Earlier this month, Twitter announced the upcoming launch of a new profile design. At the time, the new profiles were only available to a select few VIPs. Now they are slowly being rolled out to regular users.
If you like the new design, shown above, and want to bump your name up in the waiting list here’s how you can be one of the first to upgrade to the new design.
How To Get The New Twitter Profile
- To get the new profile design the new profile, first visit this page.
- Make sure you’re logged in.
- Scroll all the way to bottom and click the “Get it now” button.
- Boom! You’re done. You now have the new profile.
At least for now, upgrading to the new profile is optional. If you don’t like it you even have the option to switch back. Eventually though, it seems Twitter will be forcing all users to make the change, so it may be a good idea to start getting used to it.
What Are The New Features?
The most immediately obvious of the new features are larger profile photos, and header images that span the width of your screen. The layout is now three columns instead of two, and the profile photos overlap the cover photo, similar to how they do on Facebook pages.
The new Twitter profiles allow you to pin specific tweets, similar to pinning posts on a Facebook Page. The new profiles will also highlight your best tweets, and more.
Here’s what Twitter has listed as the main new features:
- Best Tweets: Tweets that have received more engagement will appear slightly larger, so your best content is easy to find.
- Pinned Tweet: Pin one of your Tweets to the top of your page, so it’s easy for your followers to see what you’re all about.
- Filtered Tweets: Now you can choose which timeline to view when checking out other profiles. Select from these options: Tweets, Tweets with photos/videos, or Tweets and replies.
A Guide To Images Sizes For The New Twitter Profiles
With a new design comes new images sizes. The dimensions for your profile photo and header photo have changed, which means you create and upload some new ones. Here are the sizes for each image.
Header Photo (1500 pixels wide x 500 pixels high, 5MB maximum)
The header photo is the main image across the top of the screen. Twitter recommends 1500×500 pixels but the header photo will always blow-up to be screen-wide, regardless of the size of the image.
Keep in mind that a 1500×500 image would look pretty stretched out on a 27-inch monitor unless it’s saved at a very high-resolution. Instead of using the recommended size, aim for a 3000×1000 photo or save your 1500×500 image at the highest possible dots per inch (DPI).
Profile Photo/Avatar (400×400 minimum)
Twitter recommends a 400×400 profile photo. The image should be a square, but you will have the option to crop during the upload process. Twitter has not specified a maximum file size.
The profile photo scales down to 200×200 on your profile page, gets shows at an even smaller size in timelines, and blows up to full size when somebody clicks on it. Keep this in mind so you can make sure your image looks clear however it’s viewed.
Background Image (no longer needed)
With the new Twitter profile design, background images are no longer needed, as they are no longer visible on your profile page by other users. Instead of spending time creating a background image that no one will see, I recommend heading over to your profile design settings and set use a solid color background instead.
That’s everything you need to know about the new Twitter profiles! If you have any questions about the new design, please leave a comment below.
