Design size and why it matters
PSD Design Size
Design your PSD at a size that matches the largest dimensions of the ad unit. Smaller sizes will be created from this main design.
The most common canvas sizes:
1920x1080 (matches Fully-Fluid Format)
2560x600 (maximum size needed for Fluid 250 or Fluid 400 formats)
970x808 (approx. 3x the size of a 300x250 ad for IAB sizes)
Select the correct size canvas when you start a new Photoshop file, or use the “Image size” or “Canvas size” tools in the “Image” menu to adjust the size later on.
Why does PSD design size matter?
Creative Weight and image renditions
We always want our ads to be as light-weight as possible. This allows them to load faster and ensures more people see them. The Responsive Ads image rendition [link to the image rendition section] system will generate smaller versions of your images to create the lightest possible ads, but it works best with images that are no larger than needed. So to get the best results for image quality and ad weight, start with assets that are at the largest size needed, but no larger.
For your Photoshop files, this means that it is important to start with a size that is as wide and tall as the widest and tallest size included in the format you will be using.
Often, this is just the largest size included in your format, for example 1920x1080 for the Fully-Fluid Format. But for the IAB pack we suggest 970x808, which covers all the widest sizes (e.g. 970x250) and the tallest sizes (e.g. 300x600) at the same aspect ratio as the 300x250 size.
Layout and positioning elements
The design size of the PSD also determines the position and size of any new elements added to the Fluid Ad Creator.
When uploading as a group, the main group will be set to be the fixed pixel size of your design size.
If your design size does match the active size in the Fluid Ad Creator, the group will show up as a different size than your ad canvas.
Image 1: PSD size matches the selected size
Image 2: PSD and selected size mismatch
To fix this issue, you need to navigate to a size that matches the aspect ratio of your PSD design. When you are in that size, follow the instructions below to create the responsive resizing rules that will make sure your design is resized correctly.
You should then remove any mistaken layouts with the '-' button
Select the size again now that you have defined the correct resizing rules, and see the correct layout show up instead of the mistaken one.
Step-by-step instructions
Use these instructions when you are starting a blank “New Creative”. (link to article)
In the Creative Setup phase, you can select which format your creative uses.
You can also see and update the formats in the Fluid Ad Creator.
Use the format information to determine the design size you need for your PSD file.
Fully-Fluid Format selected - use 1920x1080px
Set your PSD design size to 1920x1080 when working with a fully responsive creative using our Fully-Fluid Format. Most of our templates are built with the Fully-Fluid Format, as that gives you the 5 shapes you need to generate almost any other size or aspect ratio.
Before you upload, verify your active size(s): The list should look like exactly like this (with 1920x1080 blue and bold, all the other sizes grey)
2560x600 and Fixed-Height Fluid Formats
Fixed-Height Fluid formats, for example the Programmatic Fluid 250, are used when the creative is for a high-impact masthead slot (a fixed height slot that changes only width responsively depending on the size of the page).
These units don’t usually contain a 1920x1080 layout or aspect ratio, and require specialized assets to cover the widest breakpoints. There may also be a 300x600 layout or other IAB sizes included in the format, so that the single creative can display in any available ad slot.
Check your format for the widest size (first one in the format) and the largest height included. Use those to calculate the canvas size for your PSD file.
There should be no need for a size larger than the size 2560x600.
It is easiest to lay out your Fixed-Height Fluid when the design size matches the first available size in the format (widest).
Image 1: example when you don’t need the 600 height
Image 2: When you might need the 600 height
Before you upload, verify your active size(s)
More adjustments needed when not matching the exact size
After uploading, adjust from pixels to percentages
More adjustments needed when not matching the exact size
Select the next size and verify your adjustments
970x808 with an IAB Pack
IAB packs and formats, for example the IAB Pack (Fully-Fluid™), are used when you are targeting IAB slots. Designing for IAB involves working with smaller ad slots, and thus a different size of PSD is better.
Starting from a layout that is close to a square aspect will speed up generating all the other aspect ratios included in the IAB standard, so we recommend targeting the 300x250px.
As the IAB standard also includes sizes ranging from 970x250 to 300x600, we recommend building the ad design in Photoshop at 970x808px size. This gives you assets that are large enough to display beautifully in all the IAB sizes.
Follow the below instructions to import the 3 times larger size correctly to the 300x250 size in your IAB Pack.
Before you upload, verify your active size(s)
Remove any unwanted layouts, keeping only the 300x250 active and selected
After uploading, adjust from pixels to percentages
Click the crosshairs to reset to 100%x100%
contain-> cover, text, anchors, locks, buttons (this part should be somewhere else)
Select the next size and verify your adjustments
Using Upload as a Group to generate parts of a layout
You can upload directly from a PSD also parts of your creative, like slide contents, or a brand panel. This process is the same as above, but you will need to calculate the correct canvas size yourself based on the size of the panel you are adding.
After you are done adjusting the first size, use the “copy element settings” function to add this panel correctly to the other sizes
How design size affects replacing elements with layers
In the option “Replace or create elements with layers from PSD”, the PSD layers are used to create image assets with the exact pixel size of the layer in Photoshop. These assets will be used to replace the existing images you select - so the quality and aspect ratio should match the assets in the creative you are working with.
When creating new elements as a part of this option, the new elements will be placed and sized also as they are defined in the PSD design. So if the PSD design size is the same as the size you have active when selecting the option, they will display in their correct locations. But in a case of mismatch, the elements will not be created correctly for the size selected (as they will be created to match exactly the PSD design size instead of your selected size).
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