Upload a cover photo to identify your project
A clear cover photo makes your portfolio scannable. Here is the right size, crop, and format.
A cover photo is the single fastest visual identifier for a project. Done right, your portfolio reads like a book's spine — name on the left, photo on the right, and your eye lands on the right one in under a second.
The basics
Buildra accepts JPEG and PNG cover photos up to 10 MB. We render the photo at multiple sizes (thumbnail, card, banner), so use the highest quality source you have. The display crop is 3:2 — wider than tall — and the center 60% of the image is what shows in the thumbnail.
The four-step upload
- Open the project. From the project dashboard, click the gear icon in the top right.
- On the Project settings page, find the Cover photo card.
- Click Choose photo and pick a JPEG or PNG from your computer.
- Drag the crop region until the most identifiable part of the project is centered. Click Save.
Tip:For pre-construction projects, use the architect's rendering. For mid-construction, use a recent drone shot. For closeout, use the marquee finished photo — the one you would want on your website.
What makes a good cover photo
- One subject. The house, not the house plus six parked trucks plus a porta-potty.
- Good light. Overcast or golden-hour beats noon sun.
- Wide aspect. Vertical phone shots get aggressively cropped. Use the landscape lens or a wide-angle if you have it.
- Identifiable feature.The roofline, the front elevation, the entry — whatever you call “the project” when you describe it.
Bulk-uploading cover photos for multiple projects
On the Scale tier you can bulk-set cover photos via the /settings/data-bridge CSV importer. Upload a CSV with two columns (project_id and cover_photo_url) and a folder of photos, and Buildra will match them by URL. This is the same flow most teams use when they migrate in 30+ projects from Procore or Buildertrend.
Removing or replacing the photo
On the same Project settings page, click Remove photo to revert to the placeholder, or just upload a new one — the old image is replaced atomically with no downtime.
Common questions
- Does the photo appear on the client portal? Yes, if you have the client portal enabled, the cover photo is the hero image on the client view.
- Can I use a logo instead? Technically yes, but logos read flat at thumbnail size. We recommend a real photo.
- What about animated GIFs? Not supported. Static JPEG/PNG only.
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