Images in emails reference

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Learn about best practices when using images in Klaviyo emails, including size recommendations and how to add images. 

Best practices for using images in emails

Klaviyo supports JPEG, PNG, and GIF image files. In general, PNG files will display best across devices, particularly for images that contain text.

The maximum image file size supported by Klaviyo is 5MB. However, we recommend using images that are 1MB or smaller, as larger images can load slowly, leading to a poor recipient experience.

Across the web, using 72dpi resolution is best practice. Try to keep your images between 600 and 1000 px in width and less than 2000px in height for full-width images, in order to balance image quality and loading speeds. Images that are less than the full width of the email can be smaller than 600px.

Note that a full-width image at 72dpi will often be larger than 1MB, and reducing the size of the image may result in an image that is visibly blurry or low quality. When choosing images to use in your messages, consider the tradeoff between image quality and load time: large images may not appear immediately when someone opens your email, especially if they have a slow internet connection. 

Always add alt text to your images. Certain inboxes, including Outlook and Apple Mail, will not display images until a recipient opts in to see them. Including alt text helps recipients using these inboxes to understand what an image is meant to convey, and also supports accessibility. 

Insert an image block

The easiest way to upload images into Klaviyo is to simply drag the images from your computer into the template:

Each image you drag into a template will create a separate image block. Alternatively, you can drag an image block into the template first and then choose which image to include.

Once you place the image block, you'll be prompted to add your image by:

• Dropping an image into the block for instant upload
• Browsing your computer to find and upload an image
• Importing from a URL
• Choosing an image from your image library
• Choosing an image from your product catalog (if you are integrated with an ecommerce platform or have synced a custom catalog)
• Inserting a placeholder URL or variable sequence if you want an image to dynamically populate (for flows only)

If you are uploading an image, the maximum image size you can upload is 5 MB.

Crop an image

Images in image blocks, split blocks, and table blocks can easily be cropped. Click the image block, then click Crop underneath the image icon on the left. 

You can choose to crop an image into a circle, a square, or a rectangle with a custom width and height. When you crop an image within the editor, the full image is preserved, meaning you can adjust or remove the cropping at any time. 

When you finish cropping, make sure to click the back arrow to apply your changes. 

Resize an image

To resize an image, scroll to the Image size section of the image block's Styles panel. Here, you can manually set a height or width for the image, set image alignment, and more. 

Edit an image

You can edit an image within a header bar. The image editor is not available for images within other block types. 

Click a header block containing an image, then click Edit beneath the image icon to access a photo editor and adjust the image's appearance. Here, you can choose from an array of photo editing features ranging from resizing the image to adjusting the image's coloring. You can also draw over an image or overlay text.

Images in uploaded HTML templates

For HTML templates you copy into Klaviyo (with the exception of MailChimp templates), you'll upload a zip file containing your images during the import process.

For MailChimp templates specifically, if you upload a template that contains images already loaded in MailChimp, Klaviyo will automatically copy over all of these images.

Once you've uploaded an image, you can use the Insert Image button to upload new images for that template:

Image quality

If you are concerned that your images are not rendering as cleanly or crisply as you'd like, you can improve image quality.

One of the prevailing standards for improving the crispness of a rendered image in an email is to insert an image 2x the desired size and then reduce the image size in your template. There are two ways to approach this:

1. Insert a large, crisp version of your image into your template, then click Edit and resize to your preferred dimensions
2. Insert a natively larger image (i.e. 600px wide) and display at a smaller size (i.e. 300px width) using CSS; to take this approach, you'll need to insert your image into a text block and adjust the CSS source code

Image types

Klaviyo supports three different image types: JPEG, PNG, and GIF.

If you have a PSD, SVG, or another file format, you'll have to convert it to one of the above image types.

Learn more about which image types are the best for your email.

The image library

Images you upload to Klaviyo are stored under Content > Images & brand > Images. Deleting an image from your image library will not remove the image from any templates where it is currently used. 

Additional resources

• How to add a background image to an email template or section
• Litmus: Guide to email file size and load times