Selecting a Hero Image for Your Site

For general information about selecting images and a hero image, take a look at our post with tips on preparing images for your website.

A hero image is a large image that you see at the top of many websites. In the past, these images tended to be large images that were a part of a slider. Websites with a single hero image have become more popular. It is important to select the right image for your Hero image.

Some things to keep in mind:

Size and aspect ratio - Many of the hero images are very horizontal in shape. It is often surprising when you begin placing photos to see how much this impacts the image. When selecting your image make sure that the content in the photo can be cropped into a very horizontal shape.
Size - Make sure the photo is at least 1920 px. wide.
Subject - The hero image takes a large amount of real estate on your site. Choose images that are consistent with your brand colors and style.
Photo Composition - Another thing to look for is an image with room to crop. When you choose an image that is zoomed out, then you have room to crop and create that very horizontal shape. When you choose an image where the subject fills the frame, it makes it very hard to crop the images and you end up cutting off heads and shoulders trying to get the right shape.

Example: