X (Twitter) Post Specs for Images and Standard-Account Video

Open the Social Media Post Specs Checker with X selected. Choose the attachment format before entering measurements or selecting a local file. Geometry, duration, and file size answer separate questions. Keep the original export available so you can make a targeted correction, then return with the revised file instead of repeatedly compressing an already compressed copy.

Let the idea decide between a still and a moving attachment

Start by describing what the reader needs to see, without mentioning a file format. A repair update might need to show the exact position of a loose connector. A short demonstration might need to show how that connector moves when the cable bends. The first task suits an annotated still; the second needs motion. Choosing this early avoids turning every subject into a video simply because footage exists.

Imagine a small software team announcing a revised search panel. If the point is that two settings moved into a clearer group, a clean before-and-after image gives readers time to compare labels. If the point is that results now update while someone types, a focused screen recording communicates the behavior. Neither version needs to include the entire desktop or a long introduction to the product.

Keep the attachment’s job separate from the surrounding post. The image might show the change, while the post explains who needs it and when it applies. Avoid putting the complete written announcement into tiny text inside the graphic. Conversely, do not rely on the post to repair a video whose pointer, labels, or key action are too small to see. Each part should contribute something identifiable.

Write a short acceptance note for the editor: readers must recognize the old setting, the new setting, and the relationship between them. That note is more useful than requesting a generic social export. It also makes review concrete. Someone can inspect the file and say which element is missing, rather than discussing whether the attachment feels polished without agreeing on what it should actually explain.

Apply the standard-account web-video reference only where it belongs

X Help documents native web video for accounts without Premium or an eligible paid subscription at up to 140 seconds and 512 MB. The checker’s standard-account web-video record uses those two published checks. It does not borrow a longer paid-plan allowance, Media Studio specification, or developer API rule. Select this reference when it matches your intended account and upload route; it is not a universal description of every X video workflow.

Read duration and size independently. A 125-second demonstration can be comfortably within the duration reference and still be a very large file. A small 155-second export can be outside the duration reference even though compression has made it easy to transfer. Reducing file size does not shorten the story, and cutting the story does not necessarily fix an unsuitable encoding. The report helps distinguish the first two measurable problems.

Do not infer account benefits from the file. A local video contains dimensions and timing, not reliable evidence of the subscription attached to the account that will post it. If the posting account has a different allowance, consult its native workflow rather than treating this standard record as that account’s exact validator. Give the person handling the upload the selected scope along with the measured values.

For the search-panel example, choose an editorial runtime well below the published boundary because the explanation is short, not because there is a special preferred duration. Trim waiting, duplicate clicks, and setup that the audience does not need. Keep the moment that proves the behavior. Then measure the exported clip itself, since an editing timeline and its final render can differ after handles, titles, or an ending frame are added.

Build a single image that survives a small viewing size

The single-image record uses 1600 by 900 pixels as a Preparation target for a landscape graphic. That is an editorial working canvas, not a mandatory X image shape. A square photograph or a taller diagram may communicate better. The useful question is whether the subject and necessary labels remain clear at the size someone will first encounter, not whether every image matches one template exactly.

For a before-and-after interface image, crop each source to the relevant panel and preserve the same visual scale. If the new panel is shown much larger, the comparison can imply an improvement that comes only from magnification. Give each side a short label and use an unobtrusive divider. Remove empty desktop space before making the actual controls smaller to fit the chosen canvas.

X Help lists a photo file-size ceiling of 5 MB, which the image record checks separately from geometry. The record is for a static image, not an animated GIF or an automatically generated link card. A graphic can match the preparation canvas and exceed that size reference. Another can be smaller than the canvas and remain useful. Neither its pixel count nor its attachment size calculates the written post’s character weight.

Inspect both fine detail and the overall reading order. Zoom out until the graphic resembles a small feed item, then check whether the intended difference is obvious. Zoom in to inspect label edges and any accidental blur. If important words disappear at the small view, simplify the image or create a tighter crop with the Image Resizer. Enlarging a weak source does not recover missing detail.

Separate aspect ratio from the amount of usable detail

Aspect ratio describes shape; resolution describes how many pixels fill that shape. A 1280 by 720 video and a 1920 by 1080 video both have a 16:9 ratio. The checker’s 1280 by 720 video canvas is a Preparation target, not a required X upload resolution. Matching it tells you that a working reference aligns with the file, not that the native composer has approved the export.

A 960 by 540 recording also has that shape, but its small interface labels may offer less usable detail. Whether it needs replacement depends on the source and the subject. A large close-up of one button can remain clear, while an entire application window may not. Review the actual content before deciding that a below-target result requires upscaling. A larger frame with softened text may be no better.

When a source has a different ratio, decide between keeping its shape, fitting it inside a new canvas, and cropping it deliberately. Keep a portrait demonstration portrait if the action benefits from that view. If you fit it into a landscape graphic, make the surrounding area purposeful and restrained. If you crop, check the complete action: a pointer can move outside a crop that looked correct on the opening frame.

Never stretch a screen recording to force a target match. Distorted circles and letters make an interface harder to interpret, and the changed shape may obscure what the original interaction looked like. Preserve proportions while editing. Use the report’s observed geometry to describe the current file accurately, then write the proposed framing change in plain language. Geometry becomes useful when it points to a specific editing decision.

