Are you using video on Instagram to communicate, connect, and engage with your audience? Wondering what are the best video sizes and Instagram video formats are for everything from Instagram Stories to IGTV?
As video continues to increase in popularity, adding it to your core marketing strategy is critical. And with so many video options, it’s easy to do!
But keeping track of all the right Instagram video aspect ratios and dimensions can leave you scratching your head.
That’s why we’ve put together this complete guide, including an Infographic that you can pin and save for later!
Plus, we’ve included handy tips on how to put each and every Instagram video dimension to their best uses with handy marketing tips, ideas, and examples!
Let’s take a look!
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Let’s Talk Instagram Video Specs
Before drilling down to the specific types of Instagram video and the purpose behind them, here are the overall sizes for any Instagram video:
- Maximum 30 frames per second.
- Maximum length of 60 seconds.
- Maximum file size of 4 GB.
What is the Instagram video max/min resolution?
There are five main min/max resolution requirements for your Instagram video, depending on where and how you’ll post it. These size options cover square, landscape, portrait, stories, and carousel videos!
- Square video minimum resolution is 600 x 600. Max is 1080 x 1080.
- Portrait video minimum resolution is 600 x 750. Max is 1080 x 1350.
- Landscape video minimum resolution is 600 x 315. Max is 1080 x 608.
- Stories/reels/live video minimum resolution is 600 x 1067. Max is 1080 x 1920.
- Carousel video minimum resolution is 600 x 700. Max is 1080 x 1080.
Let’s dive into the specifics of each below, as well as some tips on how to use each Instagram video dimension for your marketing goals!
Instagram Video Aspect Ratios
Here are the aspect ratios for each IG video format to keep in mind:
- Square Video – 1:1 Aspect Ratio
- Portrait Video – 4:5 Aspect Ratio
- Landscape Video – 1.91:1 to 16:9 (we recommend sticking to a 16:9 aspect ratio. Trust us, it’s easier to manage!)
- Stories/Reels/Live Video – 9:16 Aspect Ratio
- Carousel Video – You have some wiggle room with this aspect ratio. You can upload carousel videos in square, portrait or landscape (1:1, 4:5, 16:9). However, keep in mind that once you upload and choose one aspect ratio for your first carousel video, all others in the series will be cropped the same way!
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Instagram Square Video
- Ideal Dimensions: 1080 x 1800px
- Ideal Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Video Length: up to 60 seconds
For many years, the square was the only video ratio you could share on Instagram. But times they are a-changin’ and now you don’t have to make all your IG videos square. You can shoot and upload them in square, vertical or horizontal aspect ratios. Thank goodness!
Still, square IG videos are still preferred by many, and you can use them when:
- you want to take up more space
- quickly capture audience attention
- share an impactful moment,
or set the stage as Adidas did here! ⬇
Instagram Portrait Video
- Ideal Dimensions: 1080 x 1350px
- Ideal Aspect Ratio: 4:5
- Video Length: up to 60 seconds
Instagram portrait video minimum resolution is 600 x 750. The max size for upload is 1080 x 1350.
As you might imagine, there’s a slight difference in the presentation of a portrait video compared to a square video; it stretches a bit longer.
You can use it in the same way you use square, but this version gives room for:
- more text
- call outs
- calls to action
- transcription of the content,
or a dog balancing water on its nose, because… who doesn’t want to see that?!
Instagram Landscape Video
- Ideal Dimensions: 1080 x 608px
- Ideal Aspect Ratio: 1.91:1
- Video Length: up to 60 seconds
This is where many people get tripped up when uploading their videos to Instagram. Landscape video minimum resolution is 600 x 315. The max is 1080 x 608.
To be honest, landscape video is the least likely of all video dimensions to get used on Instagram, but as Wedding Dresses proves, it can be useful in certain situations.
Use landscape video to:
- maintain the look and feel of a previously recorded video
- share a more stylistic and creative presentation
- or take your audience on a visual journey.
