![WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT INSTAGRAM FORMAT [NO MORE SCARES WHEN POSTING]](https://photographychef.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/WHAT-YOU-SHOULD-KNOW-ABOUT-INSTAGRAM-FORMAT.jpg)
Knowing the format of the photos to upload to Instagram is essential when we do not want our images to be cropped, as a post, as a story or as a video.
But it turns out that if you want to upload your photos or videos to Instagram, it's not always easy to know what photo format is needed to do so, which can end up with cropped photos here and there.
In this article we will talk about everything you need to know about the format of photos, videos and reels on Instagram, do you feel like it? Let's go there.
WHAT IS THE IDEAL PHOTO FORMAT FOR INSTAGRAM?
You have several measurement options for Instagram for both the image format and the video format. These will depend on the publication format you choose.
INSTAGRAM POST FORMAT
It is perhaps the one we use the most in our day to day when we want to publish on this social network. As photographers that we are, it is logical ;).
Keep in mind that Instagram posts have several possible publication sizes.
- Instagram portrait (or portrait) format: The size of your portrait format or its most vertical format is 1080 x 1350, which is a ratio of 4:5.
- Square format on Instagram: Its most common format is square, with proportions of 1080 x 1080 or 1:1.
- Instagram landscape (or landscape) format: Your landscape or landscape post is 1080 x 566 or 191.1:1 in size.
Try to adapt each type of image to the most appropriate format to avoid cropping or stretching the image.
INSTAGRAM VIDEO FORMAT (REELS FORMAT)
If what you want is to know what video format Instagram accepts , keep in mind that from now on they will be uploaded as reels , which is their short video format.
To upload a video or reel to Instagram keep in mind:
- The size of the reel will be 1080 x 1920 or a ratio of 9:16 when we are playing it.
- In the feed, the size will be 1080 x 1350 or 4:5.
- Video posts can be up to 90 seconds long.
- It allows you to import audio from videos that we have recorded on the mobile.
- Videos must not be larger than 4 GB.
- It accepts MOV, GIF and MP4 formats.
Here you can see how to create an Instagram reel (in English with subtitles available).
PROFILE PHOTOS FOR INSTAGRAM
If what you are looking for is to upload a profile photo for Instagram, keep in mind first of all that the format is round, so the ideal is that you appear focused on the photograph (you or the reason you want to appear on the profile) .
It is also important that you take into account that the image looks very small in profile, so it is interesting that the subject appears in the foreground, otherwise it will be difficult to distinguish it.
The optimal dimensions for your minimum profile photos will be 180×180, the ideal will be 360 x360, taking into account that the size will vary on different devices: it will occupy 110 x 110 on the mobile, 180 x 180 on the computer, and 40 x 40 in the feed.
FORMAT FOR INSTAGRAM ADS
Instagram ads appear in the newsfeed, stories or "explore" section based on your interests .
To post an ad on Instagram, you can choose between photography, video or sequence.
- Ad image size: these are the same sizes and formats that we use for publishing a post.
- Image and video size for Instagram stories : This format is the same as the same content in the other placements. You can upload a single photo or a video of up to 120s with an aspect ratio of 9:16 and from 16:9 to 4:5.
- Thread: This format can be used square or vertical and can appear in News Feed and Stories.
- Ad in reels: they must be vertical to full screen.
FORMAT FOR INSTAGRAM STORIES ( STORIES FORMAT )
If instead of a post what you want is to upload your photos to stories , they will have a size of 1080×1090 (ratio 9:16) and a weight of less than 30MB.
Instagram stories will disappear 24 hours after being uploaded.
SUMMARY TABLE WITH THE MEASUREMENTS ON INSTAGRAM
I leave you a summary with the main formats for Instagram :
| Type of content | pixel size |
|---|---|
| Instagram profile picture | 360x360 |
| Instagram vertical photo (portrait) | 1080 x 1350 or 4:5 ratio |
| Horizontal format Instagram (landscape) | 1080 X 566 aspect ratio 1.91:1 |
| Instagram post (square format) | 1080 x 1080 aspect ratio 1:1 |
| Instagram Reels (video) | 1080 x 1920 ratio 9:16 |
| Instagram story posting | 1080 x 1920 ratio 9:16 |
WHAT IS THE BEST FORMAT TO POST ON INSTAGRAM?
Both the application and the behavior of the users are constantly changing. To this day, the format that "succeeds" the most are reels , inspired by the famous Tik Tok videos, which allow you to add images and videos, music, sound effects, emoticons, etc.
You can combine this type of content with Instagram stories, which are also very successful due to their freshness, duration and immediacy, and of course with "lifelong" posts.
HOW TO RESIZE AN IMAGE FOR INSTAGRAM?
If you need to change the size of your image for Instagram, you can use programs such as Adobe Expressthat allows you to do it online quickly and easily.
To help you with content creation for all Instagram (and other) formats, I recommend Canva .which is very complete and easy to use even in its trial version.
Keep in mind that Instagram is constantly evolving, so it is always a good idea to review and update the content that we are going to publish, especially if we want to make a profit by making ourselves known as a personal or professional brand.
Being up to date with possible updates is essential so as not to waste our resources, that is, before preparing the content that we want to publish, it is interesting to check that the sizes, the duration of the videos or the formats are adequate, as well as what format of content is the most successful on this social network.
