". What size should the cover image be?
Cover size for VKontakte group 795x200px or 1590x400px
Why are there two image sizes available? The second size is 2 times larger so that the hat looks good and beautiful on large monitors computers.
Of course it would be better to use in the group design, a cover size of 1590x400px so that it looks great on all devices. These sizes are officially recommended technical support VK.com.
So that the quality of pictures does not deteriorate when uploading to Vk.com
Many people notice that when loading a picture in Vk.com, the image is “soapy,” that is, distorted. What to do in such cases? To prevent pictures from being distorted and color noise similar to ripples appearing on them, you should when saving the picture in photoshop choose:
Menu File -> Save for WEB -> in the settings window that appears, check the box next to "Method of loading an image using dragging pictures from the folder to the upload line in VK.
How to download/install/enable VKontakte group cover
When you have already prepared a cover for the community (template in .PSD format for the group header size 1590x400px, you can download it below from the link), in order to download and install it you will need to do the following:
- Under the group avatar, go to “Actions”
- Select "Manage Community"
- In the "Basic Information" item "Community Cover", click "Download"
- In the “Upload a new cover” window that appears, upload the designed cover for the VKontakte community by dragging it from a folder on your computer (described above)
- Save changes
VKontakte developers have expanded the design capabilities of groups and communities. Now, along with the usual avatar, you can add a cover. It has a number of advantages - the ability to add control buttons, write text, etc. And they allow you to publish and update data online.
Now I will show you how to activate this feature in the community and add a cover photo to the group.
How to enable cover art in a group?
To do this, you need to go to the desired community, open the menu and select the item.
On the "Settings" tab, find the block "Community Cover". To add it, you need to click on the “Download” link.
First we need to prepare a picture. Recommended dimensions 1590 x 400 pixels. Do it anywhere graphic editor(cm. ).
Select and add the prepared file. Select the area on the preview screen that you want to use. Then click "Save and Continue".
We will receive a message indicating that the cover has been successfully uploaded. An additional “Delete” link will appear in case we decide to roll back the changes.
Viewing and setting the cover in the VKontakte group
Let's go back to home page communities. A header with a picture appears here, which we added in the previous step. If you hover your mouse over it, three control buttons will appear in the upper right corner.
- Editing;
- Delete.
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The appearance of communities on social networks is very important. If the design doesn’t catch your eye at first glance, then visitors won’t even pay attention to it. This is why sometimes the most useful content does not find its audience. Today we’ll look at how to make a cover for a VKontakte group using online services or on a computer. When using this information, you not only transform your public page, but also attract new subscribers.
Image Options
The VK administration is constantly improving appearance of its services, makes it more beautiful and convenient for users. Thus, vertical avatars were replaced by horizontal background images in the community header. Moreover, now it is possible not only the classic static display, but the use of dynamic blocks with timers, exchange rates, CRM data and other modules.
For the two options, the size of the group cover in VK is the same. Minimum width and height 795 x 200 px. But the developers advise doubling the parameters of the source file - up to 1590 x 400 px. This allows the public to look equally good on a phone and a widescreen PC monitor.
When developing a design, you need to consider the location of the navigation buttons. The distance from the right edge is 66 px, the distance between them is 10 px, and the size of each is 157 px.
When searching for a picture, it is not necessary to maintain the specified proportions. It is important that the resolution is not less than specified. Below we describe how to adjust it to the required parameters.
Navigation elements should be positioned so that they are visible not only on the PC, but also on the phone. Therefore, let's look at how to make a cover in a VK group for mobile version. There are some size features:
- 196 px on each side simply goes beyond the limits of visibility.
- The upper 83 px are occupied by service icons, where the clock is displayed, mobile operators and other information.
- 140 px on the sides are occupied by pop-up menu and message icons.
Only the 918 x 317 px area remains untouched. This is what you need to focus on.
The exact layout of all elements simplifies the work. But before approving the final version, it is better to publish the image and make sure that important parts are not overlapped by pop-up icons and panels. This helps make the community attractive to users of any device.
Choosing a background for the cover of a VK group
The background screen of your public page should be as consistent as possible with its content and inspire confidence among visitors. Good results are shown by the author's photographs. Pictures of machines in production, cakes in your kitchen or satisfied clients in a hairdressing salon “come in” better than hackneyed pictures from Yandex search. If there are no such materials, you can use a free stock photo database, for example, Unsplash. The service offers a huge selection. But key queries must be entered in English. A good Russian-language stock is Pixabay. But the number of freely available files is limited.
However, you don’t have to be a designer to do everything yourself. You just need to know the basic rules and techniques.
Not only the text reveals the theme. A suitable illustration does this itself. It is enough to bring to the fore a key event, event or person.
In recognizable niches, you can adhere to a minimalist strategy. The brand comes first. An abundance of inscriptions, on the contrary, can ruin everything. A fan interested in the logo begins to study the details himself.
People are also attracted to feelings and emotions. A couple in love in the background creates a calm atmosphere, and the bright red font conveys the necessary information.
With the help of a community cover on VK, you can stimulate people to take a targeted action. A pointer to the menu encourages visitors to explore sections of the public. And if you make an intriguing signature nearby, they begin to look for a mysterious solution and linger with you.
