Instagram Post Size: Cheat Sheet To Boost Your Engagement

Vinita Yadav

December 22, 2023

Instagram is a powerful tool for building your brand, whether personal or professional. There are many ways to share content on Instagram. This includes posts, stories, reels, and longer IGTV videos.

It’s not just a content-sharing app but is an amazing editor in itself. Once you get the hang of it, it will allow you to edit and craft high-quality and visually appealing content easily.

Given the diverse range of content on Instagram, there’s a necessity for a single restriction: ensuring that your content—be it a post, reel, or story—adheres to a specific aspect ratio or size (also known as resolution). Choosing the ideal size for your Instagram posts can pose a challenge. However, optimizing the dimensions of your images is crucial for enhancing visual appeal and driving greater engagement.

If you don’t understand words like aspect ratio or resolution, or you are new to Instagram, don’t worry, because we have got you covered.

This blog post will explain the ideal image and video sizes for all types of Instagram content. Let us first understand some keywords used to represent the Instagram post size in this blog.

Difference Between Aspect Ratio And Photo Size

Posting great content on Instagram requires understanding some technical details. The two key things to know are aspect ratio and photo size.

The aspect ratio is the width-to-height ratio (like a square being 1:1). Think of the aspect ratio as the shape of your image. It can be square, portrait, or landscape.

Photo size, on the other hand, refers to the actual number of pixels in your image. This is also called the resolution of the image which determines its quality.

Here’s a better way to think about it. The aspect ratio of your Instagram post relates to the geometry of your post. Whereas image size refers to the resolution and quality of the picture file.

But why does it matter?

If you are an influencer, you may be using platforms other than Instagram. Every platform has its specific requirements for both aspect ratio and photo size. Using the right combination ensures your content displays perfectly creating more engagement.

For instance, an Instagram reel uses a different aspect ratio than a regular post. Uploading a regular post-sized image to a reel might cause it to be cropped awkwardly.

Instagram’s most popular aspect ratios are

the square aspect ratio of 1:1,
horizontal with an aspect ratio of 1.91:1 (or 16:9), and
vertical with an aspect ratio of 0.8:1. (or 4:5).

Remember that two pictures with the same aspect ratio may not have the same size. For example, if an image with a resolution of 1280 x 720px has an aspect ratio of 16:9, an image with a resolution of 1920 x 1080px might have the same ratio.

Now that we have understood what aspect ratio and resolution are, let us understand why it’s important.

Why are Instagram images resized?

Instagram resizes your uploads to fit their format, which can make your photos blurry or cropped. Here’s what you need to know:

Instagram might cut off parts of your image (cropping) or enlarge it (stretching) to fit a square format. This can make your photo look blurry.
Instagram does this to make sure everyone has a good experience on the app, with fast loading times and images that look good on any device. It also saves them storage space.

Best Resolution For Instagram

The highest resolution supported by Instagram is 1080 pixels (px) wide. Always upload your images from mobile or the web in 1080 px to ensure superlative quality. Some of the salient points regarding Instagram post’s resolution are:

If the image’s width is between 320 and 1080 px and the aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 4:5, the original image resolution is retained.
Keep your image’s height between 566 and 1350 pixels and the width at 1080 pixels.
If an aspect ratio is unsupported, your image will be automatically cropped to fit the supported ratio.
If a lower-resolution image is uploaded, its width is automatically enlarged to 320 px.
The image’s width is reduced to 1080 px if you upload a picture with a higher resolution.

Best Resolution For Instagram

Source: Dustin Stout

You can ensure that your post has a width of 1080 px by following these steps.

Keep your Instagram app updated with the latest version.
Ensure that the photo uploaded by you has the least width of 1080 px and an aspect ratio of 1.91:1 to 4:5.
Use a smartphone with a high-quality camera for capturing images.

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How Does Your Post’s Size Impact the Final Quality on Instagram?

The default post size on Instagram is a square of 1080 x 1080 pixels, with an aspect ratio of 1:1. When the aspect ratio of your image is not supported as per Instagram defaults, the platform automatically crops the size to match its defaults.

Similarly, if the picture you are trying to upload has a resolution lower than the defaults, it will be enlarged or stretched to fit a 320 px width. Additionally, for pictures with a higher resolution than 1080 px, the platform will size them down.

Instagram does this to offer its users an optimum viewing experience that is high quality, quick to load, and supported across a plethora of device screen sizes. It also happens because the platform needs to compress user uploads to save space on its servers.

