What’s the best Instagram image size?
Find all the Instagram dimensions:
- Photo, graphic, and video Instagram post size, and infographic.
- Instagram Stories size for image and video.
- Instagram Story highlights cover size.
- Instagram ad sizes, and infographic.
- IGTV video specs and sizes, plus IGTV cover images.
- “The Savvy Marketer’s Guide to IGTV” infographic.
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What Are the Instagram Image Sizes for 2021?
Instagram is now 10 years old and enjoys over 1 billion users monthly.
Those Instagram users spent an average of 30 minutes per day on the platform in 2020, and 200 million of them visit at least one business profile daily.
That’s a lot of eyeballs on your posts, so let’s get those sizes right!
Instagram upgraded the paltry 640 pixel square to a more robust 1080 on July 6, 2015. They also added support for non-square images on August 26, 2015.
The optimal sizes are 1080 pixels wide by 566 pixels to 1350 pixels high.
The maximum Instagram resolution is 1080 pixels wide.
Un-square shapes were added for Instagram ads.
You can post a landscape image in a 1.91 to 1 aspect ratio, which is exactly the same as a Facebook link preview image. So there’s cross-platform compatibility with IG and Facebook ads.
But I don’t recommend the landscape for marketers, as it takes up less than half the space you could snag with a portrait image!
If you have a landscape photo or graphic that you don’t want to crop to a square, consider using one of the many apps that add a border top and bottom to take up more space in the feed.
If you do post a wide (or tall) image, be aware that it will be cropped to a square on your image gallery (profile page).
The portrait image gives you the most bang for your buck in the Instagram stream.
Stick with the 1080 pixel width, and go up to 1350 pixels tall. If your photo is larger, no worries – Instagram will reduce it when you post.
Try not to post smaller, though, as your image will lose quality when viewed on most devices, especially retina screens.
The Instagram portrait aspect ratio (or proportion) is the same as an 8 x 10 portrait photo!
You’ll find the aspect ratio 4:5 or 8:10 offered as a cropping option in your photo editing app – or you can crop right in the IG app.
Why Is My Instagram Photo Post NOT 1080 Pixels Wide?
When you share a photo on Instagram, whether you’re using Instagram for iOS or Android, it posts at the best quality resolution possible (up to 1080 pixels wide).
There are a few reasons you may be seeing lower resolution photos on Instagram:
- Photos between 320 x 320 and 1080 x 1080 pixels will post at their original resolution.
- You may need to update to the most recent version of the Instagram mobile app.
- The desktop version of Instagram only displays up to 640 px images.
- Your phone might not take and/or support high resolution photos.
NOTE: If you share a photo at a lower resolution than 320 pixels wide, it’ll be enlarged to 320. Please don’t even think of posting such a low rez photo!
If you share a photo at a higher resolution, it’ll be sized down to 1080.
Sizing down is always better than sizing up!
Why You Might Want an Even Larger Instagram Photo Size
I love the Instagram editing tools. Even when I do photo edits in Photoshop, I might add Lux or Saturation in Instagram. Awesome tools!
If you have Save Original Photos set to ON in your Instagram settings, your edited photo is saved at its full resolution to your device’s photo library.
If you want to use the photo to make prints, a picture book, or something else where you need a high resolution… post your Instagram images as large as needed for the later use.
Social media photos are constantly enlarging. Post 1080px square if possible – even larger if you want to ensure you can reuse the image at top quality next year! Who knows, the size may increase again by then.
How Do I Choose a Portrait or Landscape Photo on Instagram?
In early June 2019, Instagram started messing with where you change your photo shape. For about a week, you chose portrait or landscape on the screen after you selected your photo.
I was not a fan, because you could no longer determine which frame you shot would work best when cropped. You had to decide from the squares.
If you didn’t like the way it cropped, you had to return and choose another.
I’m guessing they got a lot of flak on this and did an about-face.
Here are the current instructions as of January 2021.
To add a photo, tap the plus sign in the upper right of the home page (main feed) or on your profile tab.
Select a photo or video from your phone or tablet photo library. Stay on this screen.
To share it as a portrait or landscape instead of a square:
- Tap the crop icon at the left to switch from a square to a portrait or landscape.
- You can pinch the screen to adjust the exact shape.
