Twitter just changed the way it used to display images uploaded by its users; it has added cropping control features on iOS and Android devices.
In March, Twitter rolled out a limited users test feature of uncropped and larger images in user’s feeds. But now it’s officially announced the success and improved image sharing experience for everybody.
From now onwards twitter for iOS and Android device’s aspect ratio of images will be (16:9 and 4:3).
no bird too tall, no crop too short
— Twitter (@Twitter) May 5, 2021
introducing bigger and better images on iOS and Android, now available to everyone pic.twitter.com/2buHfhfRAx
Twitter’s new system will show anyone sharing an image a preview of what it will look like before it goes live in the timeline, resolving past concerns that Twitter’s algorithmic cropping was biased toward highlighting white faces.
“Today’s launch is a direct result of the feedback people shared with us last year that the way our algorithm cropped images wasn’t equitable,” Twitter spokesperson Lauren Alexander said. The new way of presenting images decreases the platform’s reliance on automatic, machine learning-based image cropping.
Super tall or wide images will still get a centered crop, but Twitter says it’s working to make that better too, along with other aspects of how visual media gets displayed in the timeline.
For visual artists like photographers and cartoonists who promote their work on Twitter, this is actually a pretty big deal. Not only will photos and other kinds of art score more real estate on the timeline, but artists can be sure that they’re putting their best tweet forward without awkward crops messing stuff up.