Instagram Stories Video
IG Stories video minimum resolution is 600 x 1067. Max is 1080 x 1920.
- Ideal Dimensions: 1080 x 1920px
- Ideal Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- Video Length: each story up to 15 seconds
IG Stories video minimum resolution is 600 x 1067. Max is 1080 x 1920. The maximum length of a video is also 15 seconds. If you upload longer videos, Instagram will cut the video up into Story clips automatically up to one minute long.
Videos must be in MP4 or MOV file format and have a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS (frames per second) and a minimum resolution of 720 pixels. The maximum file size is 4 GB.
Instagram Stories was launched in 2016 and quickly dubbed a clone of Snapchat that would kill off the platform entirely!
While that hasn’t happened, Instagram Stories has definitely emerged the winner in ephemeral content.
IG Stories has a ton of value for brands and businesses when delivering:
- Content you don’t feel “worthy” of your feed
- Content that provides a better look into the personality of your brand
- In-the-moment updates and just-for-fun peeks behind the scenes
- Highlight seasonal offers like Target does on a regular basis.
As I mentioned above, Stories are a great way to engage your audience in a whole new way.
Instead of feed or Instagram live video that feels more structured, planned for and scheduled, Stories can be shared throughout the day, at any time, and in a variety of ways.
Instagram Story Video Ideas:
- Behind-the-scenes
- Product launch
- How-to
- Team highlight
- New location
- Announcement
- Teaser
- Press release
- Podcast episode
- New blog post
Instagram Carousel Video
- Ideal Dimensions: 1080 x 1080px
- Ideal Aspect Ratio: 1:1, 4:5, 16:9
The minimum size requirement for carousel videos is 600 x 700. The max size allowed is 1080 x 1080.
You might be familiar with carousel images, but did you know you can use video in the same way? In the click of a button, you can choose multiple videos and add them to one post.
Use carousel video to:
- Tell a bigger story
- Turn one video into multiple (shorter) video clips,
- or create an experience around your brand, team, product, or service like Buzzfeed Tasty does with every video they share.
*Important Note: Carousel videos do not show the video icon like typical videos on Instagram. Instead, they show the carousel icon in the upper right hand corner.
Now that you have a general idea of Instagram video options, let’s take a look at required video specs across each Instagram feature.
Plus, see how more tips on how to strategically use that feature in your business!
Instagram Reels Video
- Ideal Dimensions: 1080 x 1920px
- Ideal Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- Video Length: up to 60 seconds
Instagram TV (IGTV ) Video
- Ideal Dimensions: 1080 x 1920px
- Ideal Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- Video Length: 15 seconds to 10 minutes
Videos on your Instagram feed must be between 3 – 60 seconds long, but if you have a longer video to share, consider uploading it to IGTV instead – you can add a preview of the video to your Instagram feed! On a normal account, IGTV videos can be up to 10 minutees long. Larger accounts with over 10,000 followers and verified brand accounts can upload videos up to 60 minutes long, but they must be uploaded via desktop. (As always, videos must be in MP4 or MOV file format.)
Good news! You can now upload your IGTV videos in 9:16 portrait aspect ratio, or in landscape (16:9). Videos should have a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS (frames per second) and minimum resolution of 720 pixels. The maximum file size for videos that are 10 minutes or less is 650MB. The maximum file size for videos up to 60 minutes is 3.6GB.
Your use of IGTV could include anything from showcasing your team to sneak peeks, product launches, demonstrations, and any other binge-worthy content your audience will eat up.
As a brand, Netflix uses IGTV to connect you one-on-one with series regulars as well as take you behind-the-scenes on some of your favorite shows.
Cover Photo Size
You can upload a custom cover photo for your IGTV video to keep things on-brand. The recommended size for cover photos is 420px by 654px (or 1:1.55 ratio). Choose your cover carefully though! Right now, you can’t edit your cover photo after you’ve uploaded it.