- Adjust cropping by moving the photo around with your fingertip.*
- Tap Next to filter or edit.
- Tap Next to add your caption, and post.
*NOTE that you can no longer adjust cropping after you leave the photo import screen, so do it here!
Also note that the black bars you see down the sides of a portrait photo while you’re editing it will NOT remain after it’s posted. This is just to fit the image into the editing area. It will actually post even larger – to the full width of the feed.
NOTE: You must have Instagram app version 7.5 or later to post unsquare photos as well as see them. Users with older versions of the app will see your image cropped to a square.
Additionally, unsquare images will appear as a center-cropped square in your profile grid (see image at left).
Many people are sticking with the square, and it’s still a powerful shape.
The taller image gives you a better Pinterest presence (where tall mages rule) without having to create a separate graphic. In fact, Pinterest has experimented with showing ALL Pins at the same 8×10 aspect ratio in the home feed!
Pinterest now seems to be more accepting of less-tall images that make cross-posting content from IG to Pinterest easier.
What size are Instagram Stories?
Good news for marketers: 1/3 of the most-viewed Stories are from businesses! And 62% of people say they have become more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in Stories.
Instagram has the second-highest social referral rate for ecommerce sites, at 10.7%.
How do IGers get to your site? Links in your Stories! Note, this feature is limited to business accounts with over 10K followers.
Whether you’re posting a photo, graphic, or video to your Story, it’ll take up the full mobile screen.
The recommended size is 1080 x 1920 pixels, or any 9:16 proportion.
Instagram Story highlight size: If you’re making graphics, the 1080 x 1920 pixel size is ideal. When you go to customize your cover you’ll be able to zoom in on the area of your photo that you want highlighted in the circle.
If you’re uploading a photo, almost any size or shape will work BUT it’s going to be cropped in the Instagram app to a long skinny rectangle smack dab in the middle.
If that chops off half your face or some other important feature, simply use the 9:16 crop template in any photo editing app (even iPhone Photos) before adding it to your Story. The exact pixel size isn’t critical, but the shape or aspect ratio is.
If you’re planning to add a video to your Instagram Story, you’ll make your life a lot easier if you shoot it in a vertical format, holding your phone upright. Then it should look just right when you add it to your Story.
Note that videos added to Stories are limited to 15 second clips! As of 2019, Instagram will cut longer videos into 15 second bits.
You’ll want to keep Story videos relatively short though. Post longer videos to IGTV – details after the section on ad sizes.
Instagram Ad Sizes 2021
If you have an Instagram business account, you can advertise on Instagram, and even easily promote a post right within the Instagram app.
According to the Instagram official website, 60% of people discover new products on this platform, and there are around 25 million business profiles with 2 million active advertisers on Instagram.
About 200 million Instagram users visit business profiles per day. Isn’t it impressive that studies on Instagram marketing found that 72% of users purchased items they discovered via Instagram content!
That’s 130 million Instagram users tapping on shopping posts every month. Are they shopping your business?
Reach more of your audience with Instagram ads! Instagram’s potential advertising reach is 849.3 million users. Reach them well with the appropriate ads.
Below are sizes and specs for the 5 types of Instagram ads.
1 | Instagram image ad size and specs
The Image Ad is the most widely used advertising type for both Instagram and Facebook.
As Instagram is a photo-sharing social media platform, it’s essential to share visually pleasing content.
Instagram crops your image to a square when it is displayed on the feed, but you can also add it as a landscape or portrait image.
Here are some specifications of Instagram image ads:
- Caption: up to 2,200 characters
- Image format: .jpg or .png
- Max. file size: 30 MB
- Square (1:1 aspect ratio):
600×600 pixels (minimum)
1936×1936 pixels (maximum) - Landscape (1.91:1 aspect ratio):
600×315 pixels (minimum)
1936×1936 pixels (maximum) - Portrait (4:5 aspect ratio):
600×750 pixels (minimum)
1936×1936 pixels (maximum)
2 | Instagram video ad size and specs
Video Ads let you introduce your brand or offers with a video or GIF.
Instagram videos start to play when the application opens. The moving nature of video ads helps to catch user attention as they scroll their Instagram feeds.
Time spent watching videos on Instagram was up more than 75% year-over-year in 2019.
