The notice
The photograph on the obituary.
It is the first photograph anyone sees, published before the service, and it is printed or displayed at a shape that is unusually hostile to portraits.
The short answer
Online notices usually want a square, around 1200 × 1200 pixels. Newspapers print a single column, roughly 600 × 800. The square is the awkward one: taking a square crop from a portrait photograph removes width from the sides of the face, and taking it from a landscape photograph removes the top of the head unless you position it deliberately.
01 · RequirementsWhat each outlet actually asks for.
| Outlet | Shape | Pixels | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newspaper, print | Column, portrait | 600 × 800 | Greyscale often acceptable; ask |
| Newspaper, online | Square or 4:3 | 1200 × 1200 | Head and shoulders |
| Funeral director's notice | Square | 800 × 800 | Uploaded through their system |
| Social announcement | Square | 1080 × 1080 | Also used at 16:9 in some posts |
| Memorial website | Varies | 1200 wide | Usually displays at 4:3 or 1:1 |
The pixel counts are all modest. An obituary photograph is not a resolution problem; it is a cropping problem.
02 · The squareHow to take a square crop without cutting the head off.
A square taken from the middle of a portrait photograph usually lands with the eyes too high and the top of the head touching the edge. Three adjustments fix it:
- Position the eyes at about 40% down from the top of the square, not in the middle. This is the same rule as the easel print, and it is the difference between a portrait and a passport photograph.
- Include the shoulders. A square crop that ends at the jaw looks like a mugshot. Cut low enough to show the line of both shoulders.
- Crop from the sides, not the top. When a square has to come from a wider image, the extra width is what should be removed. Taking it from the top is what clips the hair.
If the photograph is a landscape group shot, a square crop will often have to break one of these rules. In that case, accept slightly more headroom than feels right — a small amount of background above the person reads as space, and a clipped head reads as a mistake.
03 · ConsistencyIt should be the same photograph as the service.
The obituary is published first and seen by people who will not attend. It should be the same photograph as the easel portrait, or at least from the same period, because the notice is what tells people which version of the person they are being asked to remember.
It should also be a photograph that is already a record. An obituary that shows a restored, idealised face can create a small mismatch at the service, where people meet the easel print and the family and then meet each other. The notice is where the most people see the person at once, and the widest range of them — including people who have not seen them in thirty years.
If the newspaper is printing in black and white, check the file in greyscale before sending. A photograph with a strong colour cast, or a red tie against a dark background, can go flat or muddy in reproduction, and the fix is to send a slightly brighter file rather than a heavily edited one.
Questions people ask at this point.
What size photo should I send for an obituary?
Around 1200 x 1200 pixels for an online notice and roughly 600 x 800 for a newspaper column. The pixel counts are modest; the difficulty is the square crop, which needs the eyes placed about 40% from the top and the shoulders included.
Can I use the same photo for the obituary and the funeral?
Yes, and it is usually better to. Using the same photograph in the notice, on the order of service and on the easel means everyone is remembering the same person in the same way.
Should the obituary photo be black and white?
Only if the outlet is printing in black and white, and then check how your file converts before sending it. A colour photograph with a strong cast can go muddy in greyscale; a slightly brighter file converts better than a heavily retouched one.
The notice goes live first
If the photograph is faded or damaged, fix it before the obituary is published rather than after. Pinin repairs damage in seconds without changing the face, and the first one is free.
Repair the obituary photograph