How to Reuse One Portrait Across Three Social Media Designs

Give Each Format a Different Job

Start with the information people will have when they encounter each graphic. Someone seeing the workshop in their feed may know nothing about it. Someone opening the event page has already followed a link. Those two readers don’t need the same headline, even though they’re looking at the same instructor.

The schedule and registration details can stay on the event page

Separate the Portrait So You Can Reposition It

A photo with its original backdrop works well in a fixed frame. It’s harder to reuse when the person needs to sit beside a headline in one layout and fit between text and a registration sticker in another. That’s where a transparent PNG helps: the photo’s background no longer dictates how much of the canvas it occupies.

Use CocoAI’s background remover to remove the backdrop and export the instructor as a transparent PNG. Add the portrait to the design as a separate layer so you can move or crop it without shifting the text.

Look at where the original photo ends. Background removal won’t restore a shoulder that was cropped out of the source. If one shoulder ends abruptly, let that side meet the canvas edge or a solid graphic panel. The crop will look deliberate, and you won’t have to hide it by shrinking the instructor.

Build Three Compositions From the Same Portrait

Square feed post: Explain the workshop at a glance

Try the title on two lines on the left, with the instructor on the right. Add a short line that tells a new viewer what they’ll do, such as “Learn to sketch street scenes.” If the instructor’s name and bio compete with that line, move the bio to the caption. Keep the name on the graphic only if it helps someone recognise the event or decide to learn more.

Look at the square post at phone size. If the face draws attention but viewers can’t tell what’s being offered, give the title more room before adding any decoration.

Vertical Story: Keep the message inside the viewing area

As a starting point, keep the title, portrait, and registration information inside roughly the middle 60% of the canvas vertically. Place the title just below the upper interface area, where profile controls may appear. Put the date and registration prompt above the lower interface area, leaving room for a link sticker if you’ll add one.

Think of that middle band as your working canvas. If the portrait pushes the date toward the bottom, make the portrait smaller or shorten the title. Don’t move the registration prompt closer to the edge just to fit everything in.

The middle 60% is a layout guide, not a guaranteed safe zone. Preview the Story in the publishing app with the sticker in place. Check that the title is fully visible and that viewers can read the date and reach the registration link without interference from the interface.

Horizontal event cover: Design for the visible crop

Use the width for the full event title and place the portrait to one side. Keep both the title and the instructor’s face far enough from the outer edges that a tighter crop won’t cut into either. A background color or a simple street sketch can extend into the space most likely to be cropped.

Open the event page on a phone and a desktop. If a narrower view cuts off the instructor’s shoulder but leaves the face and title clear, the cover still does its job. If it clips a word from the title, move the text inward before adjusting the portrait.

Give Each Graphic a Five-Second Check

Show each design on its own for five seconds and ask a different question. For the feed post: “What is this workshop about?” For the Story: “When is it, and where would you tap?” For the cover: “What event page are you on?”

The answers tell you what to fix. If someone remembers the instructor’s face but can’t name the workshop, revisit the headline. If they know the date but can’t find registration, clear space around the sticker. The same portrait can tie the campaign together while each layout gives people the information they need at that moment.