Here are the basic specifications:
- File Size – up to 4GB
- Length – 120 seconds
- Caption Length – 2200 characters
- Aspect Ratio:
Square – 1:1
Landscape – 1.91:1
Portrait – 4:5
3 | Instagram Stories ad size and specs
Stories are one of the popular features on Instagram.
Instagram Stories are similar to Snapchat in that they allows users, and brands, to share self-destructing photos and videos. They draw attention to your brand with Stories Highlights, which will stay on your profile until you remove them.
On Instagram Stories, you can post recorded videos, photos, live videos, boomerangs, text and music. You can also add stickers such as your location, user tags, the temperature and hashtags.
Here are the Stories specs:
- Format: Full-screen vertical ad (9:16)
- File types: .jpg or .png
- Photo content: visible for 5 seconds
- Aspect Ratio: from 1:91 to 4:5
- File type
.mp4 or .mov (Video)
.jpg or .png (Photo) - Maximum File Size:
4GB (Video)
30MB (Photo) - Length
Maximum: 15 seconds
Images show for 5 seconds by default - Dimensions
Resolution: 1080 x 1920 (portrait)
Minimum: 600 x 1067
4 | Instagram Collection ad size and specs
Collection ads worki like this: When users see an advertisement or offer from your brand, they’ll have the option to purchase products directly from the ad.
Using Collections, you can showcase your products and discounts to increase sales. The result proved that it increased conversions by 6.3%.
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 to 16.9
- Character length: 90
- Formats and dimensions are the same as those of a standard image or video ad.
5 | Instagram Carousel ad size and specs
Carousel ads allow you to show a series of scrollable images or videos rather than just one single image.
This ad feature can link to your Facebook Page or website directly using a “Learn More” button.
Here are some specifications of Carousel ads:
- Minimum number of carousel cards: 2
- Maximum number of carousel cards: 10 successive carousel cards
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 (recommended)
- Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels (recommended)
- Image file format: .jpg and .png
- Image maximum file size: 30MB
- Video length: up to 240 minutes (15 seconds recommended)
- Video file format: .mp4
- Video maximum file size: 4GB
Click here to see and repin the entire Instagram ad sizes infographic on Pinterest. Our thanks to by TechWyse for the graphic and complete guide to Instagram Business Accounts.
How to use IGTV for Marketing
Instagram TV, or IGTV, is the place for users to post longer-form videos.
Any IGer can post videos up to 10 minutes, and verified users can post videos up to 60 minutes in length. Users who follow your account on regular Instagram will see a preview in the regular feed, suggesting they click to watch more on IGTV.
This IGTV infographic, “The Savvy Marketer’s Guide to IGTV,” was created by M2 On Hold.
Launched in June 2018, IGTV is the latest offering from Instagram. This infographic shows you everything you need to know in order to get the most out of this brand-new feature for your brand’s content marketing strategy.
Five years after the launch of video on Instagram, we are excited to introduce IGTV which brings audiences closer to the creators they love.
We are re-envisioning mobile video with a new standalone surface that features longer videos and easy discoverability through channels, all in a vertical format that sits upright, in the palm of your hand.
We’re evolving with the times; these days, people are watching less TV and more digital video. By 2021, mobile video will account for 78% of total mobile data traffic. And we’ve learned that younger audiences are spending more time with amateur content creators and less time with professionals.
IGTV is:
Mobile first: IGTV is built for how you actually use your phone: vertical and full screen.
Simple and intuitive: It starts playing as soon as you open the app. You don’t have to search or browse to get started, and it’s easy to multitask.
Curated: IGTV is focused on the creators you love most and already follow on Instagram.
Anyone can be a creator on IGTV and upload videos in the app or on the web.
What IGTV means for businesses
Longer vertical video on Instagram makes it even easier to get closer to your audience and be discovered by new people.
Be first: Be among the first to lead the future of video.
Get closer: Use longer, permanent video for deeper storytelling. Build stronger connections with potential customers as you showcase other dimensions of your business without being limited to one type of content, length or format.
Leverage your community: As with Instagram stories, IGTV is built on Instagram leveraging a global community of more than 800M people. When your followers open IGTV, they will instantly see original content from you, and new people can also discover your brand.
