Banner maker: the right size, the first time
A free banner maker for YouTube, X, LinkedIn and display ads. Your photo, your headline, the exact size each platform asks for, with the words kept where every screen shows them.
Drop an image here
or paste it, or pick a file
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Your image never leaves your browser — read and laid out on your own device, and nothing is uploaded to us or anyone else.
How to make a banner online
- Step 1
Add a background photo
Any photo works: it's cropped from the centre to the banner's exact shape, never stretched. It stays on your device.
- Step 2
Pick the size
YouTube, X, LinkedIn, or a standard display ad. The size decides the crop, where the words can go, and how small the file has to be.
- Step 3
Write the headline
Add a headline and an optional second line. The tool sets them as large as the space allows, inside the platform's safe area.
- Step 4
Preview, then download
Check the result, adjust the shade or alignment, and save a JPG at the exact pixel size the platform wants.
Every banner size, and where it comes from
| Banner | Size | File limit | What the tool does |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube channel banner | 2560×1440 | 6 MB | Text stays in YouTube's 1235×338 safe area, the only part every device shows. |
| X header | 1500×500 | Not set | X can crop about 60 px top and bottom, so text stays clear of both. |
| LinkedIn banner | 1584×396 | 8 MB | LinkedIn's recommended 1584×396 background. |
| Leaderboard ad | 728×90 | 150 kB | IAB Leaderboard. Kept under its 150 kB initial-load cap. |
| Medium rectangle ad | 300×250 | 150 kB | IAB Medium Rectangle. Kept under its 150 kB cap. |
| Billboard ad | 970×250 | 250 kB | IAB Billboard. Kept under its 250 kB cap. |
| Skyscraper ad | 160×600 | 150 kB | IAB Skyscraper. Kept under its 150 kB cap. |
| Smartphone banner ad | 320×50 | 50 kB | IAB Smartphone Banner. Kept under its 50 kB cap. |
The sizes come from the people who set them: YouTube's channel branding help, X's profile help, LinkedIn's background photo help and the IAB's fixed-size ad specification.
Two things go wrong with banners more than anything else. On a YouTube banner, the words sit outside the safe area and get cut off on the views and devices that crop the banner. On an ad, the file is over the weight limit and the ad server refuses it. This tool handles both: the headline is fitted inside the safe box, and ad files are re-compressed until they fit, with the final size shown next to the preview.
Making the matching channel art? A thumbnail uses 16:9 too, and the image resizer handles any other exact size.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a banner ad online for free?
Add a background photo, pick an ad size such as Leaderboard 728×90 or Medium Rectangle 300×250, type your headline and download it. The tool compresses the file under the IAB's weight limit for that size, which is the check ad servers run. It's free with a Leaxor account.
What size is a YouTube banner?
2560×1440 pixels. YouTube shows all of it on large screens and crops it on some views and devices, so YouTube asks for text and logos inside a 1235×338 safe area, measured at the 2048×1152 minimum. This tool keeps the words inside it for you. The file limit is 6 MB.
What size is an X (Twitter) header?
1500×500 pixels. X notes that about 60 pixels at the top and bottom can be cropped depending on the screen, so the headline here stays clear of both edges.
What are the standard banner ad sizes?
The IAB's fixed sizes include the Leaderboard (728×90), Medium Rectangle (300×250), Billboard (970×250), Skyscraper (160×600) and Smartphone Banner (320×50). Each has a file-weight cap, from 50 kB for the smartphone banner to 250 kB for the billboard.
Is there a free banner making website without a watermark?
This one adds no watermark. The banner is made in your browser and saved as a plain JPG at the exact size. You do need a free Leaxor account to use the tool.
Is there a free AI tool that can create banners?
AI image models can draw the background from a sentence, and this tool then puts your words on it at the exact size. The banner maker is free to use; generating the background with an AI model on Leaxor costs credits, from $0.10 an image.
Can I use the banner maker without logging in?
No. Every Leaxor tool needs a free account, including this one. Your banner is still made entirely in your browser and never uploaded.
Can I make a banner without a photo?
The tool needs a background picture. If you don't have one, generate it from a sentence with an AI image model, then bring it here to add the words at the right size.
Other image tools
No photo for the background?
Describe it and Leaxor's image models draw it, in a wide 16:9 that crops cleanly to any banner here.
Generate a background