Crop thumbnail images

Content thumbnail images get used in many different places on the intranet. They are used in search results, News cards (both List and Grid view), News carousel cards, Grid navigation cards and the Groups directory. Because thumbnail images are used for many different purposes, they display in different sizes and shapes in different places. The screen width on which a thumbnail image displays also affects which size and shape is displayed. You can crop thumbnail images so that they look best for your page or post.

To learn more and to see examples of thumbnail images in action, see How to add a thumbnail image.

Crop options

In the Thumbnail settings pop-up window, there are three crop options that allow you to crop for different applications. (To bring up the Thumbnail settings pop-up window, add a thumbnail image, or click on the existing thumbnail image in edit mode.)

• Rectangle: Used for News card: List view posts, Grid navigation cards, and multiple Carousel layouts.
• Square: Used for search results, page sharing, Groups directory, and Carousels in List layout.
• Wide rectangle: Used for News card: Grid view posts, and multiple Carousel layouts, including the responsive slider layout for smaller screens.

Note that when cropping for a video thumbnail, there are two tabs: Video thumbnail and Carousel. To learn more, see How to add a video thumbnail image.

See Add News carousel card to learn more about the different News carousel layout options.

Thumbnail image safe area

The Rectangle and Wide rectangle thumbnail images displayed may vary in size depending on the location of the thumbnail and the screen width they are viewed on. Select the check box Show safe area in the Thumbnail settings window to view this "safe area" of the image that will always display in the thumbnail regardless of other factors. The safe area is the center part of the cropped image, indicated by a rectangle border.

If you want part or all of the image to display regardless of where the thumbnail shows or what screen it is viewed on, make sure that part is within the safe area.

Background color

Depending on the zoom level, the crop and the screen width the image is viewed on, background color may show around the image. By default, the background color is white, but there is an option to select a different background color. A color palette of three other background color options is calculated from the image information. If background color shows around any of the image crops, select the background color that you would like to display.

How to crop the thumbnail image

The thumbnail image is automatically cropped to fill the entire possible display area for each crop. You can zoom in and out, and reposition to focus on the part of the image that you want to display. 

1. In edit mode, click on the Thumbnail image in the Thumbnail section on the right.
2. Use the plus and minus buttons below each image (or the scroll wheel on your mouse) to zoom in or out on the image.
3. Click on the image and drag it to focus on the area you want.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to crop all three crop areas (Rectangle, Square and Wide rectangle).
5. If background color shows around the image because of the zoom or crop, select one of the four background colors.
6. Click Done in the Thumbnail settings window.
7. Continue editing the page or click Save.

Depending which crop you adjust, it may not change the way the thumbnail image appears in the Thumbnail section on the right in edit mode, but your cropping is saved in the Thumbnail settings window.

Preview text

The Thumbnail settings window includes an option to preview how text will display on top of the Rectangle and Wide rectangle thumbnail images. Thumbnail images added to News/Blog/Forum posts and Calendar events may be displayed in News cards and Carousels. Depending on the layout selected for posts in those areas, the post title and summary text may display on top of the thumbnail images. Viewing the preview text over the image allows you to make sure that important parts of your image won't be obscured by the text.

The preview options allow you to see the approximate appearance of a title and summary over the image by selecting the radio button for Text with transparent background or Text with white background. This option is just a preview; text will only appear on the thumbnail in applications where the layout includes text over the image.

Thumbnail image sizes

Using images that meet the minimum recommended image sizes will allow your thumbnail images to look their best no matter what device they are being viewed on. For instance, if you are adding a thumbnail to a news post that will be displayed in a carousel, use the Wide Rectangle thumbnail crop minimum size as a guide, so that all of your carousel images look great.

To learn about optimum image sizes for different applications, see Image size guidelines.

Learn more:

• How to add a Thumbnail image
• How to change and remove a Thumbnail image
• Image size guidelines