In conclusion, Instagram says: We believe this is the future of video. People continue to spend more time with entertainment on their mobile devices, and we’re making it easier for them to get closer to the creators and original content they love.
Your next step with IGTV? Learn how to maximize your marketing on the infographic at the end of this article!
What are the video requirements for IGTV?
Videos must be between 15 seconds and 10 minutes long.
Note: Larger accounts and verified accounts can upload videos up to 60 minutes long, but they must be uploaded from a computer.
Videos must be in MP4 file format.
- 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 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.
IGTV Cover Photo Size
The recommended size for cover photos is 420px by 654px (or 1:1.55 ratio). Right now, you can’t edit your cover photo after you’ve uploaded it.
I have no clue how they came up with this size, but it says so right here on Instagram help.
Which Instagram image size will you use?
We covered all this:
- Photo, graphic, and video Instagram post size.
- Instagram Stories size for image, video, and highlights cover.
- Instagram ad sizes, all 5 types.
- IGTV video specs and sizes, plus IGTV cover images.
Miss something? Scroll back to review. Scroll down to see the infographics!
This post was originally published September 2015 and last updated December 2019.
Please share! Help the word get out. Pin the graphics below.
Help others learn what’s the best Instagram image size!
Majick says
Hi!
I exported a video via premire pro with 640×640 and 1080×1080 dimensions but neither of them fit the square video’s frame of instagram and some parts remain out of the frame. I didn’t have this problem in the past! what should I do?
Louise Myers says
That’s quite odd! I’m wondering if it ever resolved – maybe it was just an initial glitch.
Arash says
Thank you Louise!
If I upload an image 1080×1080 300dpi, will it be uploaded 1080×1080 but 72dpi?
And how about kb or mb?
Louise Myers says
It might be 72dpi but it’s basically the same image. And kb and mb are the same thing in different increments.
AmirHossein says
Hello, considering that Instagram also uploads 3: 4 dimensions, what resolution should we choose for this mode?
Louise Myers says
You can upload any proportion between 1.91:1 and 4:5. In the case of 3:4, part of the top and/or bottom would be cut off.
Tania says
Hi Louise,
Long time reader, first comment.
First: Thank you so much! Your work is just priceless.
As for this specific post, is there an ideal image size for the profile picture in instagram? I can’t seem to get it right as it always looks a bit fuzzy.
Regards from Portugal
Louise Myers says
Thanks Tania!
The display size of the profile pic on a retina desktop is 300 x 300 so you could try that. My guess is IG probably compresses them no matter what, but perhaps if you’ve been uploading a large image, small might be better!
Best of luck.
Adriana Bozzi says
Hello, I know I probably won’t get a response but it’s worth a shot. I have downloaded more photo editing apps than you can imagine. I have tried so hard to figure this issue out and I can’t for the life of me. So I’m really desperate at this point. Can you please tell me how to resize an image without compromising the photo? I have iOS. Some apps allow u to manually enter your own ratios, and some apps give you the aspect ratio presets for different social media platforms to choose from. But, it doesn’t matter what I choose because it always cuts off my photo. I don’t want to do that. I want to be able to fit in the FULL size photo. If it means I could crop it into being a full sized photo, I would be willing to loose on the quality. And, I don’t want to put it on a white background so that the photo fits in that square because I would still be loosing on the photo. I want to be able to resize to whatever dimension I need to in order to fit the photo in different social media platforms. I know that a lot of these platforms automatically compress the photo for you but, I would like to resize it before I upload so I don’t compromise the size of the photo, and it doesn’t get cut off. I have watched many videos yet, I can never get it. I take most of my photos on Snapchat which means they are much longer than the average photo. If I have an editor and the options to resize an image and enter the aspect ratios, what would I enter in the “height and width” boxes? I tried entering 1080px X 1350px but, it makes the photo look all distorted? It’s been months of researching this issue and it’s just so irritating. I need a suggestion on what to do to fix this frustrating problem. I would be so grateful!!
Louise Myers says
As far as I understand what you’re asking, it’s simply not possible. Say you have a vertical photo. You can’t fit it into a square or a horizontal without cropping some of it off, or having blank background around it. Otherwise it *will* be distorted, as you noted.
