Key takeaways
- Take the before and after from the same spot, at the same angle, in similar light. That is what makes the change obvious.
- Instagram feed posts take shapes from 4:5 to 1.91:1; a square or a 4:5 portrait works. Google recommends 720 by 720 pixels for profile photos.
- Ask the customer before you post photos of their home, and keep house numbers, faces and plates out of the frame.
How to make a before and after picture
- Pick the two photos. Tap Before and choose the photo from before the job, then After. On a phone this opens your photo library or the camera.
- Choose a layout. Side by side suits square and landscape shots. Top and bottom suits a story or a tall post. The slider puts both in one frame with a line between them; drag it to where the change shows best.
- Choose the size for where you will post it. The picture redraws at that shape.
- Move each photo in its frame if the work is cut off. Each photo fills its half, so part of it is trimmed; the sliders pick which part.
- Add your business name and phone if you want them on a strip at the bottom, and turn the Before and After labels on or off.
- Download a JPG (smaller, what Instagram takes) or a PNG (every pixel kept).
The photos are read by your browser and drawn on the page. They are not uploaded to Koira or anywhere else, so the tool works on a slow connection and nothing is stored.
Before and after photo sizes for Instagram, Facebook and Google
| Post | Pixels | Why this size |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram square | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1, inside Instagram's 4:5 to 1.91:1 range, 1,080 wide (Instagram takes 320 to 1,440) |
| Instagram portrait | 1080 × 1350 | 4:5, the tallest feed shape Instagram takes |
| Instagram story | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16, the shape Meta recommends for stories |
| Facebook post | 1440 × 1800 | 4:5 at 1,440 × 1,800, Meta's recommended feed image |
| Google Business Profile | 720 × 720 | 720 × 720, Google's recommended size for profile photos |
Instagram's limits come from Meta's developer documentation: JPEG, up to 8 MB, an aspect ratio between 4:5 and 1.91:1 for feed posts, and a width between 320 and 1,440 pixels. Stories are recommended at 9:16. Facebook's feed image recommendation is 4:5 at 1,440 by 1,800. Google's photo guidelines for a Business Profile ask for a JPG or PNG between 10 KB and 5 MB and recommend 720 by 720 pixels.
How to take before and after photos that show the work
- Same spot, same angle. Stand where you stood for the before, and hold the phone the same way. A change of angle makes the viewer hunt for the difference.
- Take the before first, every time. It is the photo most often forgotten. Make it the first thing you do on site, before tools come out.
- Similar light. Daylight, the sun behind you. A dark before and a bright after looks staged even when it is not.
- Wide and close. One wide shot that shows the whole roof, yard, room or driveway, and one close shot of the detail that took the skill: the flashing, the grout line, the clean edge.
- Clean the lens. A phone lens wiped on a shirt is the cheapest photo upgrade there is.
- Leave people and private details out. House numbers, faces, cars with plates and anything inside a home the owner would not want posted.
- Ask first. A line on your estimate or invoice asking whether you may post photos of the work is enough for most customers. Respect a no.
Where to use your before and after photos
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| Your Google Business Profile | Add the photos as they are, or a plain side by side. Google's guidelines ask for photos that are in focus, well lit and without significant alterations or heavy filters, so skip the heavy edits there. |
| Instagram and Facebook | A square or 4:5 side by side in the feed, a top and bottom version for stories. Say the town and the job in the caption. |
| Your website | A gallery of finished jobs by service. A contractor website with real work on it reads very differently from one with stock photos. |
| Estimates | One before and after from a similar job on the estimate shows the customer what they are paying for. |
| Review requests | When the job is done, send the after photo with the thank you. It is a natural moment to ask for a review. |
Photos help with search as well as with customers: the free Google Business Profile checker looks for photos of real work and your name or truck on your profile.
Before and after ideas by trade
| Trade | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure washing | Driveway or siding with the grime showing | Same view, wet or dry, same light |
| Roofing | Worn shingles or storm damage, from the ground and up close | The finished roof from the same spot on the ground |
| Lawn and landscaping | Overgrown beds, bare patches | Edged, mulched and planted, same corner |
| Cleaning | Kitchen counters, a bathroom, a carpet stain | Same counter or tile, same light |
| Painting | Faded siding, scuffed walls, old trim colour | The fresh coat from the same corner |
| Junk removal | The full garage or yard | The empty space |
| Remodeling | The old kitchen or bath | The finished room, same doorway |
Last checked October 9, 2026.