to be saved to Pinterest
• File type: PNG and JPEG, GIFS occasionally work but still a bit glitchy on Pinterest.
• Max file size: 10 MB

Videos must be:

• File type: .mp4 or .mov
• Encoding: H.264
• Max file size: Under 2GB
• Video length: Minimum 4 sec, maximum 30 min
• Aspect ratio:
  • Promoted Video at standard width: Square (1:1) or Vertical (2:3, 9:16)
  • Promoted Video at max. width: Square (1:1) or widescreen (16:9). Note: Max. width videos cannot exceed the height of a 1:1 aspect ratio.

Board Covers:

• Pinterest board covers display at a square ratio.
• Use a 600×600 image if you are custom designing, otherwise use any image you have already pinned that will look good when centered.

Profile Images:

• Images for your Pinterest profile need to be a PNG or JPEG file.
• Square, with image centered, is recommended as you can’t crop or zoom after uploading.

What about Pins that aren’t in the recommended size range?

I know that many of you are going to ask about Pins that you’ve already created that are longer or shorter than the Pinterest recommended ratio range. While updating old post graphics can be a smart idea, don’t feel like you need to go and update all of them right now. Remember, this is just what Pinterest “recommends”.

In the beginning most of my pins were 736px by 900px (shorter than the “ideal” 2:3 ratio) and they are still getting repined today – in fact 3 years later one of them is still my most repinned image.

If you have super long Pins that are working for you – don’t worry about changing them!

If you have square Pins that are constantly getting saved – don’t worry about changing them either.

Go experiment with your pins and try different ratios.

Now that you now the magic formula for creating Pins (aka, there isn’t a magic number), go experiment with image sizes for you next posts. Don’t be afraid to use different heights for different images and posts. The goal is to stand out in the sea of images.

Let me know what size you decide to create your pins, I’d love to check them out.

I’ve made it easier for you to see if your Pinterest efforts are working for you. Use my Pinterest dashboard to find out which pins are sending you the most traffic, which posts perform the best. Analyze your insight and adjust accordingly!