SoundCloud size guide: how to update SoundCloud banner sizes and more

SoundCloud is a social media platform dedicated almost exclusively to music.

It's also one of the only music platforms open to artists, allowing even fledgling musicians to upload their music where anyone can listen.

Artists worldwide are also creating SoundCloud profiles and using this platform to share their ideas and concerts and build their brands.

Whether you're creating a profile to upload your music, a new podcast you made, or simply listening, you can do a few things to improve your profile. In this SoundCloud size guide, we've got you covered.

SoundCloud is also a fantastic place for music lovers to discover new and upcoming artists before becoming mainstream. And who doesn't like to pride themselves on knowing they found an artist or a band years before they become popular?

This guide will help you create beautiful SoundCloud banners and covers to make your profile look polished.

But, as you may know, SoundCloud is not just for uploading and listening to music. Many people and companies use this platform to host their podcasts and narrated stories and publish other audio-only content.

Listeners visiting your profile will pay attention to your SoundCloud banner image and profile image before they even click "play." That's why it's crucial to make a powerful impression with your personal SoundCloud profile or brand, whether creating an artist profile or a company profile.

When creating or completing your SoundCloud profile, you should consider specific requirements. For instance, you'll need to upload a high-quality SoundCloud profile image and SoundCloud banner (also known as a profile header image).

Paying attention to your SoundCloud album cover art images and cover art thumbnails is also something that will set you apart from other SoundCloud profiles.

Always strive for consistency when it comes to your visual content. If you're already present on other social media platforms, we recommend adapting your social media graphics and match the branded content on your SoundCloud Profile.

Having consistent design on all your social media platforms and implementing high-quality images and graphics will make your personal SoundCloud profile or brand look professional.

SoundCloud profile image size

The first thing you'll need to update once you create your SoundCloud account is the profile picture. As with other social media accounts, having a profile photo is essential because it's the first thing viewers will check on your profile.

The profile image is the perfect place to add your logo, a picture of yourself, or your band if you're an artist. If you're creating a podcast, you can add a professional image relevant to your podcast or even your business logo.

If you want to place a professional image on your SoundCloud profile, you can hire a photographer to take a high-quality picture of you. But you don't need to be a professional graphic designer to create high-quality profile image designs!

The trick is to use a simple design in your profile cover photo so that it is easily recognizable wherever it appears in the small thumbnail format.

The profile picture you upload should be a square in the JPEG or PNG file format. The profile photo size should be at least 1000 x 1000 pixels (aspect ratio of 1:1).

SoundCloud only accepts images of up to 2 MB in size, so keep this in mind if you want to update your current image.

You can use Linearity Curve to create this type of square image and export it in any format you want.

Remember that the profile photo you upload will be displayed in a circle. They're circular because SoundCloud wants to differentiate profile photos from the track and playlist artwork.

Once you click on it, it will expand the full square image. But since the static image on your profile will not display the corners, it'll be best to place your logo in the middle and not place any critical information in the corners of the square.

You can drag the image to the left or right and zoom in or out to ensure that the image in the circle is perfectly aligned. We recommend aligning your logo or photo to the center of the circle for a cleaner look across your account, but you can also experiment with other placements.

The SoundCloud banner, also known as your profile header image, is the most prominent image you can customize on your SoundCloud profile. This header banner takes up a larger space at the top of your profile compared to your profile picture, so it's the perfect place to add a full picture of your band or a live concert that you played recently.

You should create an eye-catching SoundCloud banner picture to draw your audience's attention and get more people to click "play."

Alternatively, you can use your SoundCloud banner to highlight your latest album cover art or images associated with your company's products and services if you're a business professional.

To get the best header image quality, you should upload a custom banner image of at least 2480 x 520 pixels. Regarding the image file type, you have two options: JPEG or PNG files.

As with the profile image, your SoundCloud banner size should be within a 2 MB size limit. We have presets for setting file size on export right inside Linearity Curve to make things even easier for you.

If you include text in your banner design, be aware that certain parts of the text might get cut off on some mobile devices. That's why avoiding text in your Header image is best.