Instagram Live Video
- Ideal Dimensions: 1080 x 1920px
- Ideal Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- Video Length: up to 60 minutes
Video Length
Instagram Live videos must be a maximum of 60 minutes long. That’s right, you can broadcast to your followers for up to a full hour!
Video File Type
- Videos must be in MP4 or MOV file format.
IG Live Video Resolution and Size
Instagram Live videos have the same specs as Story videos, meaning:
- Videos should be vertical (not landscape) with an aspect ratio of 9:16.
- Videos should have a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS (frames per second) and a minimum resolution of 720 pixels.
- The maximum file size is 4 GB.
Instagram Live Content
Instagram Live is exactly what you’re accustomed to with Facebook Live. With the click of a button, you can go live and interact in real-time with your audience.
Use Instagram Live to walk your audience through a specific process, share your favorite tips, answer community frequently asked questions, or simply motivate and encourage your audience like Chalene Johnson does.
To go Live on Instagram:
- Tap in the top left of the screen or swipe right from anywhere in Feed.
- Tap Live at the bottom of the screen, then tap Go Live.
- If you’re on an iOS device, you can tap in the bottom right to add photos and videos from your camera roll to your live video. To stop displaying your photo or video, swipe right and tap. Keep in mind that only you can see the photos and videos in your camera roll while you’re sharing a live video.
- When you’re done, tap End in the top right then tap to confirm. From there, you can tap Save in the top right to save it to your camera roll, or share it to your story.
Now that you have a general idea of Instagram video options, let’s take a look at required video specs across each Instagram feature.
Plus, see how more tips on how to strategically use that feature in your business!
Video File Type
Instagram accepts either MP4 or MOV file formats in Instagram videos. H.264 MP4 is the best file format for Instagram video uploads and will help you preserve the quality of your video after upload!
What to Know About Instagram Compression
It’s true – Instagram automatically compresses videos (and photos) upon upload, and there’s no way to avoid it. The platform does this to save room on it’s servers with billions of pieces of content being uploaded a day. However, all is not lost!
If you find that your Instagram videos are being compressed, or showing poor quality after upload, consider pre-formatting your video before upload. You should change the file format to MP4, adjust the frame rate, and/ or use a video conversion program to preserve your video and prepare it for upload.
Instagram Feed Content
Using video in your feed should be second nature for most at this point. But, if you haven’t begun yet, here are a few ways to create it without adding a bunch of extra hours to your day.
Best Tools To Create Instagram Video
Tools like the ones below make it easy to record, edit, and share your videos.
Once your video is complete, add it to Tailwind, schedule for your best time to post to Instagram, write your description, and then watch the hashtag magic happen!
As you type your description, Tailwind will begin to suggest the best hashtags for your content.
No more searching, saving, and fumbling for the right hashtags, let Tailwind do the heavy lifting for you!
Why You Should Be Using Instagram Video
Instagram video hasn’t been around since day one, but it has received an overwhelming amount of adoption and feature support from the platform. From Boomerang, Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, and IGTV, the options for reaching new audiences and connecting are endless.
Just take a look at Mention’s Instagram Engagement Report and you’ll see the incredible impact of video on Instagram.
95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram every day, but those video stats!
- Video performs better—on average—than other types of content on Instagram when it comes to generating engagement.
- Video posts receive more than 2x more comments than other types of posts.
- Video posts generated an average of 150 comments.
- Video posts received on average the highest number of likes.
via Mention.com
Basically, if you aren’t using Instagram video yet, you need to be.
Final Thoughts
The key for your use of Instagram video is to identify the topics most appealing to your audience, flesh out those topics into short, bite-sized videos, and then choose a day that you’ll consistently share your video content.
As with anything else, showing up on a regular basis is half the battle, but worth the fight when it leads to increased engagement.
*Hint hint: Doing this doesn’t have to be difficult when you use Tailwind to schedule your Instagram content!
What type of video will you start using on Instagram for your business? Share with us in the comments below!
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