image tool

Split an image into a grid

Pick an image and a grid, and the tool cuts it into equal PNG tiles at exact pixel edges, numbered in the order you post them so the profile grid puts the picture back together. Everything runs in this page, and the tiles download one by one or together as a zip.

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How it works

  1. 1

    Choose the image

    Use the largest version you have. Panoramas suit a 3 by 1 grid, and square or portrait pictures suit 3 by 2 and 3 by 3.

  2. 2

    Pick the grid

    Columns come first, so 3 by 2 is three across and two rows down. The preview redraws with the cut lines and tile numbers.

  3. 3

    Decide the padding

    If the summary says the image does not divide evenly, choose white or transparent padding, or crop the source to a multiple of the grid first.

  4. 4

    Download and post in order

    Save the zip, then post tile 1 first and the highest number last, so the last post lands top left on the profile.

Why the order is backwards

A profile grid shows the newest post first, top left, and pushes older posts down and to the right. So the picture has to be posted from its bottom right corner back to its top left. With posting order switched on, tile 1 is the bottom right piece and the last number is the top left piece. Post them in numerical order, without anything in between, and the grid shows the whole picture. Switch the option off if the tiles are for a printed poster wall or a slideshow, where reading order makes more sense.

Exact pixel edges, and what padding does

Each tile is cut at a whole pixel, because a half pixel cannot exist in a PNG. If the image is 1,000 pixels wide and you ask for three columns, the tiles have to be 334 pixels wide, which adds up to 1,002. The tool centres the picture on a canvas that size and fills the extra two pixels with white or transparency, so every tile matches. The summary tells you the padded size. If any padding at the edges would bother you, crop the source first so its width and height divide evenly by the grid.

Choosing a grid for the picture you have

A 3 by 1 grid takes a wide panorama and turns it into one row on the profile, which is the gentlest way to try a split post. A 3 by 2 grid suits landscape photos with a clear subject in the middle, and 3 by 3 suits large square images or an announcement made for the purpose. A 2 by 2 grid gives four tiles for a carousel, where each swipe shows the next quarter. Keep text away from the cut lines, because a word broken across two tiles reads badly when someone sees one tile alone in their feed.

Keeping the tiles sharp after upload

Social networks resize and recompress every image they receive, and a tile that arrives larger than the size they display gets scaled down with their settings, not yours. Uploading tiles at or close to the size the platform shows avoids a second resize. Fine lines and small text suffer most from recompression, so give the picture bold shapes near the cut lines and keep detail inside the tiles rather than across them.

Planning a grid post as a design

A split post works best when it is designed to be split: one large image with the subject placed so each tile still reads on its own. Build the full image at the size the grid needs, for example 3,240 by 2,160 pixels for a 3 by 2 grid of 1,080 pixel tiles, then split it here. The flyer builder makes square Instagram post designs at 1,080 by 1,080, which is one tile on its own, so a design made there is a good single post to place between grid posts.

Limits

  • Tiles are cut at whole pixels. When the image does not divide evenly, it is padded with white or transparency so every tile is the same size.
  • Tiles keep the source resolution. A small image gives small tiles, so start from an image at least 1,080 pixels wide per column you want.
  • The zip stores the PNGs without compressing them again, since PNG is already compressed.
  • How a profile shows each tile depends on the platform's current grid crop, so check one post before posting the rest.

What it does not do

  • It does not post to Instagram or schedule anything.
  • It does not crop the image to a new aspect ratio first.
  • It does not upload the image anywhere.

Questions people ask

What size should each Instagram grid tile be?

A common target is 1,080 pixels wide per tile, so a three column grid starts from an image 3,240 pixels wide. The tool keeps whatever resolution the source has, so a larger source gives sharper tiles. Check the platform's current recommended post size before preparing a big set, because the profile grid crop has changed over the years.

Can I post the tiles as a carousel instead?

Yes. Switch posting order off so the tiles are numbered left to right, then add them to one carousel post in that order. Each swipe shows the next piece. A 3 by 1 or 2 by 2 grid suits carousels best, because people swipe sideways and the picture continues across the frames.

Will the tiles lose quality?

No more than the source has. Tiles are copied pixel for pixel into PNG files, which do not compress with loss. Quality only drops later if the platform resizes or recompresses the upload, which most social networks do to every image regardless of how it was made.

What happens to a transparent PNG?

Transparency is kept inside each tile. If you choose transparent padding, the added edge pixels are transparent too. Social networks usually flatten transparency onto white or black when they process an upload, so for a social post a white background is the safer choice.

Why is my image padded when it looked square?

Being square is not enough. The width has to divide exactly by the number of columns and the height by the number of rows. A 1,000 pixel square split into three needs 334 pixel tiles, so two pixels of padding are added. Crop to 999 or 1,002 pixels to avoid it.

Design the post that goes between the tiles

Take what you made here into flyers.

Create a flyer with OneCraft

More tools like this

Background reading: the question page on this.

Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .