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Hey! I'm Michelle!
The Social Strategist

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The Complete Instagram Image Size Guide – Updated for 2024!

Instagram, Social Media

Have you ever had trouble posting a photo on Instagram and it was cropped weirdly or came out super pixelated? If this has ever happened to you then you’re probably not uploading the correct image sizes. But how do you know what the proper Instagram image size is? This complete Instagram image size guide will tell you everything you need to know.

What is the Correct Instagram Image Size?

*Table of photo/carousel posts, reels, stories, and profile pictures and their accompanying sizes.*

Aspect Ratio is used to explain the width and height of an image.

Pixels are a unit of measurement that explains the resolution and detail of an image.

Instagram Post Size

When you upload a photo to post on Instagram, Instagram automatically produces a photo with 1080 pixels, the best quality resolution possible. If you upload an image between 320 and 1080 pixels, Instagram leaves the photo as is, as long as the aspect ratio is between 1.91:1 and 4:5.

If Instagram does not support your image’s aspect ratio, it will either crop it or enlarge it to fit the supported ratio (between 320 and 1080 pixels). Learn more about Instagram’s post image guidelines HERE.

Technically, Instagram supports three different image size options for posts–square, landscape, and portrait. However, I recommend using portrait photos as often as you can.

  • Square: 1:1 aspect ratio, 1080 x 1080 pixels
  • Portrait: 4:5 aspect ratio, 1080 x 1350 pixels 
  • Landscape: 1.91:1 aspect ratio, 1080 x 566 pixels

You want to take up as much digital real estate as possible because this is what helps engage your audience. When your post takes up someone’s entire mobile screen, you get their complete attention rather than having to battle with someone else’s content that is sharing the screen with yours.

Carousel Posts

Something to note when publishing a carousel post is whatever size you choose for your first image in the carousel, the rest of the images will automatically follow suit. This means you want to make sure all of your photos are vertical or horizontal, but not both within one post.

Instagram Stories Size

You definitely want to use a portrait image or video for your Instagram reels. If you use any other orientation you end up with a lot of dead space around your content.

The aspect ratio you are going for is 9:16. This lines up with images that are 1080 x 1920 pixels. The minimum width for your Instagram story is 500 pixels. Of course, you can always upload a picture outside of this range, but the quality will suffer.

Videos for your Instagram Stories can last up to 15 seconds and MP4, MOV, or GIF are the acceptable video formats. 

screenshot of Michelle Gifford's Instagram story.

Instagram Reel Size

Portrait videos are always the best option for reels. The aspect ratio and pixels for Reels follow suit with Stories. You want a 9:16 ratio and 1080 x 1920 pixels. This will ensure that a user’s entire screen is filled when they are watching it in the reels section of the Instagram app.

If you upload a video that does not fit these requirements, Instagram will automatically resize it which will probably make it look super zoomed in or have bad quality. To avoid this, ensure you are filming vertically and at a good angle!

Keep in mind that your reels show up with a 4:5 aspect ratio on the Instagram feed, so make sure to center your content to give your audience a clean and captivating first impression. 

For your reel cover photo, you can choose a clip from your reel or upload an entirely different image. It’s best to align your cover photo with your reel’s 9:16 aspect ratio so it can cover the entire video screen. Or, when uploading, you also have the option to use a square-shaped cover.

Instagram Profile Picture Size

It can be tricky to find a qualified profile picture for Instagram. It needs to be taken far enough away that the circle shape won’t crop anything important out, yet it needs to be close up enough that people can easily identify your face.

The recommended aspect ratio for your profile picture on Instagram is 1:1 and 320 x 320 pixels. These dimensions will help make sure your profile picture will consistently show up with the highest quality resolution across devices.

When taking the picture for your Instagram profile, make sure there is enough space in the background because quite a bit of the photo will be cropped out to fit in the given circle space on your Instagram profile. You want to make sure you can center your headshot (or whatever you use as your profile picture) without being too zoomed in or out.

 

Screenshot of Michelle Gifford's Instagram profile.

Pro Tip: Use Canva to edit your profile picture. You can size your desired profile photo to fit in the Instagram circle space. If you have the pro version you can even remove your background and make it a fun color to help make it stand out. 

However, there is still plenty you can do with the free version of Canva including sizing all of your Instagram content correctly so it’ll upload and post beautifully on your Instagram account every single time!

Main Takeaways

  • The aspect ratio describes the height and width of a photo and pixels explain the resolution of a photo.
  • Although Instagram supports square, portrait, and landscape photos for posts, portrait is your best option to captivate your audience.
  • Always film content for your Stories and Reels in a vertical format so your video will take up the entire screen when someone is watching it. (If it’s filmed and posted horizontally there will be a lot of dead space around it.)
  • Canva is the best user-friendly tool to help you size your photos and videos for Instagram before you post them. It has a free version too! Check it out HERE.

Instagram Image Size Guide

Now that you have this complete Instagram image size guide to reference, you’ll be posting like a pro. Now your audience will start taking you seriously because you’ll post clear and crisp content every single time. 

If you found this image size guide helpful, you’ll love these other posts covering more Instagram pro tips:

If you want to grow your Instagram but feel burnt out, stop trying to do it all on your own! Join my Insta Social Society where I give you weekly emails filled with trending audio and the latest Instagram tips + a community you can lean on for support. Check it out HERE.

Otherwise, come find me on Instagram @iammichellegifford. Hope to see you over there!

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