From feed posts to IGTV and Reels, knowing the best Instagram image size is no mean feat.

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In this handy guide, you’ll find all the dimensions you need to create perfectly sized images and videos for Instagram.

Plus, we’ve created a free infographic with the important metrics for every type of Instagram post — download it now:

Instagram Photo Post Sizes. When Instagram first launched in 2012 (it seems so long ago now!), users could only upload photos in a 1:1 aspect ratio. Users who wanted to display their beautiful landscape and portrait photos were forced to crop their photos into a square or use other apps to create workarounds. Talk about time-consuming! In this blog post we’ll take you step-by-step through the process for how to create an Instagram puzzle grid with Canva instead of having to use Photoshop. STEP 1 – Create your single graphic Before we slice the image up into individual tiles to post into Instagram, you first need your main design ready to go. While Instagram has recently made it so that you can reply your Instagram direct messages from your web browser, unfortunately there is no way yet to post photos to Instagram from your web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Vivaldi, etc). However, there is actually a trick that you can use as a workaround for this.

Understanding Instagram Image Size & Aspect Ratio

When sharing photos and videos on Instagram, there are two main things to keep in mind: aspect ratio and size.

Aspect ratio refers to the width of a picture in relation to its height.

It’s expressed as a ratio, like 4:5 or 9:16, where the first digit represents the width and the second digit represents height.

It’s important to make sure your photos and videos fall within Instagram’s aspect ratio guidelines, otherwise, they’ll be cropped to fit a supported ratio — which could result in part of your image being lost.

Luckily, Later’s cropping tool has recommended ratios for Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter — so you can always make sure your posts are perfectly optimized before you post.

Size (or resolution) refers to the number of pixels that make up the width and height of your photo or video.

Like aspect ratio, size is expressed by two numbers — the first representing width and the second representing height.

For example, an image size of 1080px by 1080px is much larger than one sized 50px by 50px.

So why does image size on Instagram matter?

Even though Instagram compresses your photos and videos, it’s always better to share at an optimal resolution. That way, when Instagram compresses your photo, it won’t really affect the image quality.

Achieve the perfect crop for all your posts with Later’s editing tools, available on all Later plans!

Instagram Size Guide #1: Instagram Feed Posts

Once upon a time, Instagram feed posts were limited to the simple square, but now (almost) anything goes.

Square Posts (1:1)

Although Instagram supports horizontal and vertical photos, square posts continue to be a popular choice on Instagram – especially as the Instagram profile grid crops content to a 1:1 ratio.

So how do you optimize for square?

We recommend making your square photos 1080px by 1080px in size. That way, when Instagram compresses the file, the version will still be high quality.

Horizontal Posts (16:9)

While Instagram recommends an aspect ratio of 1.91:1, you can actually go as far as 16:9.

In any case, we recommend you make the height of your horizontal photo at least 1080px. That way, when Instagram compresses the file, the quality should remain pretty high.

Vertical Posts (4:5)

Generally speaking, your vertical photos should have an aspect ratio of 4:5. Anything longer (like 4:6 or 4:7), and Instagram will crop your content.

Vertical posts take up more real estate as someone scrolls through their home feed, so they’re more optimized than horizontal posts. However, it’s a good idea to keep in mind how they’ll look once they’re cropped square in the Instagram profile grid.

As for size, we recommend going with 1080px by 1350px. That way, when Instagram compresses the photo, it should be displayed at around 480px by 600px.

Video Posts (16:9 – 4:5)

Instagram supports in-feed videos with aspect ratios spanning from 16:9 to 4:5. Videos should have a frame rate of 30 frames per second, and a maximum file size of 4GB.

Once you’ve nailed the Instagram image sizes, it’s time to get your content out there with Later’s Visual Instagram Planner.

It shows you exactly what your Instagram feed will look like with your future posts (both images and videos) in it — it’s a game-changer when it comes to nailing your aesthetic.

It lets you easily rearrange or swap out your posts, so you can find the perfect balance for your Instagram feed.

Scheduling out your posts ahead of time doesn’t just help you maintain a consistent aesthetic, but it also helps you to post regularly.

Instagram Image Size #2: Instagram Carousel Posts

Instagram carousel posts can be square, horizontal, or vertical in format — and can include both photos and videos.

However, once you’ve selected your first photo or video, all of the following photos or videos you select will be cropped to the same aspect ratio.

If the first photo you select is square (like the example above) all of your following content will be cropped to a 1:1 format.

Instagram Size Guide #3: Instagram Stories

You can share pretty much anything on Instagram Stories, as long as it has a minimum aspect ratio of 1.91:1 and a maximum aspect ratio of 9:16.

Because most people prefer their stories to take up the whole screen (no borders), we recommend using an aspect ratio of 9:16 with a size of 1080px by 1920px.

Need some help editing your Instagram Stories? Check out our top apps for creating Instagram Stories.

Instagram Size Guide #4: IGTV Videos

You can upload vertical IGTV videos with an aspect ratio of 9:16, or a horizontal video with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

For vertical video (9:16), the ideal size is 1080px by 1920px. For horizontal video (16:9), the ideal size is 1920px by 1080px.

Something else to keep in mind is the aspect ratio of your IGTV cover photo.

The cover photo is what will show up on your channel page and in the IGTV categories, so it’s worth making it the right size. Instagram recommends an aspect ratio of 1:1.55 and a size of 420px by 654px.

If you plan on sharing a preview of your IGTV to your Instagram feed (a great way to get more views) it’s important to consider how your cover photo will look both in the Instagram feed (1.91:1-4:5) and in the Instagram profile grid (cropped to 1:1).

To stay safe, it’s best to keep any title graphics in the center square of the cover image, like @glowrecipe does. This will make sure your IGTV content looks just as good on your grid:

And remember, you can’t edit an IGTV cover photo after you’ve published — so it’s worth giving this some extra attention.

Instagram Size Guide #5: Instagram Reels

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Much like stories, Instagram Reels are designed to be viewed vertically, full-screen, and on mobile.

With this in mind, we recommend using an aspect ratio of 9:16. Shooting and editing directly on mobile is a good way to stick to the optimal dimensions.

TIP: The bottom fifth of a Reel is where the video caption is displayed. Avoid having important visual elements in this section if possible.

Instagram Size Guide #6: Instagram Live Videos

Instagram Live videos are meant to be shot vertically, as they are designed to be broadcast directly from your mobile device.

This means the aspect ratio will always be the full width and height of your screen (which is usually 9:16).

As you can’t manually change the size or aspect ratio of your Instagram Live videos, you don’t have to worry too much about it.

That’s it! You’re now up-to-speed on how to optimize your feed posts, stories, IGTV videos, Reels, and more.

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