# Crop photos, choose video covers and add alt text

Fit a photo to the shape you want, pick the frame a video opens on, and describe images for people using screen readers.

4 min read. Updated 16 Oct 2026. All plans.

Walkthrough video (no sound): https://bucket.sociorolla.com/help/media-editor/a646efabb4c2e37f.mp4

## Before you start

- [Create and schedule your first post](https://sociorolla.com/help/getting-started/first-post)

## Steps

1. In a new post, pick the platforms and click **Continue**. On the **Media** step, upload files or click **From Library**. Here a landscape photo and a short video go into one Instagram carousel.

   ![Step 1: Add your photos and videos on the Media step.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/380678cd6380719155c77cd8956c2570569b9388-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

2. Click a photo, or its pencil button, to open **Edit image**.

   ![Step 2: Click a photo to open the editor.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/f61974744bf7f5f82beac1b421c6ca8f7bfbbd49-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

3. On the Pro and Max plans, alt text is written for each photo as you add it. Read it in **Alt text** and change anything that's off; on other plans, type your own. The note under the field says which platforms receive it.

   ![Step 3: Check the alt text. On Pro and Max it's written for you.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/2ecb6198a894d82d0b5d4473d398be39d2ba43d9-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

4. Click **Crop** and choose a shape: **Square 1:1**, **Portrait 4:5**, **Story 9:16**, **Wide 16:9** or **Link 1.91:1**, or keep **Original**. Drag the photo to frame it, and use the zoom slider under the shapes to get closer.

   ![Step 4: Click Crop and choose a shape.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/7bb141390ea36ce09ad6dd51474b9654e7d3c335-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

5. Click **Apply crop**. The post uses the cropped copy with your alt text, and the original in your Library stays as it was. Without a crop, **Save** keeps the alt text.

   ![Step 5: Apply the crop to save the photo.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/040f09b2f006d3653d738d7eadca05715476273a-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

6. A video for Instagram, Facebook or TikTok gets a **Cover** card, and a full-length YouTube video gets one for its thumbnail. YouTube picks its own for a Short. Click **Choose cover**.

   ![Step 6: For a video, click Choose cover.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/229e43b8da33a1c7f17fb4a3b7ddbd3e23e85e63-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

7. Drag the slider or use the skip buttons to find the frame you want, then click **Use this frame**. **Upload photo** uses an image of your own instead, except on TikTok, which always takes a frame.

   ![Step 7: Pick a moment in the video, or upload a photo.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/b1abdafdb2f38bf05724c2253df7936c94765d83-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

8. Continue as usual. The **Preview** step shows the cropped photo and the cover you picked.

   ![Step 8: The edits carry through to the preview.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/21f379409d4e41be5dae33667b89a4de5365a672-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format)

### Which platforms use alt text

- **Instagram** and **Facebook**: photos.
- **Threads** and **X**: photos and videos.
- **LinkedIn**: photos, videos and documents.
- **TikTok** and **YouTube** don't take alt text.

Alt text can be up to 1,000 characters. On the Pro and Max plans, **Write with AI** drafts it for a photo.

### Crops

A crop makes a new copy of the photo for this post, so the file in your Library doesn't change. GIFs can't be cropped.

### Covers

Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube use a cover. TikTok always takes a frame from the video, and YouTube picks its own thumbnail for Shorts. An uploaded cover can be a JPEG, PNG or WebP.

### Different media per platform

**Customize** on a platform's card under **Per-platform media** gives that platform its own files, each with its own crop and cover.

## Related articles

- [Keep your photos and videos in the Library](https://sociorolla.com/help/creating-and-scheduling/media-library)
- [Publish at a different time on each platform](https://sociorolla.com/help/creating-and-scheduling/per-platform-times)

Source: https://sociorolla.com/help/creating-and-scheduling/media-editor