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

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

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.

Gallery image: preserve the intended aspect ratio unless the layout deliberately crops.

Cover: expect wide, tall, desktop, and mobile viewports to crop the source differently.

Thumbnail: choose a subject that remains legible when small.

Focus point: place it on the meaningful subject rather than automatically at the center.

Do not add permanent letterboxing to the source file unless it is part of the photograph.

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.

Set pixel dimensions with Resize to Fit or the equivalent export control.

Leave Do Not Enlarge enabled when exporting smaller crops.

Use print-resolution settings only for a separate print workflow.

When a website asks for a maximum width, follow that pixel value directly.

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 simple studio backgrounds.

Choose dimensions and visual quality first, then inspect the resulting file size.

Test compression on a difficult photograph with fine texture, grain, or a smooth gradient.

Do not reduce quality aggressively just to meet an arbitrary kilobyte target unless the platform requires it.

Do not upload raw files or full-resolution TIFFs when a clean JPEG is the intended source.

Keep masters independently; the portfolio upload is a delivery asset.

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.

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.

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.

Portfolio services often create several responsive display files from one upload. Check the largest public display width, whether the processor ever upscales, which formats and file sizes it accepts, and whether original uploads remain private. Supply enough source pixels for the largest intended variant, but do not upload a print master merely because the service accepts it.