What Photo Size Is Best For Instagram?
With Instagram allowing vertical and landscape photos since 2015, it’s important to understand the ideal Instagram photo sizes so that your images look their best. This includes post, Reel, and profile photos.
The traditional square image orientation is the easiest to manage thanks to the auto-cropping functionality in most photo editing apps and on Instagram itself. Going beyond these dimensions will result in images being compressed for display, which can distort detail and affect quality.
Square
Once upon a time, Instagram was all about square photos. People that wanted to upload landscape or portrait photos had to use 3rd party apps and creative workarounds to get them on the platform.
Nowadays, Instagram has relaxed its focus on the square and users can create posts with both horizontal and vertical formats. Plus, there are multiple other ways to post content on Instagram, including Stories, Reels, IGTV videos and your profile photo.
When posting vertical (portrait) photos, Instagram recommends that you keep them around 1080px by 1350px in size to ensure they look good when the app compresses them. As for horizontal posts, Instagram recommends keeping them at least 510px in width to ensure that they’re easily viewable on most devices.
Landscape
Currently, Instagram allows you to upload landscape photos to your feed with a 16:9 aspect ratio. When you select a landscape photo to upload, it will automatically be cropped to fit within this ratio. Similarly, videos can be uploaded in a landscape format, although they’ll display with a black border.
If you choose to include landscape or square images in a carousel, you’ll want to make sure that all the photos are the same size so that they match up properly. A good rule of thumb is to have your landscape photos be sized at 1080 x 1920 pixels to ensure optimal quality and consistency.
As you can see, Instagram’s different post sizes can open up a whole new world of possibilities for your content. The next step is to experiment and find out which ones work best for you! If you’re interested in trying out different Instagram post sizes, be sure to check out PicMonkey’s collection of pre-sized Instagram templates.
Vertical
When deciding what photo size is best for Instagram, it’s important to keep in mind both aspect ratio and resolution. Aspect ratio refers to the width of a picture in relation to its height, while resolution is the number of pixels (px) in a photo’s width and height.
Whether you’re posting a traditional square post, landscape photo, or IGTV video, it’s important to use the ideal Instagram photo sizes for your content. By doing so, you can ensure that your posts are displayed correctly on Instagram and that your followers will be able to easily engage with your content.
When Instagram first launched in 2012, it was only possible to upload photos in a 1:1 square format. Since 2015, Instagram has listened to user feedback and introduced horizontal and vertical photo capabilities. This has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for Instagram photos and videos!
Header
If you manage an Instagram account for your brand, business, or client, you’re constantly thinking about how to best represent your image. The proper file size and resolution for your images ensures they are displayed correctly on Instagram, maintaining quality and credibility with your followers.
The platform supports a variety of content formats from posts to Stories and IGTV videos, with specific guidelines for each. Using the right image size ensures your content looks sharp on any device and catches your followers’ attention.
For feed posts, Instagram stores photos at 320 x 320 pixels and displays them at that size in the Feed or on your profile grid. However, if you add an image to a Story or a Carousel Ad, Instagram resizes it to the recommended dimensions for that type of content. Changing your Instagram photo size without adhering to the guidelines can result in blurry or pixelated photos. Avoid these mistakes by sticking to the recommended photo sizes for Instagram.