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How to Create a Facebook Timeline Cover Photo Template

Post Objective: To teach (anyone who wants to know) how to create a customized facebook timeline cover photo using Picnik.com.

timeline facebook cover photo

If you’re on facebook, then you’ve probably noticed that some of your friends’ profile pages look a bit different! There is a new app called Timeline that allows you to see your own “wall” in a completely different format. I like it because you can easily go back in time and see everything you have ever posted on your facebook wall. Some people don’t like it for a variety of reasons. If you’re one of those, just skip this post :). (As of now, Timeline doesn’t work for facebook pages and can only be implemented on your personal page.)

Please watch the video if you’d like to learn how to create your own customized timeline cover photo (in less than 10 minutes). For best viewing, make sure you click on the “full screen” option in the bottom right corner. If for some reason you don’t see the video below, please click here to watch.

**Edited to add: Just learned from readers that the “photobasket” option only shows up in the premium version of Picnik. If you’re using the free version, you won’t be able to add photos once your collage is created. I’m so sorry! I would recommend creating it in Picassa which is free. To learn how to create your timeline cover photo in Picassa, click here.**

Update: Picnik is closing so all Premium features are open to everyone. You should be able to create your coverphoto with no problem. Also, if you want to create it using Picasa please click here for that tutorial.

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Comments

  2. Jonny E says

    Your page looks nice and the way of creating facebook covers is so great, Smashing Covers also have good collection of FB Cover photos.

    • Beth says

      Hi Joan, Never fear. There is an even easier way now. Go to picmonkey.com and click on “create a collage”. Now click on the small icon with rectangles on far left-hand side (underneath the little mountain icon and above the paint icon). From the collage choices, click on FB cover. You will see four different options pop up but all of these can be customized as well. Choose which one you want and then upload your photos and drop and drag into place. Easy peasy!

      • Joan says

        How kind of you to respond and so quickly! I wanted to put up something special on my Timeline as many of my family members have served in the armed forces. I was forced to go to Smilebox because it was simple but I loved what you were able to do on the original Picnik so I will definitely try picmonkey.com!!

        Thank you so much Beth!

        Warmly,
        Joan

  6. Nancy says

    Thanks for tutorial…although Picnik.com is no longer available. Do you know any other way to do this?

  8. robin says

    hello have you tried using Pixlr as an editor for timeline cover photos? if you have please post a tutorial 😀 i really loved Picnik but sadly its already closed and i don’t know other sites just like that one 😀 please? Thank you so much! ^_^

  9. robin says

    thank you! thank you!

    your tutorial was so awesome! ^_^

    but its so sad that Picnik will be closing *sniff*

    i wanted to use it in the future haha 😀

  10. Joe says

    Hi Beth in your video we can see it say that you need premium feature to go on.Plese let every one know about it . Thank you

  11. shelly says

    umm cud you send me your email adress….i’ll send u a pic dat i want to be a cover but i cant do it

  15. Cheryn says

    Well this stinks considering it’s kinda useless now. I just tried to make a Picnik account, and apparently they’re closing soon and aren’t taking new customers… 🙁

    • Emilie says

      Picnik has always been free for everyone, they had a paid “premium” account if you wanted to use their extra features, but now those are available to everyone for free as well. You do not have to sign up or create an account, just upload the photos you want to edit and play! They are not closing until April 19th so you have plenty of time to use it… and after April 19th, you just go to google+ which has the same tools. 🙂

  17. Michele says

    Maybe I am a little dense or too inexperienced with Picnik, but I am having a hard time following this tutorial. Not sure what help to ask for but the first thing is I am not sure how you got the wood background. I tried skipping this step and I still cannot get it to turn out right. Any tips for the cluless??

  18. dane says

    Hi! Is it too much if i ask the link for the polaroid photo frame? coz i cant find any thats pretty much the same as yours.thanks in advance! 🙂

  20. Patrice says

    Picknik announced they are officially folding into Google so all the premium options are available to everyone till they close in April…Going to watch the vid and make a cover image tonight….

  21. Misty says

    Hi Beth,
    Thanks so much for doing this!! I did your tutorial through Picasa and when I uploaded it to the Facebook cover, it is still chiming away trying to upload it…it’s been about 10 minutes and still not uploaded, did it take forever to upload with you?

    • Misty says

      I’m a dummy, I made a typo. Had the size at 850×350 instead of 315. Thanks again, I’m so excited!

  22. Cara says

    Thank you so much for creating this tutorial. I was able to make one in picnic I love but when I go to upload it Facebook the right side doesn’t fit into the upload? I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I cropped to be 850 x223 (Picnik wouldn’t let me put in 315 for some reason). Any suggestions?

  27. Leasa says

    Beth I made my collage and love the way it turned out but when I choose it for my time line pic it doesn’t fit. Any ideas? I sized it to 850 x 315 I think that is what you said in the video.

