Best size recommended for feature image?

this is very subjective in my opinion.

Hi there,

GP doesn’t stipulate an image size requirement.
As Parihar said it is subjective, and would change depending on the layout of your site eg. width of the container whether a sidebar is being used or not.

For example:
1. a site with NO sidebar and Container Width of 1200px.Then 1200px as maximum size would do.
2. If you enabled a sidebar then that occupies 30% ( 400px ) of your container and therefore 800px would be adequate for the max size.

Both these values will be slightly bigger then the space the occupy as the theme will add 40px of left and right padding.

So you can reduce #1 to 1120px and #2 to 720px if you like.

If you have a site and your layout set then you can share a link and i would be happy to advise.

Thanks a lot.

A question I have: Will GeneratePress automatically create several versions of the same image and always use the most optimized evrsion?

In other words, should I upload 1120px images to WordPress > Media but should I use a sidebar at the same time, will GeneratePress only use a 720px image or will it load the full 1120px even if I don’t need it since I’m using a sidebar?

GP doesn’t create any additional images.
But by default WordPress does.
In Dashboard > Settings > Media you can see (and set) the Large, Medium and Thumbnails sizes WP will create. In addition it also creates a medium_large thumbnail that is 768px wide.
NOTE: Any changes to these sizes will apply only to new images. Updating any existing images can be done with the Regenerate Thumbnails plugin.

Any image added to a page, or displayed as a featured image will include the originals size and a src-set of those various image sizes for the Browser to choose from. Emphasis on the Browser here, as it calculates the size it needs based on the resolution of the device, the viewport width, the image aspect ratio and some other factors.

Considering that most devices have at least x2 retina screen, the browser is 99.9% of the time going to select an image at least x2 you think it will.

When it comes to mobile, the Moto 4G which is what Google simulates its tests on is a x3 HD screen. So even at 360px wide the browser would ideally like to load a 1080px wide image.

So i wouldn’t be overly bothered with the various sizes. I find the medium_large 768px WP creates covers most gray areas….

Thank you.
Should I have a sidebar on my blog, and to keep it as simple as possible, I should then upload 800x image, right?

The only risk is if I decide to remove the sidebar someday, I will then regret no uploading 1200px image.

Did I understand it right?

If you feel the need to never display an image larger then 800px then yes don’t upload anything greater.

Personally i would go with 1200px.
Considering device resolutions now will generally demand a higher resolution image to begin with, having 1200px would provide some future proofing.

Use a desktop app to compress the images before uploading, search for Optimage or ImageOptim, both will help trim off excess kB from the image.

I already use iloveimg.com: It compresses really well but it makes me lose so much time uploading and downloading the images.

I also tried the plugin Shortpixel Image Optimizer, but I’m not convinced it is as efficient as iloveimg.Also, it requires a budget. You can get a few images compressed for free.

Out of your experience, what’s the best free solution?

I mostly preform my own image optimization. And the only free tools i have used are on Mac:

https://imageoptim.com
https://optimage.app