Ros says
So if your using an app to help schedule posts (I use Plann) you can’t upload post to both INS & FB as the requirements are different. Is that right? Any suggestions?
Louise Myers says
All the sizes that work on Instagram can be used on Facebook. I can’t say if your app allows you to schedule them to both, but you certainly can post them to both.
FB doesn’t really have much in the way of size “requirements.” Many different sizes can be posted.
Kris says
Thank you so much for the infographic, really helpful.
As a graphic designer, I’m too lazy to read a lot of text. lol.
Louise Myers says
Glad you liked my simplified version! 🙂
Cathy says
This was really helpful! Do you have anything similar for Facebook / Twitter requirements?
Louise Myers says
Sure do!
All Facebook image dimensions
All Twitter image sizes
Julie says
Any recommendation for a IOS app where i can change image size by pixels, and add a border. I have photoshop in my laptop but i take many pictures with my phone and will like to resize and get them ready for IG from my phone
Louise Myers says
I don’t know of any iOS apps that let you set a specific pixel size, however most have these recommended IG sizes built in.
As far as border, I don’t know of any that let you set a border in a click, but you can reduce the image on a colored background in something like Over app, to get a border effect.
Deepak says
I really appreciate the information you shared on this blog. Thanks
Cliff says
So, the standard size of 1080 pixels wide by 566 is an aspect ratio of roughly 1.78 to 1?
That’s the one thing I needed to clarify precisely. The rest I pretty much knew already or had zero interest in.
I shouldn’t have to get my calculator out to figure that sum. Ideally it should be the very first thing I read in your article.
Why must people in general waffle so much in their copywriting? I just get to the actual point then shut up.
(Not to mention, attention spans are at an all-time low. No-one reads every word of an article. Do you? People skim read for the actual info they want.
Louise Myers says
“Ideally it should be the very first thing I read in your article.”
Of course, if I wrote this article specifically for the information you wanted at that precise moment.
Other readers are actually looking for more and/or other information. Not to mention no one would find the article in the first place, since Google likes to see comprehensive content on a topic, with readers spending a long “time on page.”
That’s why people “waffle so much in their copywriting.” We’re trying to answer more than one question, and help readers find our articles via search.
Louise Myers says
Just found your additional comment in spam. How delightful of you to insult my intelligence as well.
Colin says
Awesome content, Louise! I too find portraits much more engaging on Instagram. That almost full screen real estate is not only bigger, but lets you show more detail. Landscapes are a real bummer. If you want to properly display a landscape, I typically crop at 2:1, and then make two separate images at 1:1 (one for the left side of the image, and one for the right side) and upload as an album. Its seamless and allows for that detail a proper camera is good for.
Louise Myers says
Super idea, Colin!
Russ says
Hey Louise
I’ve been having trouble posting a portrait sized pic on IG I have made it the exact specs as you’ve described 1350px max H but the picture is still to big, but only just and crops the image. Any ideas why?
Louise Myers says
1080 x 1350 should work perfectly as long as you tap the crop tool at bottom left when you’re selecting the photo. Otherwise you’re stuck in square mode.
Devki Jensen says
Great job on the article and graphics, assuming they are your creation. Thanks for the inspiration!
Louise Myers says
My pleasure.
Lauren Rose says
What an informative post that mostly went way over my head lol. I’ll understand it all one day. In the mean time, I am trying to find out what settings to use in photoshop to make an instagram post. My photos I take on my phone show as 960×960 pixels in photoshop and are over 13″ width/height. When I create a new document with those specs in photoshop, the graphic is just over 3″. My end goal is to be able to create my own graphics to post in Instagram but I want to be able to print them all the same size for a collage. I really appreciate your suggestions?
Louise Myers says
I would suggest you check your phone settings and choose a higher resolution for your photos. While those would be adequate for Instagram, they’re not so good for printing unless you’re OK with 3″ squares.
If you are, no problem. Just post the images at 960×960 on Instagram – no need to resize anything in Photoshop for that use.
Lora Arbrador says
Thanks Louise. You are soooo smart!!
I’m trying to use Hootsuite for IG scheduling. I don’t think it has the little brackets. Am i right? Also what is the best app for resizing? I need something that works on desktop/laptop so I can use it with hootsuite.
