Use an image you own or have permission to publish. Keep the original safely outside the public website so later crops and exports do not become your only copy. Review metadata for private location or personal information when relevant.

Decide the largest realistic display size and whether the image is a photograph, illustration or interface screenshot. A full camera-resolution file is often unnecessary for a small card, while enlarging a tiny screenshot will not create missing detail.

1. Crop the composition for the intended use while leaving room for responsive changes.
2. Resize a copy to a suitable resolution and export in a format appropriate to its content and the site's supported processing tools.
3. Compare visual quality at the actual display size. Reduce excessive file weight without making text or important detail unreadable.
4. Give the file a descriptive name and prepare meaningful alternative text or a deliberate decorative treatment.
5. Upload the prepared file, insert it into a draft and choose a suitable image resolution in the block settings.

Preview at desktop and mobile widths, including a high-density display where available. Inspect the actual image loaded by the browser, since WordPress or an optimisation service may generate and serve a different size.

Check transparency, colour and fine text. A format that works well for a photograph may produce poor results for a screenshot with small lettering. Avoid embedding important body text inside an image when ordinary page text would remain clearer and more accessible.

Do not repeatedly upload slightly different copies without naming them clearly. Record which version is approved and remove unused experiments only after checking references.

If uploads fail, test a modest known-good image and record whether the failure happens during upload or later processing. Increasing every server limit is not the first solution to an unnecessarily large source file. Preserve the original and provide its dimensions, format and file size when asking us to investigate.

• Choosing image sizes and preventing blurry displays
• Using WebP and AVIF images with compatible hosting
• Writing useful alternative text for WordPress images
• Understanding WordPress responsive images

• WordPress documentation
• WordPress performance