How to Create a Twitter Background Image

Posted on November 10, 2008 by blueleafcreative

How to Create Twitter Background

You are on Twitter and you want a custom background.  Here is what you need to know.

You can create your own background in any application that will let you save the file as a .jpg, .gif or .png and allows you to create the graphics you desire.  I used Adobe Photoshop to create mine (take a peek to see what it looks like).
Here are some things you need to know before getting started:

• Your twitter background will force itself to the far left of the page.  Give your self some room from the left side.
• People have different size monitors, so it is best to keep the graphics on the left and a solid color on the right so that you know they are seeing what you want them to see.

Creating your background
Set Your File Dimensions (page size): 378 px x 583 px or 5.25 inches wide x 8 inches tall

Now Set A Logo Area: 80 px by 583 px or 1 inch x 1.25 inches (this is about how big you want it to be)

Left Margin: Remember to set everything over 3/4 of an inch from the left side.

Top Margin: 14 px or 1/8 inch from the top is where you are going to want to put your logo (this way it lines up with the Twitter logo).
Right Margin: 3/4 inch – 1 inch  from the right is where you are going to want to put your guides.  Place your information between the left and right margins.  This will give you a little “elbow room” as people expand and collapse their windows.  Thanks The Harriman Team for point this out.
Important Note:  Different monitor sizes, and different screen resolutions will cause variations on how your background appears.  The sizes above were created so to meet the needs of most people.
Final file size according to Twitter:  “Images must be smaller than 800k.”
Make it “Purdy”
Colors: Select colors that match your Twitter template colors. You can change the colors for Text, Name, Link, Sidebar fill and Sidebar border as needed in the dialog box on Twitter.
Recommendation: Choose colors that work with the template you have choosen and save yourself the headache of matching the links, etc. to your image.
How to Upload your Twitter background

1. Login and click ‘Settings’ >> click ‘Design’ >> Select ‘Use my custom style below’ radio button >> Upload your image

It took me quite a bit of time to get a background image that I was happy with. There was a lot of editing and uploading again, and again until it was just the way I wanted it. Have patience and you’ll be thrilled with the results. Remember that you are working within someone else’s website and can’t control all the features.

Keep these things in mind when creating your new background for Twitter.

Things to remember when creating a twitter background image

Good Luck!

If you found this article helpful, please Stumble or give a TWEET.  Your support is greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions or problems, please leave comments below, Tweet me or send me a direct message via Twitter.  I’m always here to help!
Happy Tweeting!


*blueleafcreative.wordpress.com