A LinkedIn background photo is the wide banner at the top of your profile. LinkedIn's recommended size is 1584 x 396 pixels, a 4:1 rectangle. A clean banner that fits your industry helps, but recruiters still judge the circular profile picture first.
A photographer session typically costs $150 to $400. Portreya Starter is $4.99 for 2 photos from one clear selfie in about 60 seconds per image, one-time, with a money-back guarantee.
This guide is for individuals building a profile. It is not a team rollout playbook. If you manage photos for a whole company, start with TeamShotsPro instead.
For the photo that sits on the banner, see LinkedIn profile picture. For pixel specs on the circle, see LinkedIn headshot size.
What Size Should a LinkedIn Background Photo Be?
The exact answer is 1584×396 pixels. That's LinkedIn's official recommended size for a background photo, and it maps to a 4:1 aspect ratio, four times wider than it is tall according to connectsafely.ai.
Here's what you need to hit that spec:
- Dimensions: 1584×396 pixels minimum
- File formats: JPG, PNG, or GIF
- File size: under 8MB
- Color profile: RGB
Desktop and mobile display the same banner differently, cropping more aggressively on phones. So keep key visual elements centered, away from the far left and right edges, to avoid awkward cuts on smaller screens.
How Do You Design a Professional LinkedIn Banner?
Good banner design comes down to one rule: don't compete with your profile photo. Your face is the focal point. The banner is the supporting cast.
Start with contrast. If your profile photo is dark, choose a lighter banner, and vice versa. This keeps your headshot visible instead of blending into the background.
Watch the left side. Your profile photo overlaps the bottom-left corner of the banner on desktop. Keep text, logos, and important details away from that zone, and shift your focal point toward the center or right third instead.
Typography should stay minimal: one font, one or two sizes, high contrast against the background. Skip decorative scripts. Leave breathing room, negative space isn't wasted space, it's what makes text readable on a phone screen at 1584×396 pixels scaled down small.
For color and style, match the context: solid brand colors work for consultants and executives, subtle gradients suit creatives and marketers, photography fits industries like real estate or hospitality, and abstract patterns work well for tech and design roles. If you want a banner and profile photo that look intentionally paired, check our background ideas guide for combinations that hold up across devices.
Where Should You Position Text and Elements on the Banner?
Keep anything important out of the bottom-left corner. That's where your profile photo and name overlay sit, on desktop. On mobile, the crop shifts: the visible area narrows and centers, so elements near the left and right edges get cut off entirely.
Here's the safe zone that works on both: the center-right third of your banner, roughly from the horizontal midpoint to about 80% across, and vertically centered. On a 1584×396px canvas, that means keeping text and logos between roughly x=750 and x=1300. Anything past x=1400 or before x=250 risks getting clipped on mobile.
For logos, taglines, or contact info, place them right-of-center, not dead center (your headshot circle sits left, so center-right reads as the natural focal point). A tagline like "Freelance Brand Strategist | Available for Projects" fits cleanly in that zone at a readable size.
Always preview the banner on both desktop and mobile before publishing. LinkedIn's own preview doesn't always match the live crop, so check your actual profile after saving.
