# How do I add a photo to the top of my profile section? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 16, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687 "2021-01-16T18:18:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/1 "2021-01-16T18:18:25Z")
Some tech savvy dopes like @penultima_thule and @susan have added spiffy banner pics to the top of their profile pages. How do I do that? I’ve got a couple of pix on my iPhone that I could try, but I don’t know how. Does it have to be a wide-angle or panorama shot, or would a regular landscape orientation work? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/2 "2021-01-16T18:26:58Z")
Go to your profile then Preferences\>Profile\>Profile Header Regular landscape should work. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/3 "2021-01-17T06:02:31Z")
Wow! Someone actually looked at my profile! It’s like that time somebody read my dissertation. And yes, a regular old landscape photo works. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/4 "2021-01-17T14:44:26Z")
I’ve seen the penguins! In fact when we talked about your penguins in that earlier thread, that’s what persuaded me to put a pic in my profile too. If you post a link to your dissertation I promise _somebody_ will read it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/5 "2021-01-17T14:56:42Z")
I tried, but kept getting an error message that it was too big. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/6 "2021-01-17T17:22:51Z")
Did you try reducing the dimensions/resolution? Whatever software you are usually opening the file in might automatically fit the picture to the screen and hide the fact that it has more pixels than 16 screens worth (or something). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/7 "2021-01-17T20:35:29Z")
The file size also needs to be reasonable. Not 5MB. Assuming a PC, opening it in MSPaint, resizing it to 30% of the original dimensions and saving it will be a roughly 90% reduction in file size. Then upload the reduced version. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/8 "2021-01-19T03:09:14Z")
The words look like they’re English, but the meaning is beyond this techno-peasant. I thought I could snap a pic with my phone, hit a button, and bing! Snazzy pic on my profile page. I am defeated. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/9 "2021-01-19T16:32:06Z")
What kind of device do you post to SDMB on? A Mac, an android tablet, or a PC? I hope not your phone; that’s darn hard to peck on. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2021, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-a-photo-to-the-top-of-my-profile-section/930687/10 "2021-01-21T03:44:46Z")
An iPhone (that I take pix with) and a Chromebook.