Imagine capturing a stunning moment in high resolution and uploading it to Instagram only to find it stretched or cropped out unwillingly. This is why it is important to consider framing your Instagram posts with the default post sizes in mind.

In the upcoming post categories, you will come across some crucial terms, such as pixels and aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is the width-to-height ratio. A square picture, for example, has a 1:1 aspect ratio since its width and height are the same. On the other hand, the suggested aspect ratio for an Instagram landscape post is 16:9.

The size of an Instagram image or graphic pertains to its resolution, which is measured by the number of pixels (px) in the height and width of the image. Instagram square post dimensions, for example, are 1080 × 1080 px, which is also a 1:1 aspect ratio.

Here’s a better way to think about it: The aspect ratio of your Instagram post (square, vertical rectangle, or horizontal rectangle) relates to the geometry of your post, whereas image size refers to the resolution and quality of the picture file.

There is no single ideal Instagram post size due to the variety of post types. Here’s a list of the best Instagram post sizes for each post type.

Instagram Post Size For Different Post Types

There is no single ideal Instagram post size due to the variety of post types. Here’s a list of the best Instagram post sizes for each post type.

Here’s a list of the best Instagram post sizes for each post type:

1. Instagram Feed Post

Instagram allows for three different styles of feed posts: square, landscape, and portrait. While many businesses prefer the standard square post, each type has its advantages.

Square Instagram posts are usually suited for symmetrical images. But some photos look better in landscape or portrait orientation as well.

As the name implies, landscape orientation is ideal for shots of large landscapes. Your profile page grid will display square photographs regardless of orientation.

You’ll find a format icon above the camera roll when you upload an image for a post. You can use this button to toggle between various image shapes and also manually adjust images as you feel they fit into the frame.

Carousel Posts

If you plan to use a carousel format, i.e., a post with multiple images and videos, the rules are slightly different. Carousel posts can incorporate any of these image dimensions (square, landscape, and portrait). However, all pictures and videos within the carousel will be oriented the same way as the initial photo. As an example, if your first picture is a 1080 × 1080 px square, all subsequent images and videos in the carousel will be cropped to the same size.

Carousels allow you to tell a story through multiple images and in chronological order, thus creating an impact. However, make sure the Instagram post dimensions and IG aspect ratios are optimal to ensure that your carousel looks visually appealing and is displayed correctly on Instagram.

Instagram Post Size For Feed Image

Source: Let Root

2. Instagram Video Posts

Individual videos in the Instagram feed might be landscape, portrait, or square. If you include a video in a carousel post, it will be trimmed to suit the orientation of the first post, just as it is with images.

In general, stay with the orientation you filmed in. If you hold your phone and record a portrait or vertical video, it will appear best in that same position.

The video feed posts on Instagram can range between 3 seconds and 60 minutes lengthwise. If your video post is longer than 60 seconds, a preview of your video will be played in the feed. Therefore, if the user is interested in your video, the rest of the video can be watched on your profile.

But what if you have a video that exceeds 60 minutes and you definitely want to share it? In this case, you can use the in-platform editor to trim the video. On the other hand, you can also post the video in segments as carousel posts.

It is necessary to know the limits of video posts before you carry on with your postings. Instagram allows you to post a reel video ranging from 15 seconds to 90 seconds. Whereas Instagram story video length goes from 1 second to 60 seconds. Not to forget the live video, which has a length of 1 second to 4 hours.

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3. Instagram Stories

The most recommended options for Instagram stories are vertical or portrait videos. If you choose landscape orientation, your videos and images will appear with a lot of empty space surrounding them.

Instagram Stories are intended to be seen when holding the phone vertically. Using portrait orientation for both videos and images allows you to make use of the whole screen.

Tip: If you have a stunning landscape video or photograph, try posting it as an Instagram feed post rather than a story.

Instagram Post Size For Stories

Source: Let Root

4. Instagram Highlights

The story highlights, visible on your profile page, is a fantastic Instagram feature that allows you to save your stories so that the excellent ones don’t disappear after 24 hours!

The story highlights icons will look great on your profile page and provide another way to create a compelling visual story about your life or business.

You must be careful to keep it as simple as possible because the circular symbol is so small. Never let Instagram post size dictate quality, anyway. On Instagram, you can’t get away with low-quality photographs!

When you first design the highlight icon, you should make it a square, which Instagram will crop into a circle when you upload it. But don’t be tricked into thinking that, since it’s small, you can get away with inferior quality.

