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Create Character Art for Steam Capsule Art

Steam capsule art is the most ruthlessly competitive piece of marketing real estate in PC gaming. Your character competes against thousands of other capsules in a grid where each thumbnail is 231x87 pixels — roughly the size of a postage stamp. If the character does not read at that size, the wishlist button never gets clicked. Story-rich games, RPGs, and visual novels live or die on capsule art because the character IS the pitch. Answer: Generate a hero-pose character from a front-3q4 reference, compose each capsule size with the character as the undisputed focal point, then test readability at Steam search thumbnail size (231x87px) before finalizing any variant. Add the game title over the lower portion of the capsule — the character anchors the upper zone while text occupies the lower third. Export all four capsule sizes with consistent cropping so the character face does not shift position between the header, small, main, and vertical formats. Every pixel of inconsistency at thumbnail scale costs wishlists.

Last updated By the EZ Character team

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Step-by-step
  1. 01

    Generate a Character Hero Pose from a Front-3q4 Reference

    Use the 8-angle reference sheet to pick a front-3q4 angle with strong eye contact and an expressive facial expression. The hero pose should convey the game genre instantly — a determined gaze for RPGs, a coy glance for visual novels, a battle-ready stance for action titles. This single character shot will anchor all four capsule sizes, so pick the most emotionally charged expression your character can deliver.

  2. 02

    Compose the Header Capsule with Character as the Undisputed Focal Point

    Build the header capsule (920x430px) with the character occupying 50-60% of the frame. Position the character on the left or right third using rule-of-thirds composition, leaving the opposite side for title text. The character face should be the brightest, highest-contrast element in the frame. Backgrounds should support, not compete — use atmospheric depth-of-field blur and lower saturation behind the character.

  3. 03

    Test Readability at 231x87px Steam Search Thumbnail Size

    Scale your capsule down to 231x87px — the exact size it appears in Steam search results and recommendation grids. At this size, detailed facial expressions vanish, complex backgrounds become noise, and subtle color gradients flatten. If the character face shape, eye position, and overall silhouette are not immediately readable, the capsule fails. Redesign with bolder shapes and higher contrast until the character reads clearly at this tiny resolution.

  4. 04

    Add Game Title Text over the Character-Safe Zone

    Place the game title in the lower portion of the capsule, never overlapping the character face or upper chest. Use a bold, readable typeface with a drop shadow or outer glow to separate text from the background. The title should be legible at 231x87px — if you cannot read every letter, simplify the font or increase contrast. Steam guidelines prohibit price, discount, or review text on capsules.

  5. 05

    Export All Four Capsule Sizes with Consistent Cropping

    Export the header capsule (920x430px), small capsule (462x174px), main capsule (1232x706px), and vertical capsule (748x896px). The character face must appear in the same relative position across all sizes — a face that shifts by 50px between formats creates a jarring disconnect when a player sees multiple capsule sizes across Steam pages. Use the same color grading, contrast level, and sharpening settings on every export.

Pro tips
  • Steam search thumbnails display at 231x87px — if your character face is not readable at that size, redesign the capsule
  • Use a front-3q4 angle with direct eye contact for RPG and visual novel capsules — this angle maximizes emotional connection
  • Never place the character face where the title text will sit — reserve the lower third for text and keep the upper two-thirds for the character
  • Steam rejects capsules containing review scores, discount percentages, or award badges — keep marketing text off the art
  • Main capsule (1232x706px) appears on your store page at much larger sizes — render this one with extra detail since it is seen up close
  • Vertical capsule (748x896px) crops tight and is used in library views and seasonal sales — compose the character larger here
  • Small capsule (462x174px) is the most common capsule seen by Steam users — prioritize this variant above all others in testing
  • Use a single consistent background color palette across all four capsule sizes so your game is visually recognizable across every Steam surface

Frequently asked questions

What are the exact Steam capsule art dimensions?
Steam requires four capsule sizes: Header capsule at 920x430px, Small capsule at 462x174px, Main capsule at 1232x706px, and Vertical capsule at 748x896px. All must be submitted as JPG or PNG. Header and small capsules share the same aspect ratio (roughly 2.15:1) so you can scale between them. The main capsule is wider (1.74:1) and the vertical capsule is portrait orientation. Steam also supports a 3840x1240px hero image and a 1920x620px library hero for the updated library view.

Why does my Steam capsule art look terrible in search results?
Steam search results display capsules at 231x87px, which is a quarter of the header capsule size. If your capsule relies on fine facial details, subtle lighting, or small text, none of it survives the shrink. The fix: design your capsule with the 231x87px thumbnail as the primary target, not the full-size header. Use bold character silhouettes, high-contrast faces, and simple backgrounds. Test by scaling your 920x430px header down to 25% in any image editor — if the character is not instantly recognizable, simplify the composition.

Can I use the free tier to create Steam capsule art?
Yes, the free tier generates character reference sheets that give you the hero-pose angle needed for capsule art. You can use the front-3q4 reference as your capsule character base. The ~1MP full-resolution output every tier produces is sufficient for the small capsule at 462x174px. For the main capsule at 1232x706px and the vertical capsule at 748x896px with full atmospheric composition, the Pro tier provides higher resolution generation and batch export across all four capsule sizes.

Should I use the same character art for all four Steam capsule sizes?
Yes, but with adjusted cropping for each format. The header and small capsules share the same aspect ratio so the character art can be identical with different scaling. The main capsule is wider, so you may need to pull back the crop to show more of the character shoulders or environment. The vertical capsule is portrait, so crop tighter on the character face and torso. The key rule: the character face must appear in the same position across all sizes. A player who sees your header capsule in a search result and then your main capsule on the store page should feel like they are looking at the same image.
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