Photos and images are an important part of your Steemit posts. But there is one photo/image that is more important that all of the rest.

THE THUMBNAIL IMAGE!
(Can you hear the evil laughing in the background? It's faint, but it is there. Trust me!)

Remember that the first image that you place in your post will be used to create the thumbnail image for your post.

Follow this 3 steps to create the perfect Steemit thumbnail image.

Find a high quality, horizontal photo or image.

If you do not have a high quality photo or image, then check out this article I wrote:
How do you find a relevant image for your post?

The thumbnail image (a.k.a. the first image used in your post) should always be horizontal (meaning that it is longer than it is taller). Vertical images may not show properly as a thumbnail image when displayed on your blog screen or your audience's home screens.

The following screen shot from my blog shows three horizontal thumbnail images:

You have freedom to choose the alignment of all of the other photos or images. It does not really matter whether they are horizontal or vertical.

The first image (the thumbnail image) is most important, and it should be horizontal.

Now that you have the perfect photo, now it is time to make the photo perfect.

Use the ideal length to height ratio - 1.7

So, you found a horizontal image that is great quality and relevant to your post. All is great right? Not always.

Not all horizontal images look great as a thumbnail. Some are too short, and some are too tall. All my semi-scientific calculations seem to indicate that the ideal ratio of length to height of an image is 1.7.

So what does that mean practically? Whether you are measuring in pixels, centimeters, inches or miles, you want the length of your photo or image to be 1.7 times longer than the height of your photo.

Examples :

This ratio specifically applies to the first image of your post that will be used as the post’s thumbnail image. It is not necessary to apply the 1.7 ratio to the rest of the photos and images you use in your post.

Most photo editors should be able to help you adjust your photo or image to the 1.7 ratio. The key is to figure out how to resize the canvas.

Pixlr offers a FREE online tool if you do not have a photo editor that you prefer to use:

1. Open https://pixlr.com/editor/
2. Click Open Image from Computer
   
3. Select the file you want to upload to Pixlr
4. Hover over the IMAGE menu and then click Canvas Size
   
5. Adjust the canvas size to agree with the 1.7 ratio
   
6. Unlock the layer you created (by double clicking the lock). This feature is located on the left side of your screen.
   
7. Move your cursor over the photo or image. Click and then position it as you see fit.

Don't use transparent backgrounds for your thumbnail image.

Photos are taken on cameras and are usually stored as JPG files.

Images can been created via computer software and can be saved in various formats, including JPG, PNG, and TIFF.

If you have not idea what I am talking about then you are probably not using transparent PNG files and you should be fine.

When I create my own images, I typically prefer transparent backgrounds (with a PNG format), but that is not the case with Steemit.

If you use a transparent PNG file then your thumbnail will look like this. Inside your post the image will look fine, but notice how the gray shows through on the thumbnail.

The easiest fix to this problem is save your image as a JPG. Problem solved!

So now get out there and create incredible thumbnail images.

Let me know if you have any questions.

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Related Articles:
How Do You Find A Relevant Image for Your Post?
You Should Always Include Photos and Images In Your Steemit Post (Well, Almost Always!)

Image Sources:

1. Thumbnail image - https://pixabay.com/en/photo-photographer-old-photos-256887/
2. Screen shot of my Steemit blog
3. Screen shot of my computer
4. Screen shot of PIXLR Editor
5. Screen shot of PIXLR Editor
6. Screen shot of PIXLR Editor
7. Screen shot of PIXLR Editor
8. Screen shot of my Steemit blog