When my store link is shared on X, should I pick the large image card or the summary card with a small image?
If you have a wide product or offer image, the large image card gives it most of the card. If the picture is a logo or a square shot, the summary card fits better, because it shows a small thumbnail beside the title. You pick one in the builder and it writes it into twitter:card.
How the two cards differ
- Large image (summary_large_image): the picture spans the card above or beside the title, depending on the app. It suits a wide image with the product clearly visible.
- Small image (summary): a thumbnail, usually square, next to the title and description. It suits a logo or a product shot on a plain background.
- None (none): the tool writes no twitter: tags at all, and you keep the Open Graph tags alone.
The tool starts on Large image. Every app still crops and lays out cards its own way, so the preview inside the tool is an illustration only and does not reproduce exactly how X will show the card.
Example: a square logo on the summary card
We entered the oud oil page with a square logo image called logo-600x600.png and picked 'Small image'. These are the Twitter lines the tool wrote:
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary">
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Cambodian Oud Oil">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/images/logo-600x600.png">
<meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="A bottle of oud oil">
Then we tried 'None' on the same page. All four lines disappeared, leaving just five: og:title, og:type, og:url, og:image and og:image:alt. That helps when your platform or plugin already writes Twitter tags and you do not want a second set.
Deciding in practice
- Look at the image you will use for og:image: is it wide or square?
- If it is wide with the product in the middle, choose 'Large image'.
- If it is square or a logo, choose 'Small image' so the logo is not cropped awkwardly into a wide frame.
- If the image is not the shape you want, crop it first in the Image cropper, upload it and use its link.
What the tool cannot know
The Open Graph metadata builder does not open your image or measure it, so it cannot tell whether the picture you gave a large card is actually square. Nor does it check how X renders cards today; that is the platform's decision and it can change. After publishing the tags, share the link in a test post or use an official inspection tool where one exists, and read X's current documentation on cards.
Common questions
Does X read the Open Graph tags if I choose None?
As the tool's own page notes, X can read the title, description and image from Open Graph tags, but twitter:card is what sets the layout. Check X's documentation for the current details.
Do I need two different images for the two cards?
The tool uses one image URL for both the Open Graph and Twitter tags. Choose an image that suits the card you picked.
Why does the tool's preview look different from X?
It is an illustration in a neutral design, and each platform draws the card its own way.