How to Customize Banner Image on Blogger

As you can see by the banner image, I've finally updated the design for SlingWords.

Updating your blog design is like rearranging the furniture in your home and hanging art in different places so you get a refreshed look at the interior.

Updating a blog design makes readers take a new look at your blog. Fortunately, with Blogger, it's relatively easy to do. Or it would have been if I'd remembered how to change the banner image. *LOL* It took me a couple of hours of tweaking, looking, going back and trying something different, viewing again, etc. Finally, I remembered how to do it.

Previous SlingWords Banner

8 steps to Customization

With Blogger, you can apply a background image from their pre-loaded image file. You can also place a customized image you created over that. The end result is what you see on my blog.

1. In left sidebar of your Blogger Dashboard, scroll down the options until you come to Theme. Click that and it opens. You'll see an image of your blog the way it appears on a computer and on a mobile device. You have 2 choices: Customize and HTML. Click Customize.

2. Now at the top left of the window that opened, you'll see these options: Theme, Background, Adjust Width, Layout, Advanced. These options allow you to customize your blog any way you want it. These are useful with the Dynamic themes offered by Blogger. I use Picture Window. Today, I'm just going to tell you how to have the banner image.

Another Past Blog Banner Image

3. First, click Adjust Width so you can see how wide your blog is in pixels. You can make your blog narrower or wider by adjusting the "handle bars" on the slider. Mine is 1200 pixels wide.

4. Create the image you want to use. I created an image 2400 pixels wide. Blogger says to make it 1800 pixels x 333 pixels, but that size didn't work for mine. It wasn't wide enough. Save your image.

5. Now, click Background, and it opens and shows you a small picture of the current background image. If you never selected a background image, it probably shows a color block. You can leave that, change to a different color or upload your own. I use a background image that coordinates in color and style with the image I created. Click the arrow next to Background and a library of choices opens. Select the one you want and click Done.

Another Old Banner Image

6. Now to place your custom image over the background image. In the upper right of that page, you'll see choices. Click Back to Blogger which takes you back to your Blogger Dashboard. Above Customize which you just finished doing, you'll see Layout. Click Layout. This opens and shows you the different sections of your blog. Scrolling down a bit from the top of this, you'll see Header.

7. Click Header and a window opens showing you how the header of your blog is set up. If you already have an image, you'll see it there. To change it, simply click Remove Image. To install a new image, click Browse and find your image on the computer.


8. After your image is uploaded, you have 3 choices. I choose the middle one: Instead of Title and Description. I use this one because I placed the title and description in the image I created. If you didn't, then try one of the other 2 choices. Click Save, and you're done.

Takeaway Truth

That's how you start customizing the look of your blog.