FYI: New min. image size for collection covers is now 1480 pixels

[Fiorenzo]

Just discovered that the minimum image size for collection cover images (not banners) has risen to 1480 pixels, like the recommended/min. image size for mockups. Just so you know before you waste time on smaller cover images and wonder why they are greyed out.

Category cover images can still be smaller (I used to have mine at 640 pixels). I suggest using the new size for these, too, though. Just in case they get changed, too.

[Barbara]

I've still been using the smaller size, most recently a couple days ago and without incident--nothing grayed out. Are the new dimensions something just put into effect yesterday or today?

Colorwash's Home

[Fiorenzo]

Yes, it's new. I found out yesterday while updating my "Sales" collection. A few days ago while updating the previous sales all worked as usual. I guess, the covers are getting streamlined, so I suppose, this will apply to category covers, too, in the future. Which makes sense, I also try to streamline my banners and covers over my sites and socials. It seems, the 1480 size is the one to go now, also for mockups. I used to make them  2048 before, the old recommended size.

[ColsCreations]

I had to go check this out. 😉
If you're looking to choose a Collection cover image from your gallery (after you've clicked "change cover") all the images that are not of the right size are grayed out and if you mouse-over them, you get a little pop-up that tells you the size of the image you are over and that the new required size is minimum 1480x1480.

Now I have several questions starting with why? Why do we need to make them so large when they are only being displayed at around 300 x 300? Now I am suspicious that some big change is coming to Collections that necessitates providing such huge covers for them.

Second, what is going to happen with all our existing covers that are below this new minimum size? Is there going to be a deadline to change them all out before waking up coverless one day? Or will they be allowed to stay as-is as long as we don't remove them ourselves?

[Barbara]

All of my covers remain as they were, but if I decide to change any, I'd have to recreate them at the large size. I hope this is a sign that covers already in existence can remain as is. We already have the onerous task of creating mockups. We don't need more work on top of that. Why, I wonder, weren't we alerted to this?

@Fiorenzo: As of yesterday afternoon, I was still using the 2048 size without issue. What I fear is changing the size and then, on down the road, Zazzle will change its mind again.

Colorwash's Home

[Fiorenzo]

They still work. I prefer the smaller size, it gives more freedom in using imagery without having to enlarge too much and is less heavy in size. 2048 is overkill on even the largest monitors.

[Fiorenzo]

Of course, you had to 😉

At first sight, it seems a bit large but thinking about mobiles it can make sense if you show one cover per row and want to support retina displays. On the desktop, the Sales image I did looks more crisp than the 640 px image I had before. Also possible that changes are coming, and probably the old ones will stay.