  30. rachel j. says

    i would love to be able to do this, but i’m totally clueless and need a picasa tutorial! i’m hoping you will post one soon! 🙂 thank you!

  31. Amy says

    Could you please let me know how to do it in Picasa….I have just downloaded it and would love the help

  32. Maridith says

    Awesome tutorial. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this. It was easy enough to follow and I am going to have to give it a try!!! Thanks again!!

    • Beth @A to Z says

      So cute Julie! It turned out great! One of the things I should have mentioned is that the privacy settings on Timeline aren’t great. If you don’t want the general public to see your updates, you have to manually select who you want to share your update with (close friends, friends, public, etc.). Right now, I’m not sure how to hide the Timeline history from the public’s eye.

  40. april says

    Im having trouble finding a background image and i really love the one you used…could you tell me what you typed into google to pull up that image? Thanks! ;0) also when I tried to upload another url photo from google of a wooden floor, it didnt stretch all the way across the screen…having troubles! ;0)

    • Beth @A to Z says

      Hi April, I think I searched “wood floors white” or something of the sort. I can’t find the image url I used. You’ll need a fairly large photo and you will stretch it across the screen until it fits. Hope that helps!

  41. Kat says

    Thanks for charing this, I loved the timeline since it was first offered and I love it even more now that I am armed with these new skills =)) I have just added you to my blogs that I follow, can’t wait to see what else I can learn 😛

  42. Ashley | Domestic Fashionista says

    Thanks for sharing! I cannot believe how much adding this will make my FB page look like a blog…which is kind of the direction FB is going! All of my non blogging FB friends are going to be so jealous of my fancy banner! I would love for FB to also offer something similar for pages though I am not sure timeline is the best avenue for that? Hm…I guess we will see in time!
    xo Ashley

  43. Janice- The Fitness Cheerleader says

    Fantastic! Thank you so much for this awesome tutorial! I can’t wait to use it to 1) create a new header for an old blog of mine and 2) update my Facebook timeline image.

    I have 1 question that you may know the answer to:
    What is the maximum width a profile pic can be for a Facebook fan page? I’m asking because this picnik tutorial will also help me create a new fan page profile picture.

    • Beth @A to Z says

      Hi Janice, Do you mean just your profile pic on the side of your fan page? The width is 180 and you can make it as long as you’d like.

  45. Brianne says

    I would love it if you could do one with Picasa! Cuz I love this look but I don’t want to buy the premium just for facebook, ya know?! 🙂

  47. Wendy says

    Beth,
    Thank you so much for the tutorial! You are so talented. Can you tell me how to crop or square my photos to fit into the polaroid templates?

    Thanks!

    • Beth @A to Z says

      I have iphoto and just used a square template to crop my photos before uploading them. It’s a bit more involved to crop and save each photo in picnik but it’s doable. Just upload the photos you want, click on basic edits, click crop and make sure you pixels are both the same exact number (this will ensure a square). Save each photo and then you can grab them in your photobasket under “history” and add them to your collage.

  48. Calico Child says

    Hi Beth what a lovely tutorial thanks heaps I wasn’t going to change to the new format on Facebook but now you have me wanting to will be on to Picnik straight away :))

  50. Beth @A to Z says

    Hi Heather, I edited that part out because I was rambling and it was getting long. I grabbed that photo off of google images the exact same way I entered the polaroid photo. Find a picture you like for a background (that isn’t copyrighted), right click, grab the url, and past it on the “get from website” url tab on picnik. Enjoy!

  51. heather says

    I just watched it and I do have Premium Picnik but I didn’t see how you added the background of the wooden boards (before the Polaroid frames) . How did you do that?

  55. Anna K. says

    Beth, you’re a genius! I will be giving this a try later. It would be really cool to see what everyone comes up with…

    Blessings,
    Anna

  58. heather says

    I saw someone else doing this on pinterest but I was stumped so this looks so much easier and I use Picnik all of the time. Thanks Beth! Yours looks great!

  59. Shelley says

    I was wondering what that was on FB, but haven’t taken the time to figure it out myself. Thanks for sharing and for the great tutorial!

  60. Jennifer says

    I am having so much trouble with this. After I set up the size it wont let me add my pics to the collage. There is no photobasket. So frustrating! Hope I can figure it out. thanks for sharing!

    • Beth @A to Z says

      Oh no! Maybe the photobasket under the edit tab is only a premium feature :(. I’m so sorry! I thought it would show up for everyone.

  63. Amanda says

    Your page looks awesome! I will mark this to watch once the kiddos are in bed! Although I really need to work out how to use FB first reallly LOL!

  64. Missy says

    Thanks for the info girlfriend! I just have a regular pic up there right now, but I’m definitely going to work on one like this right now! 🙂 I love picnik!
    TTYL
    :0)

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