Your Facebook cover photo is the first thing that will catch anyone’s eye as soon as they click on your profile. Your Facebook cover photo can be used for various purposes and is the perfect chance to give your profile visitors a look into your personality and create an interest in them to explore your profile more.
Facebook cover photos are essential for your personal profile or for a profile you might be building for your brand or organization. Facebook cover photos can help your brand become memorable and make its profile an inviting space for its target audience.
Here is how you can make your own Facebook cover photo.
Editing Tool
To make your own Facebook cover photo, first, you need to find a designing platform or software that will allow you to make it. A popular designing software used by professionals is Adobe Photoshop, which will enable you to design every element of your Facebook cover photo. However, it can be challenging to understand for beginners and you might be looking for a free application.
There are various free and easy-to-use designing platforms and editing tools online that will allow you to make your own Facebook cover photo. One of the most popular designing platforms is Canva. Canva is free to use, though some design elements are locked unless you buy a membership to Canva Pro.
Other online platforms include BeFunky, Fotor, PicMonkey and Creatopy, to name a few.
Dimensions
The next step in making your Facebook cover photo is to ensure you have the correct dimensions for your image. An image that is too small for the Facebook cover size will lead to your image being stretched out and distorted. On the other hand, an image that is too large will have to be cropped and essential elements of your design might be left out.
The dimensions of the Facebook cover photo on desktops are 820 pixels in width and 312 pixels in length. However, many users might be opening the profile from their phone so you should keep those dimensions in mind too. For phones, the dimensions of the Facebook cover photo are 640 pixels in width and 360 pixels in length.
Another essential thing to keep in mind is that the Facebook cover photo is displayed behind the profile picture. Hence there is a cut out near the bottom left corner of the cover photo. Accounting for this cut out will ensure that nothing important gets covered by the profile picture and you can also play around with elements to draw attention to the profile picture.
The cut out is placed 24 pixels from the left side of the cover photo. The dimensions for the cutout are 168 pixels in terms of width and 103 pixels in terms of length.
If you are using tools like Canva, you will also find a readymade size layout for Facebook cover photos which will be optimized for you to design your cover photo.
Design
Once you have the dimensions right, you can start editing. It might be challenging to create your design from scratch if you are not a professional.
Many online editing tools such as Canva will have several premade layouts that you can choose from. A layout has a few key elements that you can edit and customize. These are also the elements you can design on your own if you don’t want to use a layout.
No Time To Make Your Own Cover?
If you don’t have the time and a few extra bucks to spare we recommend you use the website Fiverr, you can have a complete custom Facebook Cover made for a few bucks and all you need to do is provide your instructions.
For Example:
Simple go to Graphics & Design, in the second page you will have to find Web & App and simply click on Social Media Design and you will find hundreds of gigs to have your Facebook cover made for just a few bucks. If you are looking for more in-depth information check out How Fiverr Works.
Background
The first element of the design will be a background. This background can be a solid color, a pattern, or a suitable image. You can use your own photos to use as the background on a premade layout as well.
While choosing a background image, ensure that it is the correct dimension or larger than the required size. This is important so that it does not get pixellated or distorted. Make sure to choose a background that is not too busy or heavy so that one can still pay attention to the other elements.
Image
An image is essential for your cover photo, though you can choose how you want to use it. You can simply have just one image as your entire Facebook cover photo or you can place an image somewhere on your cover photo over the background.
Choose an image that encapsulates the personality you want to put forth. You can use any of the images you already have or you can look for pictures online as well. There are various sites where you can find free stock images based on your requirements.
To name a few: Pixabay, Pexels, Unplash and for more free stock images we recommend searching for the term “Free stock images” on Google.
You can edit the image according to your requirement as well. For instance, you can place filters that will change your image’s colors, crop it or use a frame around it. You can choose to use a single image or multiple images as well.
You can also create a collage of images to serve as your Facebook cover photo. You can do this on your own by manually arranging the photos.
You can also use online platforms like BeFunky that have predesigned collage layouts where you can simply put your images in different boxes according to your requirements.
For logos or pictures that you want to place without their background, you can look for images in the PNG format. The checkered background behind the image will be transparent when you put it on your design.
It is advisable to use eye-catching and clear images with a strong focus that elicit interest towards your profile rather than fitting in too much information into the cover photo. You can also find an image for the cover photo that pairs with the profile picture in terms of theme, design or colors. This will give your profile a visually appealing and cohesive look.
Text
You don’t need to have any text on your Facebook cover photo if you want the visuals to shine through. However, you can add some text that portrays your profile’s personality without burdening the viewer with too much information.
There are several features of the text that you can customize. First, pay attention to the font. Different fonts will convey different kinds of personalities and attitudes and they will also affect the readability and mood of the text.
You can use the fonts you already have saved on your computer or find more fonts online that you can download and add to Photoshop. On online platforms like Canva, there are various fonts that you can use and each premade layout will have its own font that goes with the style.
Besides the font, you can also change the size, color and formatting. Besides the usual formatting options of bold and italics, you can also choose drop shadows and transparency of the text.
Especially if you are trying to make a Facebook cover photo for a page rather than your personal profile, keep in mind Facebook’s guidelines for what a cover photo should not have.
Do not include text that has purchase information or prices of your products. Don’t write any information that would fit in the About section, such as the website address, email address or phone number. Also, do not include calls to action that ask your audience to like something, share your page or use the cover photo on their own profile.
Adding text, if done correctly, can be an opportunity to communicate more of your personality rather than throwing too much information at the viewer.
Other Elements
You can use other design elements to elevate your design or provide some cohesion to the other components. This can include borders, shapes, frames, small visuals and so on.
Canva, for instance, has a helpful directory of free visual elements in different themes such as flowers, stars, fruits, daily objects and so on. You can also search for PNG images online to use as elements in your design.
Cover Video
You can also use a video instead of an image as your Facebook cover. As with an image, you have to ensure that your video fits into the dimensions and requirements of a Facebook cover. The video should be at least 1,250 pixels in width and 312 pixels in length and between 20 and 90 seconds in duration.
You can edit the video from scratch on software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, Final Cut Pro and so on. You can also create an account on online platforms like Wave.video, which will make it easier for you to create a cover video through preset dimensions and layouts.
Summing Up
There are various ways to make your own Facebook cover photo depending on your skills and requirements. You can design your Facebook cover photo from scratch or use easy and convenient pre-designed layouts from various free online platforms.
Once you are happy with your Facebook cover photo, all you need to do is download it in a JPG, GIF or PNG format and upload it to your profile. On your profile, you can reposition it to ensure that the crop is right. Remember that your cover photo is public and you cannot change the privacy settings of it.
Another great and cheap option is using the website Fiverr and search for “facebook cover” and you will find heaps of cheap options. The freelancers/workers on Fiverr will do all the work for you and it will just cost you a couple bucks.
Simple go to Graphics & Design, in the second page you will have to find Web & App and simply click on Social Media Design and you will find hundreds of gigs to have your Facebook cover made for just a few bucks.
Lorenzo has been using the internet for as long as he can remember. He was there for the early days of message boards, he watched social media take over, and he’s excited to see what comes next.
