Is 256×256 good for an animated profile picture?

It is a sensible default when a platform does not specify a size. It stays sharp at typical avatar display sizes without the file size cost of a larger canvas, and it downscales cleanly if the platform renders avatars smaller.

My avatar will be displayed as a circle. What should I do?

Keep the subject centred and leave margin at the edges, since the corners will be cut off by the circular mask. Cropping to fill rather than fitting inside usually works better here, because it keeps the subject large in the centre of the frame.

Can I go from 256×256 back up to a larger size later?

You can, but the result will look soft. Upscaling cannot recover detail that was discarded during the downscale, so keep your original file if you might need other sizes.

Resize a GIF to 256×256

A middle ground between emoji and sticker sizes — common for avatars and icons.

Upload a GIF

Drop a .gif file to resize it to 256×256

When 256×256 is the right size

256×256 sits between emoji and sticker dimensions, and it is a frequent requirement for forum avatars, app icons and profile pictures on smaller platforms. It is often the largest size that still compresses comfortably into a tight file budget.

It is also a useful compromise when you are not sure how the image will be displayed. It holds up better than 128×128 if something renders it larger than expected, while costing a quarter of the data of a 512×512 version.

For animated avatars specifically, check whether the platform displays them as circles. Many do, which means the corners of your square will be clipped. Keep the subject centred and away from the edges if a circular crop is likely.

How to resize a GIF to 256×256

Upload your GIFDrop a .gif file onto the upload area, or click to browse for one on your device.
Choose how to handle the shapeIf the GIF is not already square, pick whether to crop it to fill the frame, fit the whole frame inside, or stretch it to the exact size.
Resize to 256×256Press the resize button. The GIF is re-encoded at exactly 256×256 pixels using Lanczos scaling.
Download the resultPreview the resized GIF, check the new file size, and download it to your device.

Other sizes

Need to hit a file size rather than a pixel size?

Frequently asked questions

Is 256×256 good for an animated profile picture?: It is a sensible default when a platform does not specify a size. It stays sharp at typical avatar display sizes without the file size cost of a larger canvas, and it downscales cleanly if the platform renders avatars smaller.
My avatar will be displayed as a circle. What should I do?: Keep the subject centred and leave margin at the edges, since the corners will be cut off by the circular mask. Cropping to fill rather than fitting inside usually works better here, because it keeps the subject large in the centre of the frame.
Can I go from 256×256 back up to a larger size later?: You can, but the result will look soft. Upscaling cannot recover detail that was discarded during the downscale, so keep your original file if you might need other sizes.