How to add and edit banner and cover images on content — and the design principles that decide whether a learner clicks.
The cover image is the first thing learners see on Explore. It's a visual hook — and a poor one (placeholder graphic, blurry photo, irrelevant stock image) lowers click-through more than admins typically realize. The right image lifts engagement without changing anything about the content itself.
Continu's built-in Photo Editor lets you crop, flip, rotate, and enhance images during upload. Use it to fit your image to Continu's standard cover proportions and to make basic adjustments without needing an external tool.
Using the Photo Editor
The Photo Editor opens when you upload a Banner or Cover image. Several editing tools are available:
Crop. Use the preset crop options or set a custom crop. The boundary guides let you fine-tune the framing. Click Apply to save the crop.
Flip. Mirror the image horizontally or vertically. Click Save to lock in.
Rotate. Use the slider to rotate the image. Click Save to lock in.
Enhance. Use the advanced editing options (brightness, contrast, etc.) to refine the image. Changes preview in real time. Click Save to lock in.
Undo, Redo, Reset. Use these to revert changes during editing. Reset returns the image to its original state.
When all edits are set, click Save to commit changes to Continu.
Considerations
Make it relevant to the content. A cover image that visually relates to what's inside earns more clicks than a generic stock image. If the content is about sales onboarding, choose a sales-related image rather than a generic one.
Avoid placeholder graphics on published content. Continu provides default placeholders for unconfigured cover images. Published content with the default placeholder looks unfinished and tells learners "no one cared enough to add an image."
Match brand tone. Cover images live alongside other content on Explore. Wildly inconsistent visual styles make the library look chaotic. Use a consistent visual language — same photographic style, same illustration treatment, or same brand colors.
Test on mobile. Cover images are cropped differently on mobile than desktop. Critical text or detail near the edge of the image may not be visible on mobile. Keep important visual content centered.
Keep text out of the image. Continu displays the content title separately. Cover images with embedded text duplicate that information and often render the text illegibly at smaller sizes. Use the image to set tone and the title to communicate substance.
Configuration Pitfalls
Publishing With No Cover Image. The default placeholder is fine for drafts but reads as unfinished on published content. Add a relevant cover image before publishing anything that will surface on Explore.
Stock Images That Don't Connect to the Content. Generic stock images are better than no image, but they don't earn clicks the way relevant images do. If the budget allows it, invest in cover images that visually relate to your actual content.
Text Embedded in the Image That Duplicates the Title. A cover image with "Sales Onboarding" written on it, displayed next to a content title of "Sales Onboarding," wastes both. Let the image set tone and the title carry the message.
Inconsistent Visual Style Across Content. An Explore page where one cover is a photo, another is a cartoon, another is a screenshot looks chaotic. Establish a visual style and stick to it across your content library.
High-Detail Images at Mobile Sizes. Cover images render much smaller on mobile. Detailed images that look fine on desktop become unreadable on phones. Keep the visual simple enough to read at small sizes.
Where This Fits
You're here because you're adding or editing a cover image. The content creation flow that uses these images is in Add an Article to Continu and the other content-type creation articles.
See Also
- Content Strategy: Designing Learning Assets That Scale — the strategic anchor.
- Add an Article to Continu — Article creation flow.
- Add Video Content In Continu — Video creation flow.
- Add Files Content (PowerPoint, PDF, etc.) — File creation flow.
Use a relevant image rather than a generic one. No text in the image. Consistent visual style across your library. Test mobile sizing.