What are WordPress Thumbnail Sizes?

Understanding WordPress Image Sizing: Beyond Thumbnails

WordPress themes offer a powerful feature for theme creators and developers to set precise dimensions for image thumbnails. This functionality goes beyond just thumbnails or highlighted images, contrary to some user misconceptions. In truth, these dimensions apply to every image uploaded to your WordPress site and should be recognized as custom image dimensions.

When it comes to handling these image dimensions, designers and developers have the option to either select from the predefined sizes available under the Settings » Media section of WordPress or to specify their own custom dimensions. As soon as you upload an image, WordPress is programmed to automatically create a version for each defined size. It’s important to note that this automatic process does not apply to images uploaded prior to the creation of new sizes. To address this, one can utilize tools like the Regenerate Thumbnails plugin, which assists in creating new dimensions for all images that were uploaded previously.

Despite its usefulness, this feature does not escape criticism. The primary concern voiced by critics revolves around the potential for excessive consumption of server storage space. This issue arises when your website hosts a multitude of images in various sizes. To mitigate this, it’s advisable to either curtail the number of image dimensions on your site or to consider investing in additional web hosting storage capacity.