by Kristin Burnham

4 New Websites for Cool Facebook Cover Photos

Feature
Sep 13, 20124 mins
Consumer ElectronicsFacebookProductivity Software

Searching for the perfect cover photo to complete or spruce up your Facebook profile? These four new sites offer stock images, original designs and customized photo collages.

While Facebook continues to switch remaining accounts to Timeline, users continue to look for new ways to personalize the redesign’s most prominent feature: the cover photo.

Facebook first announced Timeline nearly a year ago at its F8 developers conference. Since then, it has generated its fair share of complaints, but one thing is clear: Timeline is not going anywhere.

A few months ago, we looked at five websites for Facebook cover photos. Theres a fresh crop of sites now, so here’s a look at four new ones that offer ways to spruce up your profile—from themed designs to stock images and collages using your own photos.

1. Coverbooth

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Coverbooth’s homepage displays the site’s most recently used cover photos. To drill down by category—which include ones such as nature and places, sports, quotes, gaming and more—use the navigation on the right side.

Once you choose a cover photo to upload to Facebook, click the image. You’ll see a larger version of the cover photo on a new page. Click it again—the words “click to activate” will appear when you hover over it. Next, you’ll be directed to Coverbooth’s Facebook app. Be sure to change any necessary privacy settings before you select “Go to App.”

After you give the app access to your profile, Coverbooth will direct you back to its website where it gives you a set of instructions to follow. It asks that you visit your Facebook profile, click “Change Cover” and “Choose from Photos.” The next window will show you your most recently uploaded photos; this is where you’ll find your newest cover photo.

Coverbooth’s interface and process is a little clunky—and the ads on the website can be invasive—but the site does have an extensive library of photos to choose from.

[5 Websites for Cool Facebook Cover Photos]

2. Covermyfb.com
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In addition to a collection of stock photos, Covermyfb.com gives you the option to convert any image to a cover photo or design your own.

To design your own cover, click the button on the top-right. Fill out the form, which requires the image URL, a selected size, background color and background image opacity. This process is a little more involved than others, though it also gives you broader customization options.

To convert any image to a cover, navigate back to the site’s homepage and click the corresponding button in the top-right. This generator is a lot simpler to use, requiring only the image URL and watermark font and positioning.

3. Unique FB Covers

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Unique FB Covers offers designs similar to other sites, though its collection isn’t as extensive as some. It does, however, have the option to create your own cover photo with your own image like Coverbooth, or a collage with all of your friends’ profile pictures. To find the collage option, click “Create Cover” in the top-right of the homepage.

Similar to Coverbooth, you need to grant the Facebook app access to your profile for the collage option. Once you do, a new screen will load with all of your friends’ profile pictures. Select the 24 you want included in your cover photo, then click “Create my collage cover.”

Once you preview your cover, you’ll follow the same directions as Coverbooth’s to swap your old cover photo with your new one.

4. FBJunks

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Lastly, FBJunks’s library of cover images include categories ranging from “abstract” to “flowers” to “whisky.” Also handy: The site has a search function if you’re looking for something specific.

When you find a cover photo you want to add to your profile, click the image then the “Make this my Facebook cover” button just below it. Once you give the app permission to access your Facebook profile, you’ll be directed to a page with additional instructions for uploading it.

Kristin Burnham covers consumer technology, social networking and enterprise collaboration for CIO.com. Follow Kristin on Twitter @kmburnham. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Kristin at kburnham@cio.com