With the NFT market growing steadily, their size and shape requirements have begun to be narrowed down. The size and shape of an NFT are important because it takes NFT marketplace sites more time and more money to upload and process larger NFTs. 

NFTs don’t have to be square but if your NFT is not square it will be cropped into a square for most NFT marketplace viewing galleries. If you visit some of the most popular online marketplaces you will see the galleries are showing off square NFTs but as soon as you click on one it will bring up the true dimension of the NFT which could be a rectangle in landscape or portrait format.

Every NFT marketplace is a little bit different so it is best to complete your due diligence to confirm if the marketplace you want to work with will support the dimensions you want to create with.

Also, NFT marketplace websites have size restrictions for multiple reasons, but the most common ones are to save time, server space, and money. 

The following article briefly explains why there are size restrictions for NFTs and what the restrictions are for the most popular NFT marketplaces out there. It also includes a brief guide on how to make an NFT that’s the correct size for online marketplaces. 

Why Are There Size Restrictions on NFTs?

There are size restrictions on NFTs because marketplace sites have to pay more and use more time to upload and process larger NFT files. Furthermore, the internet is not an infinite resource, and size restrictions help ensure that there is enough space for everyone to use. 

In order for NFT marketplace sites to keep functioning, they have to pay for energy, internet providers, hosting, and server space. These providers help ensure that NFTs are uploading efficiently and correctly, without missing any elements of the image. 

When someone tries to upload a larger NFT, the marketplace site uses more resources. For example, this usually means they have to pay their energy providers more just to process the NFT. So, to save money, the marketplace sites have restrictions on NFT sizes. 

As I said before the internet is not an infinite resource, and there is only so much of it to go around. The larger a file is, the more space it takes up, and the less space there is for everyone else to use.

As time goes on NFTs are only getting more popular as more creators and companies get involved so the amount of storage space and energy required is going to go through the roof.

Size restrictions on NFTs help make sure there is enough internet for everyone to use, regardless of what they are using it for. 

NFT square Gallery
An example of how NFTs are shown on the Foundation Gallery page

NFT Marketplace Size Restrictions  

The size restrictions for NFTs vary depending on the marketplace site you upload it to. The average size for an NFT is no more than 100 to 200 megabytes, but that number also fluctuates depending on what the NFT is. 

Each NFT marketplace site has different size restrictions depending on how much their site can take and what is included in the NFT. The size restrictions for the most popular NFT websites can be found below: 

  • Mintable – 200 megabytes 
  • OpenSea – 100 megabytes 
  • Rarible – 30 megabytes 
  • KnownOrigin – 75 megabytes, and the cover image can’t be more than 25 megabytes  
  • Foundation – 50 megabytes 
  • SuperRare – 50 megabytes, and the cover image can’t be more than 10 megabytes 

The file size restrictions also fluctuate depending on the type of file you upload the NFT as. NFTs can be numerous different types of digital media from music to NFT game assets. However, the most common types of files for NFTs are: 

  • JPEGs
  • PDFs
  • GIFs 

It’s recommended that you look into the specific file size restrictions for each of the above file types on the marketplace site you want to upload your NFT to. 

NFT Landscape Format
An example of a non-square landscape format NFT by Creatiflux. The previous example showed this NFT cropped as a square.

Minting: NFT Basics

As soon as your creation is ready to be minted you will need to get a crypto wallet. Here is a list of the top 9 wallets. Just be sure the one you choose is easily compatible with the NFT marketplace you want to mint and list your NFT on.

I use the Coinbase Wallet and MetaMask wallet the most.

When it comes to minting an NFT it is not cheap as I have seen gas fees, the fees associated with minting an NFT, fluxuate between $70 and $700 dollars. The good news is that we have written these two articles to help you save hundreds of dollars:

  1. How To Sell NFTs Without Gas Fees (or less) | Complete Guide
  2. The 3 Cheapest Ways to Mint an NFT: Full Breakdown

You can also Lazy Mint an NFT which is when you defer the minting fees to the buyer at the time of purchase. Also, the NFT will not get minted until the buyer pays for the NFT. This article explains more and shows how to do it.

Where Can I Upload Larger or Irregularly-Shaped NFT Files? 

If your NFT file size is larger than what the marketplace site allows, there is an easy workaround. Go ahead and mint an edited or compressed token but add in the description that the buyer will receive the larger uncompressed or longer video files after purchase.

Go ahead and upload the larger files to a drive like Google Drive or an IPFS. After the successful sale of your NFT, you can share the link to the drive with the new owner.

Google Drive

Google Drive is the most popular place to store and upload large NFT files. The website allows for 15 gigabytes of storage, which is a considerably large amount compared to other marketplace sites. If you need more than 15 gigabytes you can always pay for more.

If you want to sell your larger NFTs, then all you have to do is supply an external link to the file shareholders that purchased the NFT. 

IPFS

Another popular place to store larger NFT files is interplanetary file systems or IPFS. These systems are decentralized storage spaces, peer-to-peer networks that allow data to be stored and shared.

They keep your files safe by letting you control who has access to the files and by using content addresses, which are like digital fingerprints, to keep track of the files. 

How To Make an NFT That’s The Right Size

A good way to ensure that your NFT stays within the size restrictions are to save it out multiple times throughout the creation process. If the file size is getting too close to the restrictions, then you’ll know to scale it back. If the file size is well within the restrictions, then you’re good to go. 

There are also other tips you can use to make your NFT file smaller if the file size is still too big. The first one you can use is to compress the file before uploading it. Compressing it will make the file smaller than it originally was, and it might be small enough for you to upload. 

For example, a trick I do with Photoshop is to make two copies. One copy is the original large file with a high PPI and the other is s one that is compressed and can be easily minted and fall within the NFT marketplaces requirements.

To save out a compressed smaller version go to File>Export>Save for Web Legacy. From Web Legacy, you can adjust the image quality from low to maximum. Obviously maximum will have a higher file size. 

If you are wanting to become an NFT artist I highly suggest reading this article: Top 7 Skills You Need to be an NFT Digital Artist.

Final Thoughts 

The file size restrictions on NFTs don’t have to limit what you can upload on marketplace sites. Researching the file size restrictions on marketplace sites can help you decide on which site is the best one for you to upload to. And if the file size is still too big, then using the tips discussed above can help you shrink the file size just enough to work around the restrictions. 

Another hot topic when it comes to NFTs is actually selling them. Making them is fun and easy but getting them in front of potential buyers and creating a “buzz” with social media marketing is the hard part.

I created a now-viral guide that is specific to selling NFTs. Check out: How To Get Your NFT Art Noticed: Complete Guide. Plus these 3 posts will help you on your journey:

  1. Can You Post Your NFT on Instagram?
  2. Are NFTs a Pyramid Scheme? The Definitive Answer
  3. When Will NFTs Crash? 3 Possible Scenarios

Sources

OpenSea

Foundation

CyberScrilla

CreativeBloq