An arrow pointing to the subscribe button helps users stay with you further. However, you should not limit yourself to just visual highlighting. Already at the first stage of getting to know the audience, you can interest them with a benefit or bonus. A nice gift, a promise to solve a problem, or a catchy phrase stimulates action.
In this case, not only direct, but also indirect levers of influence on the target audience are suitable. Marketers' research on eye trails has shown that we tend to look where others are looking. This can also be used to our advantage to focus on the elements we need. Despite the bright, expressive image of the characters, we concentrate on the text even without direct reference to it.
The latest VK innovations – dynamic covers for the group – help make the page interactive. The community header contains blocks that change over time. These can be neutral elements: clocks, exchange rates, weather in the region. But most of all, photos of friends and acquaintances attract attention. The built-in modules “most active”, “best commentator” or “last subscriber” show the avatar of the distinguished person in the header. However, there are many possibilities. We'll talk about them in a separate article.
Color solutions play an important role. A correctly selected range of colors attracts the target audience just as well as a catchy slogan. This is actively used by marketers. Orange and yellow tones are characteristic of cheerful people. Green is associated with health, sustainability and money. Blue – symbolizes calm and reliability. It is preferable for the male half of the participants. Shades of red perfectly attract attention. Indispensable for promotions and sales. Using more than three colors will unfocus the eye. It is better to use color resonance, shades and halftones.
A current picture for the cover of a group on VK helps you get into trends. An upcoming event always attracts attention. Announce relevant events even if you are focused on a broader topic.
Designing the community header
Professional web designers work in specialized applications: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Creative Cloud and others. But they are quite complex for novice users. Despite the abundance of functions and capabilities, beginners rarely use them. Often, only the functions of cropping and transforming images, overlaying text and pictures on top of the background layer remain in demand. All the same things can be easily done without installing resource-intensive programs.
Let's look at how to create a cover for a VK group in the online graphic editor canva. To work on it, register by e-mail or using social network buttons.
After authorization, click on the top right “Use special sizes” and set the parameters 1590 x 400px. Select a background template from the gallery presented on the website or upload your photo. If necessary, stretch it to the required size using the “handles” in the corners. All that remains is to add navigation and labels. The application is shareware, so all modules with the appropriate mark can be used without restrictions. Add text, logo, pointers, arrows and other elements you like.
After final formatting of each part, we save the results on HDD by clicking "download". The main part of the work is ready. Now let's look at how to add a cover to a VK group.
Setting up a community header
The old version of public pages uses an avatar. It is made in the form of a vertically elongated block, which forms the right sidebar. When changing the design, this arrangement changes to horizontal. But there are no corresponding switches in the settings. The change occurs automatically.
Through the “actions” menu, go to options. We go to the appropriate section and see the download button:
Specify the path to background image on your hard drive. It occupies the position we need at the top of the public.
After reading the article, even beginners have no problems with how to upload a cover in a VK group. In this case, you create the background yourself. And knowledge of marketing techniques allows you to adapt it to the seasons, social events and global trends, thereby attracting even more visitors.
The topic of this article is the new design of VKontakte. Changed again, now you can set a horizontal cover in a group. Designing your VK community with such a header is much more interesting. Frankly, no Photoshop knowledge is required here. Can you do it without any special skills? beautiful picture even in PowerPoint, Fotor, Canva, Pixlr Editor.
By going to the group, you will notice that in those groups the buttons “Pinned post”, “Information” and “Click menu” have become visible. And before they were hidden. Naturally, all the registration of the groups began immediately.
Uploading a new cover
Now let's figure out how to enable the ability to install a horizontal header. Let's click on the "Manage" button.
Then click on the last one and download the new cover of the VKontakte group. This is where you can understand that the download file can be of any size! But no less than the size 1590x400 px. We create a cover prototype in any editor. Next, we can select and save the area that meets the VK requirements. Here's a tip on where to find a cover image and which editor to use to
What is interesting about the new design of VKontakte?
The main thing: there is more space for information. Now here you can write the name of the group, the purpose of its creation, a call to action, and so on. Such a design will be logically complete and more functional. But you can leave it old design, it's a matter of everyone's taste.
When you design a horizontal cover, you will notice that the internal menu now somehow falls out of the general context. I think it would be better to pin the image to go to the menu. And use it to host wiki pages in the group.
At the same time, I would like the developers to add some other option for setting up a beautiful transition to Wiki pages.
I would like to note that since 2016 the developers social network VKontakte is actively trying to set up this network to promote business. Make it more convenient for business or something. From my point of view, this is very good and is in great demand among many Internet entrepreneurs.
But the most important thing, in my opinion, is that they need to carefully consider the “Bans” system so that entrepreneurs can work quietly without interfering with those users who came to have fun on the social network.
How to make a VKontakte group cover online
Use your creativity and choose what you prefer: a horizontal cover or the already familiar VKontakte design. Creating online and installing a new cover is clearly presented step by step in the video below the article.
P.S. I hope this information is useful to you.
P.S.S. Use your creativity and good luck in all your endeavors!