Instagram is a platform where visual content shines brightest. It’s all about the aesthetic and the vibe your brand portrays through your posts.
According to studies, visual content is a major driving factor for conversions. In fact, things like colored visuals increase conversion rates by 700%.
There are no strict rules for posting content. But following fundamentals help brands highlight posts in the best way possible. Fundamentals can include post size, resolutions, and more.
So before uploading photos and visuals, you need to understand the Instagram post dimensions.
Understanding Instagram’s Ideal Image Resolution and Aspect Ratios
Aspect ratio and image resolution help prevent blurry, cropped, and low-quality photos and videos. Here’s a quick explainer of what these terms are:
- Aspect Ratio – the width of images in relation to their height.
- Image Resolution – the number of pixels found inside an image.
Instagram is programmed to crop images above 1080px and enlarge those below 320px. As a rule of thumb, photos should be uploaded at an optimal resolution and aspect ratio.
An image’s aspect ratio is expressed in width and height. For example, horizontal posts traditionally are 16:9, and square posts are 1:1.
After uploading your photos, Instagram compresses them to reduce the file size on their servers. Having a higher resolution ensures high-quality photos despite compression.
It might interest you: Facebook Image Sizes: A Must-Read Guide (Updated)
If you want to get the best possible photos, we’ve created a master PDF to keep all sizes organized:
Instagram Post Dimensions by Type
Instagram allows users to upload content in different areas on the platform. You’ve got your feeds, stories, reels, Instagram Live, and more.
You need to optimize your posts’ dimensions for each of these types. This ensures that your content is represented the way it’s intended.
Here’s a rundown of each post dimension your brand should look into:
Instagram Post Dimensions: Feed
Photos and videos on the Feed can range from 16:9 to 4:5. Instagram recommends an aspect ratio of 16:9 for horizontal photos. The height of these photos should be at least 1080px.
Standards for Square photos are 1:1 with the resolution being 1080px by 1080px. Meanwhile, vertical posts have a standard ratio of 4:5 with an image size of 1080px by 1350px.
Vertical photos hold an advantage since most users are on mobile. They take up more space when users scroll through.
Instagram Post Dimensions: Stories
Stories have an amazing advantage over post feeds. Content can take up the entire screen! Go for a 9:16 aspect ratio and 1080px by 1920px resolution if you want to fill up the space.
The minimum ratio allowed on stories is 1.91:1. But when using smaller dimensions, you can follow photography’s rule of thirds, grid layouts, or just center the photos.
Another option is to use stickers and other calls to action (CTAs) to make use of the extra space. When it comes to stories, you can get as creative as you’d like.
Instagram Post Dimensions: Carousels
Carousels can be square, horizontal, or vertical. But, the rest of the photos will be cropped to follow the orientation of the first.
Before uploading a carousel, ensure that the photos already have the same dimensions, theme, and even color palette. If not, photos might end up janky and unappealing.
Instagram Post Dimensions: Reels
Instagram stories and reels allow the same dimensions. Both cover the entire screen. To recap, that’s an aspect ratio of 9:16 and a resolution of 1080px by 1920px.
But there are certain factors you need to consider.
- Reels preview on the feed at a 4:5 aspect ratio. This is cropped from the top and bottom.
- Captions are found in an overlay at the bottom corner of the reel.
- The maximum length of a reel is 30 seconds.
Instagram Profile Picture Dimensions
Profile pictures on Instagram are shown in a 1:1 aspect ratio with a 110px by 110px resolution.
But you can use up to 180px by 180px on your profiles.
It’s recommended that profile pictures be cropped into a square before being uploaded. This ensures that your final image will be perfectly proportioned without any need to crop.
You’re free to choose larger photos to upload as your profile picture but you need to crop it so it falls under the recommended ratios.
Instagram Photo Thumbnails Dimensions
Instagram thumbnails are displayed in 161px by 161px. But remember to upload your thumbnails in 1080px so that they won’t lose that much quality.
After uploading, Instagram will store thumbnails with a maximum size of 1080px by 1080px. You need to upload the highest-quality photos possible to avoid pixelation.
Instagram Videos Dimensions
Videos are more engaging than photos. Just like photos, videos can be uploaded either horizontally, vertically, or squared. Here are the optimal video sizes for each:
- Horizontal Videos should have a resolution of 1080px by 607px. You can choose between a 1.9:1 and 16:0 aspect ratio.
- Vertical videos are displayed at a 4:5 aspect ratio at 1080px by 1350 px.
