Tumblr image size: 1280×1920 posts that fill the dashboard

The best Tumblr image size for a single photo post is 1280×1920 pixels, a tall 2:3 frame. Tumblr scales images to the width of the dashboard column and generally shows them at their full height, so a vertical image takes more space as people scroll and gets more time in view. Square 1080×1080 and wide 1600×900 images work too; they simply occupy less of the dash. Make words big enough to read on a phone, because that's where most reblogs happen.

Tumblr image sizes for each kind of post

Why tall posts work on Tumblr

The dashboard is one column. Every post is the same width, so the only way a post can take more room is height. A 2:3 image fills most of a phone screen on its own, which means the reader stops on it for a moment rather than flicking past a thin strip. That's also why the same image does well on Pinterest, where the standard pin size is the same shape.

Very tall images, such as long comics or infographics, are fine on Tumblr, but split anything taller than about two screens into a photoset or a series. Readers who reblog the middle of a long strip lose its beginning.

Designing images people reblog

Tumblr rewards images that carry their meaning without the caption, because reblogs travel further than the text you wrote with them. A quote, a recipe card, a little guide or a striking background with three words on it all survive being passed along.

• Put your handle small in a bottom corner so credit survives reposts, but not so large it takes over.
• Set headline text at least 80 pixels tall in a 1280 pixel wide design; it shrinks to roughly a third on a phone.
• Keep one look across your posts. Followers recognise a blog by its colours long before they read the name.
• Write the image description. Tumblr has a field for it on each photo, and it is how screen reader users read your post.

Backgrounds that suit Tumblr

Tumblr has always loved a mood: soft pastels, washed film colour, deep night tones, a bit of grain. A background with a clear feeling does more for a text post than any font. These four are starting points you can copy; add a layer of grain and they'll feel less digital, as grainy gradients explains.

For more starting points, see aesthetic backgrounds and the Y2K aesthetic. The catch with any popular blend is that the blog next to yours may be using it too. A Mark from Gradiently, once you claim it, gives you a background nobody else can export, and it keeps your words readable by moving its calmest area behind them.

Photosets, GIFs and file types

In a photoset, Tumblr lays images in rows and scales each row to one height. Mixed ratios in the same row leave some images tiny, so group tall with tall and wide with wide. For moving posts, a short loop that joins cleanly feels intentional; animated posts covers how to keep motion gentle under still words.

1. 1

   Design at 1280×1920

   Keep a margin of about 80 pixels and put the words in the middle two thirds.

2. 2

   Export the right file

   PNG for type and flat colour, JPG for photographs, GIF for short movement.

3. 3

   Upload and describe

   Add the image to a post and fill in its description before publishing.

4. 4

   Tag it plainly

   Use the words people actually search for, such as the film, the fandom or the mood. Tags are how posts are found outside your followers.