diff --git a/Code/Lib/Activity.php b/Code/Lib/Activity.php
index cb586c6a4..cd8b4ff88 100644
--- a/Code/Lib/Activity.php
+++ b/Code/Lib/Activity.php
@@ -2435,6 +2435,7 @@ class Activity
 
         if ($cover_photo) {
             set_xconfig($url, 'system', 'cover_photo', $cover_photo);
+            import_remote_cover_photo($url, $xchan_hash);
         }
 
 
diff --git a/Code/Lib/Channel.php b/Code/Lib/Channel.php
index 8278f5318..cec6b3e97 100644
--- a/Code/Lib/Channel.php
+++ b/Code/Lib/Channel.php
@@ -1931,8 +1931,7 @@ class Channel
             $cover = $r[0];
             $cover['href'] = z_root() . '/photo/' . $r[0]['resource_id'] . '-' . $r[0]['imgscale'];
         } else {
-            $default_cover = get_config('system', 'default_cover_photo', 'pexels-94622');
-            $cover = [ 'href' => z_root() . '/images/default_cover_photos/' . $default_cover . '/' . $cover_width . '.jpg' ];
+            $cover = [ 'href' => z_root() . '/' . get_default_cover_photo($cover_width) ];
         }
 
         $o .= replace_macros(Theme::get_template('zcard.tpl'), array(
@@ -2004,8 +2003,7 @@ class Channel
             $cover = $r[0];
             $cover['href'] = z_root() . '/photo/' . $r[0]['resource_id'] . '-' . $r[0]['imgscale'];
         } else {
-            $default_cover = get_config('system', 'default_cover_photo', 'pexels-94622');
-            $cover = [ 'href' => z_root() . '/images/default_cover_photos/' . $default_cover . '/' . $cover_width . '.jpg' ];
+            $cover = [ 'href' => z_root() . '/' . get_default_cover_photo($cover_width) ];
         }
 
         $o .= replace_macros(Theme::get_template('zcard_embed.tpl'), array(
diff --git a/Code/Lib/Libzot.php b/Code/Lib/Libzot.php
index 7a62b1f40..1325517f5 100644
--- a/Code/Lib/Libzot.php
+++ b/Code/Lib/Libzot.php
@@ -849,6 +849,7 @@ class Libzot
 
             if (isset($arr['cover_photo']) && isset($arr['cover_photo']['url']) && strlen($arr['cover_photo']['url'])) {
                 set_xconfig($xchan_hash, 'system', 'cover_photo', $arr['cover_photo']['url']);
+                import_remote_cover_photo($arr['cover_photo']['url'], $xchan_hash);
             }
 
             if (isset($arr['signing_algorithm']) && strlen($arr['signing_algorithm'])) {
@@ -939,6 +940,7 @@ class Libzot
 
         if (isset($arr['cover_photo']) && isset($arr['cover_photo']['url']) && strlen($arr['cover_photo']['url'])) {
             set_xconfig($xchan_hash, 'system', 'cover_photo', $arr['cover_photo']['url']);
+            import_remote_cover_photo($arr['cover_photo']['url'], $xchan_hash);
         }
 
         if ($import_photos) {
diff --git a/Code/Module/Directory.php b/Code/Module/Directory.php
index a7f318a61..8c297f85e 100644
--- a/Code/Module/Directory.php
+++ b/Code/Module/Directory.php
@@ -127,7 +127,9 @@ class Directory extends Controller
 
         $safe_mode = Libzotdir::get_directory_setting($observer, 'safemode');
 
-        if (Config::Get('system','remote_cover_photos')) {
+        // replace with system.remote_cover_photos once work on this feature is complete
+    
+        if (Config::Get('system','remote_cover_photos_directory')) {
             $covers = Libzotdir::get_directory_setting($observer, 'covers');
         } else {
             $covers = false;
diff --git a/Code/Module/Xp.php b/Code/Module/Xp.php
index facaaea14..9bcbff0c9 100644
--- a/Code/Module/Xp.php
+++ b/Code/Module/Xp.php
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ class Xp extends Controller
                         case '6':
                             $path = Channel::get_default_profile_photo(48);
                             break;
+                        case '8':
+                            $path = Channel::get_default_cover_photo(850);
+                            break;
                         default:
                             break;
                     }
diff --git a/boot.php b/boot.php
index c24cc1fac..4dc92f0cf 100755
--- a/boot.php
+++ b/boot.php
@@ -637,6 +637,9 @@ function sys_boot() {
         define( 'DEFAULT_NOTIFY_ICON', '/images/z1-64.png' );
     }
 
+    if (! defined('DEFAULT_COVER_PHOTO')) {
+        define('DEFAULT_COVER_PHOTO','pexels-7599590');
+    }
 
     /*
      * Try to open the database;
@@ -2584,4 +2587,9 @@ function get_loadtime($module) {
     }
     return datetime_convert();
 
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+function get_default_cover_photo($size) {
+    $default_cover = get_config('system', 'default_cover_photo', DEFAULT_COVER_PHOTO);
+    return 'images/default_cover_photos/' . $default_cover . '/' . $size . '.jpg';
+}
diff --git a/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-7599590/1200.jpg b/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-7599590/1200.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8af2e2ee9
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-7599590/1200.jpg differ
diff --git a/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-7599590/425.jpg b/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-7599590/425.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b86aea23e
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-7599590/425.jpg differ
diff --git a/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-7599590/850.jpg b/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-7599590/850.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..801199195
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-7599590/850.jpg differ
diff --git a/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-94622/1200.jpg b/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-94622/1200.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 509f4f051..000000000
Binary files a/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-94622/1200.jpg and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-94622/425.jpg b/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-94622/425.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 02b2fdbee..000000000
Binary files a/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-94622/425.jpg and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-94622/850.jpg b/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-94622/850.jpg
deleted file mode 100644
index 946a7a85b..000000000
Binary files a/images/default_cover_photos/pexels-94622/850.jpg and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/include/photo_factory.php b/include/photo_factory.php
index f55bfc963..05a1356d9 100644
--- a/include/photo_factory.php
+++ b/include/photo_factory.php
@@ -355,16 +355,16 @@ function import_remote_cover_photo($src, $xchan)
     if ($result['success']) {
         $info = getimagesize($orig);
         if (!$info) {
-            logger('storage failed.');
+            unlink($orig);
+            logger('storage failure: unrecognisable photo.');
             return false;
         }
-        $type = $info['mime'];
         $imagick_path = Config::Get('system','imagick_convert_path');
         if ($imagick_path && file_exists($imagick_path)) {
             exec($imagick_path . ' '
                 . escapeshellarg(PROJECT_BASE . '/' . $orig)
-                . ' -resize 425x139 '
-                . escapeshellarg(PROJECT_BASE . '/' . $path . '-9')
+                . ' -resize 850x478 '
+                . escapeshellarg(PROJECT_BASE . '/' . $path . '-8')
             );
         }
     }