Pinterest Image Optimization: Pin Sizes, Dimensions & Compression Guide
Pinterest is a visual search engine, not just a social platform. Every pin competes for attention in a vertical, image-first feed where dimensions and clarity determine whether users stop scrolling. Pins that use the wrong aspect ratio get cropped, shrunk, or buried. Pins with blurry text overlays from double compression lose clicks. The fix requires two things: correct dimensions for each pin type, and pre-upload compression that accounts for Pinterest's own re-encoding.
Pin Dimensions That Drive Engagement
Across Pinterest, six distinct image types serve different purposes. Standard pins dominate the feed, but Idea Pins, profile images, and board covers each follow their own sizing rules. Uploading at the exact dimensions prevents Pinterest from cropping or resizing images in ways that hide product details or cut off text.
| Pin Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Pin | 1000 x 1500 px | 2:3 | JPG, PNG, WebP |
| Square Pin | 1000 x 1000 px | 1:1 | JPG, PNG, WebP |
| Long Pin | 1000 x 2100 px | ~1:2.1 | JPG, PNG |
| Profile Image | 280 x 280 px | 1:1 | JPG, PNG |
| Board Cover | 600 x 600 px | 1:1 | JPG, PNG |
| Idea Pin | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 | JPG, PNG, WebP |
The 2:3 ratio (1000x1500) is the single most important dimension to remember. According to Pinterest's creative best practices, vertical pins in the 2:3 ratio receive the best distribution in the home feed. Pins wider than 1:1 get cropped to fit the vertical column layout, which can remove key product details or text from view.
Common Pinterest Image Problems
Landscape Images Appear Tiny in the Feed
Pinterest's feed is built on a vertical column grid. Landscape-oriented images (wider than they are tall) get squeezed into the same column width as vertical pins, which makes them appear small and easy to scroll past. A 1500x1000 landscape image occupies roughly half the vertical space of a 1000x1500 standard pin, losing visibility. If your source material is landscape, crop to 2:3 or add vertical padding before uploading.
Text Overlays Become Unreadable After Upload
Pinterest re-compresses every uploaded image. Text overlays, especially those with thin fonts or low contrast against the background, degrade noticeably during this second compression pass. To preserve text clarity: use bold, sans-serif fonts at 40px or larger, maintain high contrast between text and background, and export at quality 90+ so the re-compression still produces a readable result. PNG format preserves text edges better than JPG for graphic-heavy pins.
Product Pins Crop the Wrong Part of the Image
Pinterest crops pin images from the edges inward when displaying them in search results and related pin grids. Products or text placed near the edges of a pin image get cut off. Center your focal point and keep all critical elements within the inner 80% of the frame. This is especially important for Rich Pins, where the product title and price overlay the bottom of the image.
GIF Pins Stall on Mobile
Animated GIF pins over 5MB load slowly and stall during playback on mobile connections. Pinterest does not convert GIFs to more efficient video formats. Keep GIF pins under 5MB by reducing frame count, limiting dimensions to 1000px wide, and using a compression tool that supports animated GIF optimization. Short, looping animations under 3 seconds perform best.
Board Covers Display Blurry
Board cover images require a minimum of 600x600 pixels. Images uploaded below this threshold get upscaled by Pinterest, which introduces blur. Upload board covers at exactly 600x600 or larger, and let Pinterest handle the downscale. This also applies to profile images -- upload at 280x280 minimum to avoid softness.
Creating Pins That Load Fast
- Use the 2:3 aspect ratio for standard pins. Create pin images at 1000x1500 pixels. Pinterest's feed algorithm gives priority to the 2:3 aspect ratio, and pins outside this ratio get cropped or displayed smaller. This single dimension change has the largest impact on feed visibility.
- Compress images before uploading. Run pin images through a dedicated image compressor to reduce file sizes by 50-70% before uploading. Pinterest re-compresses every upload at roughly quality 80, so starting with a clean, pre-optimized file prevents double compression artifacts.
- Place text and focal points in the center. Keep all text overlays and product focal points within the center 80% of the image. Pinterest crops the edges of pins in search results and related pin grids, and off-center elements get cut off on mobile devices.
- Export as JPG for photos, PNG for graphics. Use JPG for product photography and lifestyle images where file size matters most. Use PNG for pins with text overlays, logos, or flat-color graphics where sharp edges are critical. Keep GIFs under 5MB to prevent playback stalling in the feed.
Idea Pins vs Standard Pins
Idea Pins (formerly Story Pins) use a 9:16 aspect ratio at 1080x1920 pixels -- the same dimensions as Instagram Stories and TikTok videos. Each Idea Pin can contain up to 20 pages of images or short video clips. Because Idea Pins fill the entire mobile screen, image quality matters more than on standard pins. Compression artifacts are visible at full-screen display in ways they are not on a small feed thumbnail.
For Idea Pin images, compress at quality 90 or higher before uploading. The larger display surface amplifies any blur or banding from aggressive compression. JPG works well for photography pages, while PNG is better for pages with text, diagrams, or step-by-step instructions.
Rich Pins and Image Metadata
For Pinterest Rich Pins, product information (price, availability, description) pulls directly from your website's metadata. The pin image does not need to contain this information as text overlay -- Pinterest adds it automatically. Focus Rich Pin images on clean product photography without price labels or promotional text baked in.
For Rich Pins to work, your website needs Open Graph tags or Schema.org product markup. The image referenced in your og:image meta tag becomes the pin image. Make sure this image matches Pinterest's 2:3 ratio and is pre-compressed for fast loading on your own site and on Pinterest. To compare modern image formats for your website, see our AVIF vs WebP comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best image size for Pinterest pins?
The best image size for standard Pinterest pins is 1000x1500 pixels (2:3 aspect ratio). This ratio receives the most feed real estate and algorithmic priority. Square pins at 1000x1000 work for product catalogs, and Idea Pins should be 1080x1920 pixels. All pin images have a 20MB upload limit.
Why do my Pinterest pins look blurry?
Blurry pins are caused by double compression. Pinterest re-compresses every image you upload at approximately quality 80. If your source image was already heavily compressed, the second pass introduces visible artifacts, especially in text overlays and gradient areas. Upload high-quality source files (under 20MB) and let Pinterest handle the final compression, or pre-compress to quality 85-90 so the second pass has minimal impact.
Does Pinterest support WebP image uploads?
Yes, Pinterest accepts WebP uploads alongside JPG, PNG, and GIF. WebP files are 25-35% smaller than equivalent JPGs, which speeds up the upload process. However, Pinterest still re-encodes uploads to its own format for delivery, so the primary benefit of WebP is faster upload time rather than improved display quality.
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