What image size should you use for a photography portfolio website?

You want a visitor to notice the photograph, not a soft edge, an awkward crop, or a slow-loading page. A well-sized export keeps the image clear and gives it room to work across a phone, a laptop, and a larger screen.

Quick answer

Start with an sRGB JPEG at a 2560px long edge and quality 85 to 92. Use 3840px when a portrait needs more width or the cover crop needs extra detail. Upload a few examples to ISO100 and check the preview at phone and desktop sizes.

In this guide

Start with these export settings

These settings are a dependable starting point, not a universal standard. The destination’s documented limits take priority.

Long edge: 2560 px for a general portfolio upload.
Alternative long edge: 3840 px when you need a larger reusable web source.
Format: JPEG for most finished photographs.
Color space: sRGB.
JPEG quality: 85 to 92.
Output sharpening: screen, standard as a starting point.
PPI: any conventional value; pixel dimensions control web display.

Understand long edge, width, and crop

A 2560-pixel long edge means a landscape might be 2560 pixels wide, while a portrait might be 2560 pixels high. The portfolio layout determines the displayed width. Full-image gallery photographs and cropped cover images therefore need different checks.

Keep the photograph’s intended proportions in the source file. Then check covers separately: a wide desktop crop and a narrow phone crop may reveal very different parts of the same image. Place the focus point on what matters.

A cover also needs to read at thumbnail size. Avoid adding permanent borders just to fit one layout, since the same source may be displayed differently elsewhere.

Pixel dimensions matter more than PPI

A file that is 2560 × 1707 pixels contains the same number of pixels whether its metadata says 72, 240, or 300 PPI. PPI affects the implied print size. Resampling changes the actual pixel dimensions.

Use Resize to Fit, or your editor’s equivalent, to set the actual pixel dimensions. Leave enlargement off for smaller crops and follow a destination’s stated width when it provides one.

Save print-resolution decisions for a separate print export. Changing the PPI label alone will not make an image sharper in a browser.

Avoid a universal file-size target

Two JPEGs with identical dimensions and quality settings can have very different file sizes. Fine foliage, grain, texture, and noise compress less than smooth skies or plain studio backgrounds.

Start with the dimensions and quality you need, then inspect the file size. Test a demanding photograph before lowering quality across the whole collection; compressed foliage or a banded sky may be far more distracting than a slightly larger download.

Export a finished JPEG for normal portfolio viewing and keep your masters independently. Use a larger source when another purpose, such as selling high-resolution downloads, calls for it.

When to use other image formats

JPEG is the predictable choice for continuous-tone photography. Other formats can be valid source uploads, but they are not automatically better for a public portfolio.

PNG: useful for graphics, transparency, or text-heavy composites; often unnecessarily large for photographs.
WebP: efficient when your export workflow and destination support it reliably.
HEIC or HEIF: convenient as a source from some devices, but check color and processing after upload.
TIFF: useful as an intermediate master, usually excessive as a routine web delivery file.
Raw: retain in the archive and export a finished derivative for the portfolio.

Inspect sharpening at actual display size

Output sharpening should restore crispness lost through resizing, not create halos or brittle texture. View the uploaded result at normal browser zoom on a standard and high-density screen. Pay special attention to eyelashes, architecture edges, branches, grain, and text within photographs.

Test three representative files

Before a large upload, test a horizontal image with fine detail, a vertical portrait with skin tones, and a photograph with smooth gradients or deep shadows.

Open the public page on a phone using a normal connection.
Open it on the largest screen you expect viewers to use.
Inspect color, texture, edges, crop, loading, and mixed-orientation layout.
Check that the cover crop remains meaningful at narrow and wide widths.
Revise the export preset only when the public result reveals a repeatable problem.

Match the upload to the service’s display sizes

ISO100 prepares responsive viewing images from your upload, at sizes suited to the viewer’s screen. Supply enough pixels for the width and crop you need, then inspect the result. Keep a local copy of your master; the private upload and the public viewing image serve different purposes.

For downloads, choose a full-resolution JPEG with published edits and crop or the unchanged original upload. Upload the resolution you intend recipients to receive, even when the public viewing version is smaller.

Landscape and portrait dimensions

A 3:2 landscape exported at 2560px on the long edge is about 2560 × 1707px. A 2:3 portrait at the same setting is about 1707 × 2560px. To supply a portrait that is 2560px wide, export about 3840px on its long edge. Cropping can require more source pixels; the published plan limit still applies.

Publish photographs prepared for the screen.

Upload your finished images to ISO100 and choose their gallery layout. ISO100 prepares the public display versions while keeping the original uploads private.

Create your portfolio

Common questions

What size should photos be for a photography portfolio website?

A 2560-pixel long-edge JPEG is a dependable starting point. Use sRGB and quality 85 to 92, then check the destination's current upload and display limits.

Should portfolio images be 72 or 300 DPI?

For web display, set pixel dimensions rather than relying on a DPI or PPI label. A file with the same pixel dimensions displays the same size in a browser whether its metadata says 72 or 300 PPI.

Should I upload full-resolution photos to my portfolio?

For viewing alone, a finished export large enough for the display and crop is usually sufficient. If you are selling downloads, upload the resolution you intend buyers to receive. ISO100 prepares smaller viewing images while keeping the original private.

What JPEG quality is best for a photography website?

Start at 85 to 92. Compare a demanding image at several settings and choose the lowest value that shows no meaningful artifact at normal public viewing size.

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