Implementing Custom Featured Images in WordPress Themes
Posted on 19th June 2023
In WordPress, a featured image is an image that represents an article, post, or other content. Featured images are often used to display content in a visually appealing way, and can be used to help readers identify and navigate between different pieces of content.
In order to add a featured image to a WordPress post or page, you’ll first need to upload the image to your WordPress media library. Once the image is uploaded, you can then add it to a post or page by selecting it from the “featured image” section of the post editor.
If your WordPress theme doesn’t support featured images, you can still add them to your posts and pages by using a plugin or by adding some custom code to your theme.
Adding Featured Images to WordPress Posts and Pages
Uploading Images to the WordPress Media Library
In order to add a featured image to a WordPress post or page, you’ll first need to upload the image to your WordPress media library. To do this, log in to your WordPress site and go to the “Media” section of the WordPress admin area.
Click the “Add New” button to open the WordPress media uploader. You can then select an image from your computer and click the “Upload” button to add it to your WordPress media library.
Once the image is uploaded, you’ll see it listed in the media library. To add the image to a post or page, click on the image to open the image details modal.
In the image details modal, click on the “Insert into post” button. This will add the image to your post or page.
If you want to set the image as the featured image for the post or page, you can click on the “Set featured image” link in the right sidebar.
This will open the featured image modal, where you can select the image you want to use as the featured image. Once you’ve selected an image, click on the “Set featured image” button.
Your featured image will now be set and you can continue editing your post or page.
Adding Featured Images to WordPress Themes
If your WordPress theme doesn’t support featured images, you can still add them to your posts and pages by using a plugin or by adding some custom code to your theme.
Adding Featured Images Using a Plugin
There are a number of plugins that you can use to add featured images to WordPress. One of the most popular plugins is the Featured Images in Posts & Pages plugin.
Once you’ve installed and activated the plugin, you’ll need to go to the plugin settings page to configure it.
In the plugin settings, you can select which post types you want to enable featured images for. By default, the plugin enables featured images for all post types.
You can also select whether you want to display the featured image above or below the post title.
Once you’ve configured the plugin settings, featured images will be enabled for your selected post types. You can then add featured images to your posts and pages just like you would if your theme supported featured images.
Adding Featured Images Using Custom Code
If you don’t want to use a plugin to add featured images to your WordPress site, you can also add them by adding some custom code to your theme.
First, you’ll need to add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file:
This code adds support for featured images to your WordPress theme.
Next, you’ll need to edit your theme templates to output the featured image.
If you’re using a WordPress default theme, you can edit the template files in the following locations:
For posts: wp-content/themes/YOUR-THEME/template-parts/post/content.php
For pages: wp-content/themes/YOUR-THEME/template-parts/page/content.php
If you’re using a custom theme, you’ll need to edit the appropriate template files in your theme.
In the template files, you’ll need to find the code that outputs the post or page content. This will typically be a line of code that starts with “the_content()”.
Once you’ve found this code, you can add the following code above or below it:
This code will output the featured image before the post or page content.
You can also use this code to output the featured image in other places in your theme, such as in the sidebar or in the footer.
Conclusion
Featured images are a great way to add visuals to your WordPress posts and pages. If your theme doesn’t support featured images, you can still add them by using a plugin or by adding some custom code to your theme.
If you want to add a custom header image for specific pages or posts, you can do so by going to the Page or Post edit screen and selecting the “Header Image” option from the “Custom Fields” section.
If you want to add a custom header image to your entire website, you can do so by going to the “Appearance” -> “Header” section of your WordPress admin panel. From here, you can upload a new header image or select one from your media library.
Once you have selected or uploaded a new header image, you will need to crop it to the correct size. The recommended size for a header image is 1200x600px. After cropping your image, you can then select the “Header Image” option from the “Display” dropdown menu.
Now that you have added a custom header image to your WordPress site, you may want to consider adding a custom background image as well. The recommended size for a background image is 1920x1080px.
To add a custom background image, go to the “Appearance” -> “Background” section of your WordPress admin panel. From here, you can upload a new background image or select one from your media library.
Once you have selected or uploaded a new background image, you will need to select the “Background Image” option from the “Display” dropdown menu.
Now that you know how to add custom header and background images to your WordPress site, you may want to consider adding some other customizations as well. For example, you can add a custom logo, Favicon, or even a custom CSS file.
