Circular Avatars - Gotcha & Solution

Gotcha: rounded-full on a Rectangular Image

Applying rounded-full directly to a non-square image results in an ellipse (oval), not a perfect circle. Notice how the image below is stretched into an oval shape.

Rectangular Image with rounded-full

Image (150x100) with rounded-full

Solution: Square Container + object-cover

To ensure a perfect circle with a rectangular image, use a square container (e.g., w-32 h-32 ) with rounded-full . Then, place the <img> tag inside it with classes w-full h-full object-cover . The object-cover class will scale the image to maintain its aspect ratio while filling the container, cropping any excess.

Original Rectangular Image (150x100):

Original Rectangular Image

Correctly Rounded:

Circular Avatar from Rectangular Image

Container: w-32 h-32 rounded-full overflow-hidden
Image: w-full h-full object-cover

Original Rectangular Image (100x150):

Original Tall Rectangular Image

Correctly Rounded (Tall Image):

Circular Avatar from Tall Rectangular Image

Container: w-32 h-32 rounded-full overflow-hidden
Image: w-full h-full object-cover

Key Insight: The overflow-hidden on the container is technically not always needed if the image is a direct child and rounded-full is on the container, but it's good practice for clip-path like effects and consistency, especially if there were other nested elements or pseudo-elements. The core combination is the square container + rounded-full for the shape, and object-cover on the image for correct filling and cropping.