A house on the Severn River near Annapolis Do you know how to make a Facebook cover photo? I don't mean that you upload any photo and drag it around to fit the best parts into the available space. A friend asked me for permission to use one of my Annapolis photos as a cover photo, so I formatted the image properly and shared it. I offer this one for you to do the same.
This photo is specially formatted for use as a Facebook cover photo. You can copy it and use it. Really--I don't mind. I put my name as a watermark below the sailboat in the bottom left, and I'm giving you permission, so it's OK. But, the watermark is also mostly covered by your profile photo and it blends with the texture of the water, so it doesn't interfere with enjoying the photo.
There is a lot that goes into making a good Facebook cover photo. First of all, the available space is 851x315 pixels. That is also a 2.7 aspect ratio, which is a really wide photo. The cover photo is intended to be a header for your page. The space is not suited for a narrow, horizontal slice across any photo you happen to like. So, you need to start with a photo that is composed to fit the space. This photo works because the pier and the shore create a natural horizontal line across the image.
There is a lot that goes into making a good Facebook cover photo. First of all, the available space is 851x315 pixels. That is also a 2.7 aspect ratio, which is a really wide photo. The cover photo is intended to be a header for your page. The space is not suited for a narrow, horizontal slice across any photo you happen to like. So, you need to start with a photo that is composed to fit the space. This photo works because the pier and the shore create a natural horizontal line across the image.
This photo also follows the "rule of three," which is a common practice to include three objects in the composition of a photo. The sailboat on the left balances against the to boats at the end of the pier on the right and the house focus attention in the middle. These three objects create a wide, narrow triangle that encourages you to keep your eyes moving around the image.
Now, you might notice that the sailboat is blocked by your profile photo. Yes, I know. And, it it nearly completely blocked--that is until you click on the image to view it as a photo, and then the red sailboat appears, almost as a surprise.
In addition to the composition, a Facebook cover photo also need to be formatted for screen display. Facebook will do this adjustment automatically to any photo you use, but then you end up with a photo that is pixelated, which is the condition where you can see the individual dots of color, instead of a smooth photo. The best resolution for a photo that is going to be viewed on a computer screen is 72 dpi, which is a a measure of dots per inch, or the number of little dots of color light that are displayed on the screen. When I create a photo, I can set the resolution to match the intended viewing format. On all of my finished photographs, I produce at least two copies: one for printing and one for viewing on screens. The printed one is save at 360 dpi, which matches my EPSON printer. If I an using my Canon printer, I will save it at 300 dpi. A digital photo always looks best when the native resolution is set to match the intended viewing format.
So, you could either spend the next week learning about resolution and pixels and formatting, or you could send me your photo and ask me to format it for use as a Facebook cover photo, which I'm happy to do for you. But, first choose a photo that has a wide composition. Look for long, horizontal lines. Or, you could just co
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