Tap the Post: The X (Twitter) Image Trend and How to Do It

Introduction

On X (formerly Twitter), the trend known as “tap the post” or “tap to see it” involves splitting a single vertical image into 2–4 parts and uploading them as a grid in one post. When users tap the post, the parts stack vertically and reveal the full image. It’s widely used for art reveals, before/after transformations, comic strips, or infographics. This post explains the trend and how you can prepare your own images for it. You can use the tools on the XCropImage homepage for cropping and resizing.

What Is the "Tap the Post" Trend?

• How it works: You split a tall vertical image into 2, 3, or 4 equal horizontal slices. On X, when the post is tapped, these slices stack vertically and look like one full image.
• Engagement: The post looks “incomplete” at first glance, so users tap to see the full picture, which boosts engagement.
• Use cases: Art reveals, before/after transformations, short comic strips, lists, or infographics.

The trend relies on X’s behavior of showing multiple images in a grid and expanding them on tap; it works especially well on mobile.

What Image Specs to Use

• Aspect ratio: Portrait (vertical) format; 9:16 or similar tall ratios work well.
• Size: A common choice is 1080 px width; height depends on how many slices you use. For example, for 2 slices you can split 1080 x 1920 into two 1080 x 960 images.
• Consistency: Slice widths should be the same, and heights should be equal so they align correctly when stacked.

To crop your image to the right ratio and then resize or split it, the image cropper and resizer on our homepage make the job easier.

Step by Step: Preparing Your Own "Tap the Post" Image

1. Prepare the full image: Finish your design or photo as one vertical file (e.g. 1080 x 1920 or 1080 x 2700).
2. Set the aspect ratio: Crop to 9:16 or to the ratio that matches your number of slices; use the cropper to lock the vertical ratio.
3. Split into slices: Divide the image into 2, 3, or 4 equal horizontal strips (e.g. split 1080 x 1920 into two 1080 x 960 images). You can do this in design software or any image editor.
4. Keep the order: When uploading to X, add the images top to bottom in order so they assemble correctly on tap. X Premium can give more reliable control over order.
5. Test on mobile: Send the post to yourself and tap it in the mobile app to confirm the slices line up correctly.

You can access all tools from the XCropImage homepage.

Tips

• If you add text, you can put a short line like “Tap to see full image” on the first slice.
• Too many thin slices (e.g. more than 4) can be hard to read; 2 or 3 slices usually look cleaner.
• Composing the post on desktop makes it easier to control the image order.

Conclusion

The “tap the post” trend is a strong way to increase engagement on X and present content in a curiosity-driven format. You can use the cropping and resizing tools on our homepage to prepare your vertical image with the right ratio and size, then split it into slices and share on X.