Thanks so much. BTW how much do you charge for individual coaching?
Lora
Louise Myers says
I haven’t used Hootsuite in ages and don’t know what you mean by brackets.
As far as resizing on computer, I suppose you could use Canva which is free. Snappa, Stencil, any would work.
I no longer offer any services, I just blog! 🙂
Chloe says
I always apply landscape mode for all my IG posts, but in a square frame, using Instasize. So my post looks like a photo embedded in a canvas. I think it’s more interesting than a full-size post without spacing.
Louise Myers says
That’s another great option.
Rohit Lohar says
Honestly , I don’t like square size resolution. I will upload photos in full size portrait mode. Thanks for image resolution info !
Louise Myers says
My pleasure.
Pablo Garcia says
You seem to not understand the difference between resolution (LPI-Lines per inch, DPI-dots per inch) and page or document or picture size. Resolution is the amount of colored dots placed in each inch, centimeter, of monitor, paper, magazine, app space. The higher the resolution, the better that image is seen, up to a point. Magazines are printed at 600-1200 DPI, screen resolutions vary from 72 DPI (for internet low quality images) to up to 600 DPI for higher resolution images.
Louise Myers says
I don’t? I did print design for 25 years. I completely understand DPI. Is there something here that I need to clarify for the general public? I’m open to your suggestions, as long as it’s geared to non- print designers, as print people is not my audience.
Pawan Pandey says
Such detailed information about the image size for Instagram posts is really good. Thanks for helping me out. I am going to try this from now on.
Louise Myers says
Great! Best of luck.
Santosh says
Recently tried out the 1080 by 1350 size for a standard IG post, it turned out cropped. Any reasons why this should happen?
Had to revert to 1080 by 1080 as a result.
Louise Myers says
Only reason I know of is if you didn’t tap the bracket icon at lower left to show the correct shape.
Gabriel says
Great post. Thanks!
What I just don’t get is why nobody talks about KB and MB for Instagram images. This gets completely ignored in every post I see on the subject.
Isn’t KB/MB relevant for Instagram images? What are the KB or MB limits I should use for best Instagram image quality?
Thanks!
Louise Myers says
I have not found it to be relevant. After all, IG’s intention is that you post photos on the fly, not that you edit and save them to a required size.
I do have a complete article on Instagram resolution here.
Kevin Spencer says
Louise, MB has EVERYTHING to do with instagram and image quality. If you have a MB that has to be downscaled, your photo will Always look better, swear on my life. In the future, quality will increase and photographers cannot turn back time or replace an image, however they can put a greater image that is prepared to scale when the puny phone app catches up to the display of the intended upload.
Louise Myers says
Great points Kevin.
Elisa Watson says
Hey Louise,
Thanks for the updated information.
I prefer to use 1080X1350 as you can express more. Ditching the standard square format.
Thanks for the article!
Brian Garcia says
This was exactly what we were looking for! It’s crazy how all the platforms have their different preferred sizes. Took tons of notes on this Insta Sizes for 2019. Appreciate you sharing this info Louise 🙂
Louise Myers says
Yeah it can get confusing! 🙂
John MacLean Photography says
Hi Louise,
I’m curious about posting a 2048 pixel vertical to IG. If I share it to FB thru the IG upload will it retain the pixels, or will it resize it down to 1350 when it posts to FB?
Thanks and HNY!
Louise Myers says
I just checked the one I shared to FB this morning. It was 1080 x 1350, but saved to my camera roll at full size (I do some edits in IG and save the pics).
Basit says
Hi Louise,
Your post is really helpful for me because this post told me the best size image of Instagram post.
I am first time visit here and now I am big fan of your website so keep posting such a great article with us.
Regards,
Basit
Louise Myers says
Will do!
Annie maria says
Hi, very nice and helpful post.
I prefer using square images of size 500px by 500px.
Louise Myers says
I strongly recommend you upsize as that will reflect poor quality. Instagram is all about great images!
Babar Ali says
what is the size of Instagram post?
Louise Myers says
This is covered thoroughly in the article. Is there something you don’t understand about it?
Sky Ab says
Hello Lousie,
Thanks for such a great informational article.
I prefer long image since it offers us to display more content to our audience.
Regards,
Sky Ab
Louise Myers says
Agreed!
