Dimensions for every image slot in Continu — plus how to add, edit, and design the images you upload.
Continu has six places that take a customer-uploaded image: the cover that appears on Explore and content detail pages, the wide hero banner on Tracks and Journeys, the cover on Workshops, the icon on a Badge, the user's profile picture, and — for some configurations — a custom landing-page hero. Each one displays at a different size and crops with a different aspect ratio.
This article covers the dimensions to design for, how the upload pipeline crops your image, the Photo Editor flow at upload, and the design best practices that earn clicks on Explore.
Image Dimensions Quick Reference
| Image type | Recommended upload | Displays at | Aspect ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content cover (Article, Video, File, SCORM) | 1600 × 1920 px | 335 × 400 on Explore cards · ~1019 wide on content header | 5:6 portrait, cropped centered with top anchored | Used everywhere a content tile appears — Explore, content header, dashboard, search results |
| Track banner | 2400 × 660 px | 1019 × 280 on Track detail | 3.64:1 wide hero | The wide banner at the top of a Track detail page |
| Journey banner | 2400 × 660 px | likely same as Track | 3.64:1 wide hero | Follows the same hero pattern as Tracks; verify before designing critical assets |
| Workshop cover | 1600 × 1920 px | same as content cover | 5:6 portrait | Workshops appear alongside content in Explore and follow the same card pattern |
| Badge | 1024 × 1024 px | varies — small (40 × 40) up to large (256 × 256) | 1:1 square | Square keeps the design correct at every size it renders |
| User profile picture | 400 × 400 px | varies — small (32 × 32) up to ~200 × 200 | 1:1 square | Avatar throughout the app |
Confidence notes. Content cover and Track banner dimensions were measured against a Continu instance. Journey banner, Workshop cover, Badge, and profile picture sizes are inferred from the same delivery pattern.
How Cropping Actually Works
Continu transforms the image at delivery. Every upload gets transformed when it's delivered to the browser — resized to fit the placement, format-converted automatically for the user's browser, and quality-optimized. The image you uploaded is your original; the image the user sees is a transformation of it.
Each placement uses a cover crop. A content card on Explore is 335 × 400. The content header on the same article is closer to 1019 wide. Both placements scale the image until it fills the container, with anything that doesn't fit cropped at the edges. The crop is anchored top-center — meaning the top middle of your image is always visible; the sides and bottom may not be.
The Photo Editor at upload lets you set the framing. When you upload an image, the Photo Editor gives you crop controls. What you set there becomes the source for every downstream placement. The default crop is centered, which works for most images — but if your image has critical content near an edge, drag the crop guides to lock that area in.
The practical implication: design your images with the key content in the center third. The center stays visible across every placement (Explore card, content header, mobile view). Edge content can get cropped depending on where the image is displayed.
How Continu Adapts to Screen Sizes
Continu is responsive — the same page reflows to fit phone, tablet, and desktop viewports without a separate mobile site. Image containers reflow with everything else, which means a single image gets shown at multiple sizes and crop ratios depending on the device the learner is on.
A few things change between breakpoints:
Container width. A content card on desktop Explore is around 335 px wide. On a phone in portrait orientation, the same card may render at 90% of the screen width — different aspect ratio, different visible area. Continu serves a differently-sized image for each.
Crop point. The cover crop stays anchored top-center across breakpoints, but because the container aspect changes, the visible area of your image shifts. An image that looks balanced on desktop can have its key element cut off the bottom on mobile.
Density. Phone displays have higher pixel density (2× or 3× retina) than most desktop monitors. The same CSS pixel value renders with more actual pixels on a phone, which is why a low-res upload looks fine on a desktop preview and blurry on the learner's phone.
The combined practical guidance:
- Design at 2× the display size so the image has enough resolution to render crisply at any density
- Keep key content in the center third so the crop point shift between desktop and mobile doesn't lose anything important
- Preview on a phone before publishing a critical image — Continu's preview in the admin is desktop-sized, so device testing is the only way to catch mobile-specific crop issues
Design at 2x for Retina Displays
A common mistake: designing at the displayed size. A Track banner displays at 1019 × 280, so customers upload a 1019 × 280 file. On a retina display — most laptops, tablets, and phones since 2014 — every CSS pixel renders with 2 to 3 actual pixels, so a 1019 × 280 upload renders blurry on the device the learner is actually using.
The fix: design at 2× the display size, minimum. A 2400 × 660 upload gives Continu enough resolution to serve a crisp image on every device, including the high-DPI phone your sales team is reviewing on.
The "Recommended upload" column in the table above already accounts for 2× sizing. Design at those dimensions and the image will render crisply across every placement and device.
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
Uploading at exactly the display size. Designing a banner at the documented display dimension (e.g. 1019 × 280) produces a file that looks blurry on retina displays. Always design at 2× the display size, or use the "Recommended upload" sizes in the Image Dimensions table.
Critical content near the edges of the image. Cover-mode cropping anchors top-center and trims the rest. If the key visual (a logo, a face, a piece of text) sits near the edge of the image, it may not be visible on every placement. Keep the key content in the center third.
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, banner, or badge 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.
Design at 2× the display size. Use a relevant image. No text in the image. Consistent visual style across your library. Key content in the center third.