- Square videos have an aspect ratio of 1:1 with a resolution of 1080px.
Videos lasting 10 mins have a maximum file size of less than 650MB. Meanwhile, the maximum size Instagram allows for videos up to 60 minutes is 3.6GB.
For cover photos, Instagram recommends 420px by 654px (or 1:1.55 ratio). Cover photos for your videos can’t be edited yet.
Instagram Live Dimensions
Instagram designed its Live platform to be viewed on mobile devices. That means the videos should be displayed vertically with an aspect ratio of 9:16.
Luckily, you don’t need to do much when it comes to Instagram Live. You won’t be able to change the aspect ratio of the stream.
Instagram Ads Image Dimensions
Instagram ads are an excellent investment if you want to be aggressive with your marketing campaigns. Instagram ads demand more work than regular posts but reach more people.
Since you’re paying for these ads, you need to make sure that the content fits Instagram’s standards. This can help maximize your campaign’s ROI and improve engagement.
Here are the types of ads and their dimensions:
Image Ads are the typical ads that you’d find on your feed. As users scroll, Instagram can present them with personalized ads that depend on their activity. Marketers typically use the following dimensions for these ads:
- Horizontal images – 1.9:1 / 1200px by 628px
- Square images – 1:1 / 1080px
- Vertical images – 4:5 / 1080px by 1350px
Video Ads are more engaging than still images. It provides a good opportunity for brands to showcase their products and services in a way that easily grabs attention. Here are the standard dimensions:
- Horizontal videos – 1.9:1 / 600px by 315px
- Square videos – 1:1 / 600px
- Vertical videos – 4:5 / 600px by 750px
Story Ads are a powerful tool for driving conversions and engagement since 70% of Instagram users view stories daily. If you want to optimize your stories, use the following dimensions:
- 9:16 / 1080px by1920px
Carousel Ads help you fit different pieces of content that follow the same theme. Make sure that this consistency remains when choosing the photos’ dimensions.
- Images ads – 1.9:1 / 1080px by 1080px
- Video ads – 1:1 / 1080px by 1080px or 600px by 600px
Can Different Instagram Image Dimensions Impact Your Feed?
With all this talk about dimensions and image resolutions, do any actually affect how photos end up on your feed? The short answer is No!
Brands worry that mixing landscape, portrait, and square photographs may make their Instagram feed appear disorganized, but that’s never the case.
Your feed automatically displays content as squares. Only when content is opened will users see landscape or portrait photos.
Schedule and Manage Your Instagram Posts with Publer
Publer, the all-in-one platform, empowers you to accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously. Let’s walk through the simple steps of using Publer for your Instagram content.
When you’re on Publer and choose Instagram as your social media channel, here’s how it appears:
New Feature: Now you can directly post Instagram stories via Publer.
Add your content effortlessly and enhance it with a touch of creativity by clicking on the AI Assist feature. This powerful tool can help complete or generate new text for your posts, adding that extra spark to your social media content.
On the left-hand side, you’ll find the option to click on other connected social media channels. With Publer, you can schedule or publish your content instantly across multiple platforms without the need to resize it manually.
Publer automatically adjusts the content to fit the specific image size requirements of each social media channel, saving you time and effort.
In the example below, we have also included LinkedIn, showcasing how the same content appears with different image sizes. You can easily customize the text for each platform, ensuring a tailored and engaging message for your audience.
For further insights, have a look at this article here: How to customize posts for each social network.
Publer also offers a convenient Calendar View feature that enhances your social media planning experience. When you select Instagram as your platform, the calendar will display your scheduled posts specifically for Instagram.
Furthermore, an excellent option is the “holidays” icon, which provides a list of international holidays. This feature serves as a helpful resource, giving you ideas and inspiration for relevant and timely posts aligned with these holidays.
With the calendar feature and access to international holidays, Publer empowers you to plan and create engaging content with ease.
When clicking the “Holiday icon”, will appear the following:
Get started with our social media management tool by utilizing the free plan, which allows you to add up to three accounts and effectively manage your content.
As you progress, you have the flexibility to switch to our Pro Plan at any time, starting from just $12/month. Plus, you have the freedom to cancel anytime without any hassle.
If you encounter any issues or need assistance with new features, our comprehensive help center is at your disposal. Additionally, our premium support team is always available to address any questions or concerns you may have.
At Publer, we are committed to ensuring a seamless experience and providing top-notch assistance to help you make the most of our tool.
Denisa Lamaj