Pam says
I use tablet for posting pictures on Insta.. the posted pics look a bit compressed and very fuzzy. I upload pictures from DSLR with full resolution without changing anything. Earlier I used 7 inch tablet and posted the same way but the picture quality was better..now I have 8 inch tablet and the pictures are fuzzy. I am thinking about buying a small screen phone..I don’t know if the big screen size is causing the problem or the high resolution size of image.
Louise Myers says
It may be just how it appears on your screen. Have you tried viewing a posted image from another device?
Shyami goyal says
Thanks for sharing all Instagram sizes.
I use big one works better
Fred Paco says
Louise,
I did see that the portrait photos are cropped on the bottom and top to show the square shape in the integral feed, do you know how much from each? or it would be same from both ends?
Louise Myers says
Yep, tall or wide images will crop to a centered square.
Dorina says
What are the specs of the header “circle” image?
Louise Myers says
Use any size you like as long as it’s no smaller than 110 pixels either way.
Syl says
I always crop my photos to 1080×1080 at 100% quality and 72dpi… but, on the iPad the photo still looks a bit fuzzy. Any way to improve the quality for iPad viewing?
Louise Myers says
I’ve noticed this too. I don’t think you can because the iPad screen size is bigger than 1080 pixels. I’ll let you know if I discover any tricks.
Dawn Stanyon says
Fantastic. Love your stuff. Shared this post.
Louise Myers says
Thanks for sharing!
Janet Beckers says
Hey Louise I just discovered your blog and want to send a big thanks for creating really practical, no fluff articles. I’m book marking you now to share with my followers who I know will appreciate your style.
Louise Myers says
Fantastic! Glad to hear it, Janet.
David says
One thing I’m having a hard time finding out is the best DPi for Instagram. I’m saving photos in Photoshop at 1080X1350 at 300dpi, but should it be 72dpi for the web? Are images still getting compress at 300dpi?
Thanks!
Louise Myers says
Pixels per inch doesn’t matter for the web. Images will be shown per the user’s device resolution.
Reginald Grey says
But…. if I upload an image at 72dpi and the user’s device is 96dpi am I going to be uprezed and thus lose out to someone posting at 300 which could always down rez?
Louise Myers says
Images on the web don’t maintain any number of pixels per inch. Overall pixel size is all that matters. But if you want to save at 300 ppi, be my guest.
Rich says
Ppi is a printer measurement. Get the Pixel dimensions correct. Ignore ppi. Louise is right!
Louise Myers says
Thanks Rich!
Punit Mahajan says
Hey Louise,
Thanks for the updated information.
I prefer to use 1080X1350 as you can express more. Ditching the standard square format.
Thanks for the article!
Regards,
Bloggerpunit
Louise Myers says
I prefer tall, too. Enjoy!
Amanda Brooks says
Wondering why when I hit the option to switch to portrait I get the white bars in the sides instead of filling the frame like your example. Any thoughts?
Louise Myers says
It only has bars on the sides in edit mode, so you can see the full image. It won’t have bars once it’s posted.
Shlomit Heymann says
Hello and thank you for this post 🙂
One thing I don’t understand:
I have a portrait image, and I resized it to be 1080 tall. I tried to post it but Instagram is cropping it. I than found your post and resized it to 1035 tall. It still cropping it. why?
Thanks a lot,
Shlomit
Louise Myers says
You have to tap the little button that converts it from square to the shape of the photo (whether horizontal or vertical). The precise pixel dimensions don’t affect whether it can be posted as non-square (but at last 1080 wide is optimal).
a says
what little button ?
Louise Myers says
In iOS it’s in the lower left corner and looks like 2 brackets
Alson says
hello,
i understand that currently, instagram only allows 1080×1080 for ads, do you happen to know if it’s true?
Louise Myers says
You can also do a horizontal in the same proportions as Facebook: 1.91 to 1. Minimum size 600×315 pixels.
ahmad_kurdsh_ says
so nice
Louise Myers says
Glad it was helpful.
Jan says
thank you for this useful information 🙂
Louise Myers says
You’re welcome!
Emily la Grange says
Super-de-duper Insta-info Louise! Pinned, shared and tweeted the goodness x
Louise Myers says
Thanks a million, Emily!