5. Instagram Reels

Instagram reels have exploded in popularity. It is a fantastic feature that allows you to be really creative and either publish straight from TikTok or videos directly from the Instagram app. You can always upload a previously recorded video from your collection. However, it is crucial to get Instagram reel dimensions right. It helps you ensure that your content looks its best and is optimized for the Instagram Reels platform.

Instagram reels must be filmed vertically and in portrait mode. Unlike IGTVs, these videos cannot be seen in full-screen mode; instead, they play on the Instagram timeline.

Instagram reels are automatically trimmed to square size for profile grids, but users will see the entire vertical video.

Instagram Reels Dimensions

Source: Preview App

6. Instagram Live Videos

Instagram’s live video feature enables you to live stream videos to your followers in real time. Instagram allows you to make live videos from 1 second to 4 hours.

Try to be genuine and professional while creating interesting Instagram Live videos. People want to see you live because you’re a real, actual human being. People want a true and honest connection, which the Instagram Live feature provides. It’s also beneficial to maintain consistency with your ongoing series. Whether you upload live videos weekly or monthly, you need to be consistent with your live stream. This basically stimulates the interest of your followers.

You can capture a selfie-style video and invite guests to join you for a conversation from another location. For added precision, you can capture a private preview video to check that your background setting and audio setup are clear before going live.

Instagram Live Video Dimensions

Source: Influencer Marketing Hub

7. Profile Photo Size

Your Instagram profile photo is an essential component of your Instagram account. For many individuals, it’s the first impression they’ll get of your Instagram account as a whole (and maybe even of your entire brand). As a result, whether you use your logo, face, or something else, your photo must deliver an authentic visual image of your organization.

Upload the same profile photo you use on other social media platforms where you have a presence, if possible. Your followers will learn to recognize you anywhere, building consistency and enhancing brand recognition.

So, how large should your Instagram profile photo be? In a nutshell, the higher the resolution, the better—1000 x 1000 pixels or above is the ideal photo size for Instagram profile photographs.

Your Instagram profile photo will be displayed at a resolution of 110 × 110. Your followers will see your Instagram profile picture at this size on the application.

Instagram Profile Photo Dimensions

Source: Quora

However, if someone views your profile on a desktop, the image may appear blurry or low-resolution. To avoid this, choose an image at least 180 × 180 pixels in size, preferably 1000 x 1000 pixels or larger. This ensures that your picture is clear and crisp for everyone.

Optimizing your Instagram post sizes

You need to optimize your photo or video content before posting to ensure that your posts get maximum visibility.

By adhering to the correct dimensions, you enhance the aesthetics of your content and make it more appealing to viewers. This is because your content won’t be stretched or cropped, which will prevent pixilation.

1. Use High-Quality Images

Always use high-resolution images to maintain the quality of your posts and make them visually appealing. The sharpness of such images will be more. The details and vibrant colors will attract more viewers, resulting in increased engagement.

For brands and social influencers aiming to convey professionalism and boost credibility on platforms like Instagram, adhering to this practice becomes even more essential.

On the other hand, if your images are blurry or have a low resolution, they will convey an unprofessional look. Low-resolution images will make your content look pixelated and distorted, resulting in unclear images and a decline in engagement rates.

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So, if you desire a robust online presence, create posts with appropriate resolutions aligning with the proper dimensions of Instagram.

2. Crop and Resize Images

You can use photo editing tools or apps to crop or resize images. Making use of such tools will make sure that your posts appear as you want them to without unnecessary stretching and cropping.

Furthermore, you need to ensure that your images are properly aligned and centered within the frame. This will ensure that your content is properly placed within the frame, making it visually appealing to your users. Clear and attractive posts will convey your message to your audience, thus creating an impactful online presence.

3. Maintain Consistency

Create a consistent visual aesthetic by using the same post size for all your Instagram posts. This practice ensures that all your posts are aligned neatly, showcasing a professional feed for your users.

Ultimately, when your feed is well organized, it will attract your audience and make them stay longer, scrolling through other posts. Such a feed will help to reinforce your brand’s identity by building a strong connection of audiences with your posts.

4. Test Different Formats

It is important to test and experiment with different post sizes to see what works best for your content and audience. Then you can stick with what aligns the most with your audience and create a brand identity for yourself. Here are some ideas to do so.

The square format creates a clean, balanced look for your feed, which is generally preferred.
But what is preferred may not be always right. Try out square, portrait, and landscape formats to see what resonates with your audience. There’s no one-size-fits-all for Instagram.
Use Instagram Analytics to track engagement. Track how each post performs (likes, shares, comments) to see which size gets the most engagement.
Not to forget that certain posts still need a different format so that they can appear more pleasing to users.
- Landscape: Great for wide-angle shots like landscapes or group photos.
- Portrait: Ideal for close-ups or images where you want to capture depth or emotion.

