diff --git a/src/app/features/app-feed/AppPostCard.css.ts b/src/app/features/app-feed/AppPostCard.css.ts
index c4f69087..d8712a22 100644
--- a/src/app/features/app-feed/AppPostCard.css.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/app-feed/AppPostCard.css.ts
@@ -68,8 +68,10 @@ export const OptionsButton = style({
 });
 
 export const CoverImage = style({
-  height: '250px',
+  width: '100%',
+  maxHeight: '480px',
   position: 'relative',
+  overflow: 'hidden',
   background: '#eef2f5',
 });
 
diff --git a/src/app/features/app-feed/AppPostCard.tsx b/src/app/features/app-feed/AppPostCard.tsx
index eeccc1f6..c6f559ea 100644
--- a/src/app/features/app-feed/AppPostCard.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/app-feed/AppPostCard.tsx
@@ -22,13 +22,18 @@ import { nameInitials } from '../../utils/common';
 import { mxcUrlToHttp } from '../../utils/matrix';
 import { relativeTime } from '../../utils/time';
 import { RenderMessageContent } from '../../components/RenderMessageContent';
-import { MImage, ImageContent } from '../../components/message';
+import { ImageContent, MText, RenderBody } from '../../components/message';
 import { Image } from '../../components/media';
 import { ImageViewer } from '../../components/image-viewer';
 import { GetContentCallback, MessageEvent } from '../../../types/matrix/room';
-import { IImageContent } from '../../../types/matrix/common';
+import {
+  IImageContent,
+  MATRIX_SPOILER_PROPERTY_NAME,
+  MATRIX_SPOILER_REASON_PROPERTY_NAME,
+} from '../../../types/matrix/common';
 import { AMEN_REACTION_KEY, summarizePostReactions } from './postReactions';
 import { canRemovePost } from './postOptions';
+import { getPostImageAspectRatio, hasImageCaption } from './postImage';
 import { AppPostOptionsMenu } from './AppPostOptionsMenu';
 import * as css from './AppPostCard.css';
 
@@ -119,6 +124,9 @@ export function AppPostCard({ room, event, community, focused, onOpenComments }:
   const msgType = typeof content.msgtype === 'string' ? content.msgtype : undefined;
   const getContent = useCallback(() => content, [content]) as GetContentCallback;
   const isImagePost = msgType === MsgType.Image;
+  const imageContent = content as IImageContent;
+  const imageUrl = imageContent.file?.url ?? imageContent.url;
+  const showImageCaption = isImagePost && hasImageCaption(content);
 
   const eventId = event.getId();
   const reactionRelations = eventId
@@ -197,16 +205,35 @@ export function AppPostCard({ room, event, community, focused, onOpenComments }:
         )}
       </div>
 
-      {isImagePost && (
-        <div className={css.CoverImage}>
-          <MImage
-            content={content as IImageContent}
-            renderImageContent={(props) => (
-              <ImageContent
-                {...props}
-                autoPlay
-                renderImage={(p) => <Image {...p} loading="lazy" />}
-                renderViewer={(p) => <ImageViewer {...p} />}
+      {isImagePost && typeof imageUrl === 'string' && (
+        <div
+          className={css.CoverImage}
+          style={{ aspectRatio: getPostImageAspectRatio(imageContent.info) }}
+        >
+          <ImageContent
+            body={imageContent.body || 'Image'}
+            info={imageContent.info}
+            mimeType={imageContent.info?.mimetype}
+            url={imageUrl}
+            encInfo={imageContent.file}
+            markedAsSpoiler={imageContent[MATRIX_SPOILER_PROPERTY_NAME]}
+            spoilerReason={imageContent[MATRIX_SPOILER_REASON_PROPERTY_NAME]}
+            autoPlay
+            renderImage={(p) => <Image {...p} loading="lazy" />}
+            renderViewer={(p) => <ImageViewer {...p} />}
+          />
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      {showImageCaption && (
+        <div className={css.Body}>
+          <MText
+            content={content}
+            renderBody={(p) => (
+              <RenderBody
+                {...p}
+                htmlReactParserOptions={htmlReactParserOptions}
+                linkifyOpts={linkifyOpts}
               />
             )}
           />
diff --git a/src/app/features/app-feed/postImage.test.ts b/src/app/features/app-feed/postImage.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..97d7f060
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/features/app-feed/postImage.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { getPostImageAspectRatio, hasImageCaption } from './postImage';
+
+describe('getPostImageAspectRatio', () => {
+  it('uses the image dimensions', () => {
+    expect(getPostImageAspectRatio({ w: 1600, h: 1200 })).toBeCloseTo(4 / 3);
+  });
+
+  it('falls back to 4:3 when dimensions are missing or invalid', () => {
+    expect(getPostImageAspectRatio(undefined)).toBeCloseTo(4 / 3);
+    expect(getPostImageAspectRatio({ w: 100 })).toBeCloseTo(4 / 3);
+    expect(getPostImageAspectRatio({ w: 0, h: 100 })).toBeCloseTo(4 / 3);
+    expect(getPostImageAspectRatio({ w: '100', h: '100' })).toBeCloseTo(4 / 3);
+  });
+
+  it('clamps extreme ratios', () => {
+    expect(getPostImageAspectRatio({ w: 5000, h: 100 })).toBe(3);
+    expect(getPostImageAspectRatio({ w: 100, h: 5000 })).toBe(0.5);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('hasImageCaption', () => {
+  it('is true when body differs from filename', () => {
+    expect(hasImageCaption({ body: 'Look at this', filename: 'river.jpg' })).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('is false when body is just the filename', () => {
+    expect(hasImageCaption({ body: 'river.jpg', filename: 'river.jpg' })).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('is false without a filename or with an empty body', () => {
+    expect(hasImageCaption({ body: 'river.jpg' })).toBe(false);
+    expect(hasImageCaption({ body: '  ', filename: 'river.jpg' })).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/app/features/app-feed/postImage.ts b/src/app/features/app-feed/postImage.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2e11aefa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/features/app-feed/postImage.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { IContent } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
+
+const DEFAULT_ASPECT_RATIO = 4 / 3;
+// Keep extreme panoramas from collapsing into a sliver; tall images are
+// bounded by the cover's max-height instead.
+const MIN_ASPECT_RATIO = 1 / 2;
+const MAX_ASPECT_RATIO = 3;
+
+/**
+ * Width/height ratio for an image post's cover, from the image's `info`
+ * dimensions when present, clamped so odd sizes still render sensibly.
+ */
+export const getPostImageAspectRatio = (info?: { w?: unknown; h?: unknown }): number => {
+  const w = info?.w;
+  const h = info?.h;
+  if (typeof w !== 'number' || typeof h !== 'number' || w <= 0 || h <= 0) {
+    return DEFAULT_ASPECT_RATIO;
+  }
+  return Math.min(MAX_ASPECT_RATIO, Math.max(MIN_ASPECT_RATIO, w / h));
+};
+
+/**
+ * Whether an image event carries caption text: per the Matrix spec, `body` is
+ * a caption when `filename` is present and differs from it.
+ */
+export const hasImageCaption = (content: IContent): boolean =>
+  typeof content.body === 'string' &&
+  content.body.trim() !== '' &&
+  typeof content.filename === 'string' &&
+  content.filename !== content.body;