Tips to make your SoundCloud profile stand out

Every SoundCloud profile is unique. So, whether you have a personal or company profile and want to use this platform to build your brand, you should always strive for uniqueness.

Competition becomes more challenging as more profiles improve and thrive to become unique in their own space. However, there are some things you can do to make your profile stand out from the rest. Here are three tips for you:

1. Add clear visuals

Everyone who visits your profile should be able to tell your genre of music or podcast just by looking at your design visuals. Use graphic design tools to create powerful visuals representing you and your brand.

Also, use graphic design elements such as white space (the extra space around designs) to your advantage when creating clean visuals tailored to the SoundCloud banner size and profile image thumbnail.

2. Be consistent

Consistent design across all the social platforms that you use is especially important. If you want your profile to look more professional, avoid using stock photos.

Instead, use high-quality professional images that best represent you and your brand or create custom graphics using stock images and Auto Trace, making them your own creation.

3. Keep it simple

You don't have to go over the top with design elements to make an eye-catching SoundCloud profile header or profile image. A straightforward design will go a long way and make a great impression, especially if you match the background color palette with your profile image.

If you follow the profile picture and banner dimensions requirements, you won't encounter any problems uploading your custom graphics.

Three examples of the best SoundCloud profile pages

1. Billie Eilish

The first example we will look at is Billie Eilish's SoundCloud profile. What we love about her profile is that she always keeps it updated. Eilish ensures her profile photo and SoundCloud cover reflect her latest work. In this example, we can see that she has kept it simple.

The Profile photo only shows her face, while the SoundCloud Banner shows the entire picture. We also see the name of her latest album titled “Happier Than Ever.”

She has included the release date of this new album on the banner itself, which will help to build hype with her audience and bring them back to her SoundCloud page for the new release.

2. The Roop

This pop-rock band from Lithuania proves that you can create a beautiful profile with black and white photos. What we love is that they've used a Profile picture that reflects an area of each band member's face through the mirror pieces.

In addition, they've kept their banner simple and have selected a black and white photo from one of their live shows.

3. Dancing Pineapple

The third example is also a great one. We see how the electronic music curators Dancing Pineapple play around with design elements like retrofuturism and bold, oversized text and incorporate the logo into the profile image.

They've used a profile picture that matches the background of the banner image. This way, the profile image is not covering any part of the banner but complements the entire design.

SoundCloud album cover art size

Once you upload a track or an album to SoundCloud, the next thing to do is upload your album art. Album and track artwork are square images, so you'll want to ensure text isn't cropped away when you design your album cover art images.

Album art file size of up to 2 MB. JPEG or PNG of at least 800 x 800 pixels

SoundCloud Cover artwork is where you should upload the cover art of your album or song, podcast episode, or other audio content.

If you use a high-quality image, it'll work great at any scaled size within the SoundCloud platform, including SoundCloud on mobile devices.

As we discussed earlier, each SoundCloud profile is different from the others. For example, some accounts have commercial profiles, while others are personal ones.

If you have a personal SoundCloud profile, you'll be free to pick and upload any visual content you want. Once again, you don't have to be a professional graphic designer to create simple yet powerful album cover art. There are also thousands of album cover templates out there that you can use.

If you have a commercial profile, you'll be more restricted regarding what Album cover art or any other branded content you may upload. You may be instructed to upload your album cover image not only on your SoundCloud profile but also on other social media platforms that you're using.

Sometimes, a SoundCloud account is a collaboration between you and other companies, such as a music studio. In these cases, you may have to work and collaborate with your company's graphic designer or use artwork designed by them.

Either way, it is essential that you stay consistent across all social media platforms you use. Try to match social media graphics with your SoundCloud profile.

Use the same album cover art on SoundCloud and other social media platforms. You'll increase visibility and avoid confusion from the perspective of listeners trying to find your songs or albums.

Adding a catchy design to your SoundCloud album cover art will instantly set you apart from other profiles as well. There are several ways to find design ideas, one of which is to stay in the loop with the latest graphic design trends.

FAQ: Uploading files to SoundCloud

In this last section, we'll discuss what file types and sizes you may upload on SoundCloud. We'll also give you some extra tips to make your file-uploading process run as smoothly as possible.