This will help you study the effect of different formats on your audience, giving you more clarity for future posts.

Tools For Resizing Instagram Posts

If your Instagram content is not visually pleasing, chances are it won’t grab the attention of users in a flooded feed. But isn’t it a challenge to make sure the images have proper Instagram dimensions while maintaining their quality?

Here, you can use tools designed to help you overcome this challenge. These tools will help you gracefully adjust your images according to Instagram’s diverse formats.

1. Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a name to reckon with in the field of professional photo editing tools. You get advanced tools for resizing and editing your images with precision and finesse.

Additionally, Adobe Photoshop gives you more flexibility and control over the resizing process. The subtle controls make sure you can resize images consistently while maintaining quality.

2. Online Image Resizers

Resizing is important on Instagram because of the different features that require specific dimensions. It will prevent cropping or distortion of your post. There are various online tools available that allow you to resize your images for Instagram.

Some popular options include ResizeImage.net, PicResize, and Simple Image Resizer. These platforms provide you with user-friendly interfaces with which you can easily resize your image and avoid complex software.

ResizeImage.net

net exclusively focuses on image resizing.
With an unpretentious approach, it focuses only on resizing images and does not provide other editing options.
The user only needs to provide minimal input for quick resizing.

PicResize

This is an all-embracing platform where you can resize along with basic editing features.
You can also crop, rotate, and apply basic filters, along with resizing the image.
You get a user-friendly interface where you can get more control while resizing the image.

Simple Image Resizer

It provides a user-friendly interface along with intuitive resizing.
You can adjust dimensions, change formats, and compress images with this tool.
Provides quick resizing but not advanced editing tools.

Deploy A Variety of Post Types

The Instagram algorithm records the post types with which each visitor interacts the most. This data is leveraged to ascertain the post type that will feature on the visitor’s feed. If someone is addicted to Instagram Reels, Reels will dominate their timeline more than other types of posts. Your chance of getting noticed by Instagram visitors with different preferences hinges on using a variety of Instagram posts.

Each post size has its own unique specifications for image sizes. Use high-quality images by keeping in perspective the size requirements to prevent wasting Instagram story space or ending up with pixelated or distastefully cropped images.

The ideal size of different Instagram posts for best aesthetics are:

Instagram Story: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16)
Instagram Reels: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16)
Instagram Profile Picture: 320 x 320 px (1:1)

You can expedite the process of visual content loading by using the following formats:

For images: JPG, PNG, BMP, and GIF (non-animated)
For videos: MP4 and MOV

A Quick Recap

Here’s a quick recap of the above-mentioned tips for easy understanding.

The photos for your Instagram posts can only be in square, landscape, or portrait format.
Minimum size: Make sure the shortest side of your image is at least 1080 pixels to avoid cropping.
Portrait images: Ideally use 1080px wide and 1350px tall. You can have a flexible height as long as the width is 1080px.
Landscape images: Use 1080px wide (flexible height).
Avoid large images: Uploading images larger than 1080px wide will result in compression. This can compromise the photo’s quality and make it appear blurry by distorting the details.
Avoid small images: Images smaller than 320 x 320px will be enlarged automatically. This will cause pixelation when enlarged.
Square images for best quality: Use 1080 x 1080px for the best quality and to avoid cropping.
Opt for web upload: try uploading your content through a web browser on your desktop. The web version of Instagram is better at preserving image quality than the mobile app.
Full-size button: The full-size button helps you upload your landscape or portrait image without cropping it to a square shape.
Expand arrows for portrait: For portrait images, use the “expand arrows” to adjust the size (ideal: 1080px wide, 1350px tall).

Instagram Post Size: Final Thoughts

Instagram offers ample space for you to unleash your creativity through engaging posts that help showcase your unique perspectives with attention-grabbing visuals.

You may feel the process of adjusting the correct size for your post a bit daunting. However, the ideas shared above can help you streamline and fast-track the exercise.

Whether you’re a social media influencer, content producer, brand ambassador, or social marketer, you can strategically leverage the potential of posts to build credibility by providing your audiences with an immersive experience.

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Difference Between Aspect Ratio And Photo Size

Why are Instagram images resized?

Best Resolution For Instagram

How Does Your Post’s Size Impact the Final Quality on Instagram?