Image Compressor
Shrink JPG, PNG and WebP with a quality slider and live size readout.
Image & Photo
Circle Crop
Round avatars with transparency, sized for each platform.
What it does. A circular crop needs a format with transparency — PNG or WebP — because the corners outside the circle must be see-through. Exporting to JPG fills them, usually with white, which is why circle-cropped JPGs appear with a square white box behind them.
Runs in your browserNothing uploadsNo signupWorks offline
How to use Circle Crop
- Drop in a photo and position the circle.
- Pick a platform preset or set a size.
- Export as PNG so the corners stay transparent.
The format matters more than the crop
JPEG has no alpha channel. It cannot store transparency, so the area outside the circle has to be some colour — and that colour will be visible wherever the background is not identical.
PNG and WebP both support transparency and are the correct choice.
If you have ever seen a round avatar sitting inside a white square on a dark background, that is a circle-cropped JPEG. It is the single most common mistake with this operation.
Platforms crop for you — badly
| Platform | Displayed as | Upload |
|---|---|---|
| Circle | 400 × 400 minimum, square | |
| Circle | 320 × 320, square | |
| X / Twitter | Circle | 400 × 400, square |
| Circle | 360 × 360, square | |
| Slack | Rounded square | 512 × 512 |
Most platforms want a square and apply their own circular mask. Uploading a pre-cropped circle to those is often counterproductive — you lose control of the framing and can end up with transparent corners rendered as black. Crop to a square and let the platform mask it, unless the image is for a context you control.
Framing a face
A circular mask cuts the corners, which is where the top of the head and the chin usually sit. Framing that looks fine as a square can lose both.
Leave more headroom than feels right, and centre the eyes at roughly the upper third of the circle.
Check it small. A profile picture is usually rendered at 40 pixels, and a photo that reads well at 400 can be an unidentifiable smudge at 40. If the face is not recognisable at that size, crop tighter.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my circle crop have a white square behind it?
It was exported as JPEG, which cannot store transparency, so the corners outside the circle were filled. Export as PNG or WebP instead.
Should I upload a pre-cropped circle to LinkedIn?
Usually no. Most platforms want a square and apply their own circular mask. Uploading a circle can lose framing control and sometimes renders transparent corners as black.
What size should a profile picture be?
400 × 400 or larger, square. Platforms downscale, and starting larger survives their compression better than uploading at the exact display size.
How should I frame a face for a circular crop?
With more headroom than feels necessary, since the mask cuts the corners where the top of the head and chin sit. Put the eyes around the upper third of the circle.
Will it look good at small sizes?
Check before deciding. Profile pictures are often rendered at 40 pixels, and a photo that reads well at 400 can be unrecognisable there. If the face is not clear at that size, crop tighter.