Set a featured image

I need to add a featured image to the April 12 post so it looks right in the homepage grid. Pick an image from the media library that is 1200x628, set it as the featured image for the post titled “How We Rebuilt the Newsletter List,” and save the draft. Verify the thumbnail displays in the latest posts block on the homepage within five minutes and tell me if cropping changed the focal point.

Before I set a featured image for client-facing posts, make it easier for an editor to approve: surface the image dimensions and file size above the media picker, show a preview of how it will appear in the homepage card and on mobile, and flag images that will be auto-cropped so we can pick a different frame or upload a corrected version.

I uploaded the client’s hero photo for “How We Rebuilt the Newsletter List” and set it as the featured image, but the homepage thumbnail cut off the CEO’s face. The editor will complain and we can’t re-shoot. What likely caused the crop and what’s the fastest, lowest-risk fix that won’t delay tomorrow’s publish?

We keep spending hours after publishing resizing and re-cropping featured images because authors upload inconsistent aspect ratios. Over the last three months it costs us two hours per post in edits. Which habit or rule should we adopt to stop this bleed — a clear upload spec, an automated crop template, or a different homepage layout — and how do I enforce it with writers and clients?