Edit the video around the proof, not the recording session

A useful demonstration starts close to the action the reader came to see. In the search-panel example, show the panel already open and the relevant field visible. Keep enough lead-in to understand the starting state, then perform the interaction at a readable pace. Removing a long desktop setup gives the actual change room to breathe without making every click unnaturally fast or cutting away the result too soon.

Treat the pointer as part of the composition. It should lead the eye toward the control, not race through menus while the viewer is reading a caption. Pause briefly at the completed state. If several settings change, consider showing one meaningful sequence instead of a tour of every option. A shorter, coherent example can explain more than a longer recording filled with unrelated activity and unexplained cursor movement.

Write captions for the actions that need explanation, and inspect them against the interface underneath. A caption covering the search results defeats the purpose of the demonstration even when it is beautifully styled. Use the Video Safe Zone Checker for a separate framing review. Its visual planning role does not turn the specs check into an exact replica of X’s player or overlay positions.

Listen to the final export as well as watching it. If a spoken instruction is necessary, confirm it is audible and agrees with the visible action. If the clip can work without sound, check that the visual explanation really carries it. Dimensions, duration, and file size do not test microphone noise, clipped speech, subtitle accuracy, or a missing audio track. Those are human playback checks on the exported asset.

Reduce file weight without losing the part readers need

Make size corrections from the editing source or a high-quality master. Repeatedly exporting a downloaded preview can soften text and introduce artifacts that accumulate with each pass. Keep one master and a clearly named delivery copy. When a size check flags the delivery file, change a specific export setting or shorten unnecessary material, then compare the new version with the original at the same viewing size.

For a still graphic, inspect whether the image contains photographic detail, flat colors, or fine text before choosing an export approach in your editor. Do not simply rename the extension and expect the file to change. A photograph and a screenshot can respond differently to compression. Check the smallest important labels, thin dividers, and subtle background contrasts after saving, because those details often reveal damage before a large headline does.

For video, watch the busiest movement and the smallest screen text in each candidate export. A file that looks clear while paused may break into blocks during scrolling. A smooth motion sample may still blur the result list you need people to read. Compare the whole explanatory sequence, not just the opening thumbnail. The checker records measurements; it does not inspect compression quality or identify a particular codec or frame rate.

The tool compares file size in decimal megabytes, using one million bytes per MB. X Help does not clarify the byte convention behind its MB labels, so avoid presenting an exact boundary calculation as proof of acceptance. The browser tool also has its own local resource guards, which are not X limits. If it cannot inspect a large file locally, enter reliable measurements manually and retain the same scope warning.

Review the attachment and the surrounding post as one explanation

Once the file is clear, read the post beside it. If the graphic says a setting moved but the text describes a speed improvement, readers have two different claims to reconcile. Make the wording identify what the attachment actually demonstrates. Keep dates, version names, and labels consistent between the media and the text. A technical metadata result cannot detect a mismatch between those two parts of the announcement.

Use the Social Media Character Counter for a separate text review instead of trying to derive copy length from image dimensions. Keep a readable text equivalent of essential information where your publishing workflow provides one. For a comparison image, describe the meaningful change rather than listing every decorative element. This also helps the team notice whether the image contains an unexplained label or unsupported conclusion.

Open the attachment in the intended native composer and inspect its preview before completing the handoff. Confirm that you chose the static graphic rather than an earlier screenshot, or the trimmed video rather than the full recording. Compare the visible beginning and ending with the approved version. This native review is a separate step from the browser-only checker, which neither signs into X nor sends the file to a posting account.

If the native workflow reports a problem despite favorable numeric checks, record its actual message and the file version. Do not keep changing unrelated dimensions at random. The remaining cause may sit outside the values measured here, and a file extension alone cannot settle it. Keep the successful editorial decisions intact while investigating the specific upload issue in the native workflow that will handle the attachment.

Hand over an export with enough information to reproduce it

A handoff should identify the exact asset, the intended attachment type, and the selected account scope. Use a filename that distinguishes the search-panel still from the demonstration video, then add a revision marker when something changes. Avoid several different files all called final. The person preparing the post should not need to guess which one carries the approved labels or which video contains the corrected ending.

Copy or export the checker’s results with the measured dimensions, duration when relevant, and file size. Add a brief editorial note such as ‘new search results remain visible below the caption.’ Keep manual measurements marked as manual, especially when the browser could not read the original video. A report is useful evidence of what was inspected, but it is not a substitute for the matching file or a native composer review.

After a revision, inspect the revised asset and replace the old report. A crop changes geometry; a trim changes duration; a fresh render can change file size even if the picture looks similar. Treat the file and its measurements as a pair. Reopening yesterday’s report while sending today’s export makes a careful process unreliable, because a colleague cannot reproduce the measurements from the asset they actually received.

Keep media preparation distinct from later account work. SMTasker’s supported X workflows include Like, Follow, Comment, Unfollow, and Repost; that does not make this checker an X publishing connection. Organize your approved media and post text before moving into whichever native posting process you use. The free tools directory provides the separate preparation tools, while your handoff note keeps their different results understandable to the next person.

Questions about X images and video

Continue with another preparation guide

Explore another media context or review the geometry and handoff. Return to the Social Media Post Specs Checker to apply the measurements, or browse all free tools.