Being a social media content marketer is not easy. It's not just about posting a photo mindlessly, a good business account that captures the viewer's attention requires thoughtful placement and nice artwork flows in an album. Doing this right can make your products or services stand out and become more appealing to the target audience on social networks.
Finding the right Instagram photo size can be frustrating sometimes, especially for some of you start-up entrepreneurs who manage content for Instagram Business Account by yourselves. So here’s an updated Instagram Size Template & Guide For Photo Posts & IG Story for the 2023 layout. See also our Facebook Size Guide for the latest update.
Instagram Profile Photo Size
Let’s start with your business profile picture. The recommended photo size for a profile picture is 320 x 320 pixels, so make sure to upload an image that’s least that big.
However, you can simply use the crop tool to easily resize your profile photo as well. Even though the dimensions are in a square format, Instagram profile pictures are displayed as a circle. Make sure any elements of the content you want to focus on in the photo are centred so they don’t get cropped out.
Thumbnail image size:
IG Thumbnails display as square 1:1 aspect ratio at 161 x 161 pixels. Remember that Instagram stores versions of these thumbnails that are as large as 1080 x 1080 square. To future-proof your Instagram feed and avoid pixelation, upload square images with as large file size as possible.
Instagram Photo Sizes
Instagram supports horizontally and vertically oriented images. It also still supports square images, which was what the platform was known for when it first launched.
This increases your brand’s options. But it also makes image dimensions a little trickier to get right. Follow these guidelines to make sure your images end up looking their best.
Square:
Aspect Ratio | 1:1
Resolution | 1080 x 1080 pixels
Probably the most used Instagram image size because it displays the same as a thumbnail in your profile page.
Landscape:
Aspect Ratio | 1.91:1
Resolution | 1080 x 566 pixels
Landscape oriented Instagram image sizes are quite popular and easy to post on IG. Mostly used with scenery photos and group shots.
Portrait:
Aspect Ratio | 4:5
Resolution | 1080 x 1350 pixels
Although not as often used as the rest, portrait Instagram image size can give the audience a little bit of surprise factor and potentially grab their attention, as they need to scroll their fingers multiple times to get past these IG image sizes.
Tips:
For the best results possible on your feed, aim to upload an image that is 1080 pixels wide.
Keep in mind that the limit for all instagram images are 1080 pixels and Instagram will size down any image that is over 1080 pixels.
Also note that if you upload images with a lower resolution than 320 pixels, Instagram will size it up to 320 pixels wide.
Instagram will keep all images at its original resolution as long as it is between 320 and 1080 pixels wide.
Lastly, instagram will automatically crop your photo to fit another supported ratio if it does not fit the aspect ratio.
Instagram ads:
Uses the same sizes as photo posts. Remember that Instagram ads appearing in users’ feeds cannot have more than 30 hashtags. There are also recommendations for the number of characters included in an ad’s primary text and headline.
Instagram Story
Aspect Ratio | 9:16
Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels
Uploading an image with a smaller pixel size (but the same aspect ratio) means smaller file size and the Instagram Stories will buffer more quickly. If you don’t use this aspect ratio, the Story might display with strange cropping, zooming, or leave large sections of the screen blank. Instagram Reels use this same sizing.
Instagram Story Ads
Instagram recommends leaving roughly “14% (250 pixels) of the top and bottom of the image free from text and logos” for Instagram Stories to prevent them from being covered. As of September 2020, Facebook and Instagram ads are no longer penalized if more than 20% of the ad space is text.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Instagram Images Work?
Instagram size for video and photo have various dimensions depending on the orientation of the photo and tool it's being posted with.
What is Aspect Ratio?
Aspect ratio refers to the width of a picture in relation to its height. It's expressed as a ratio, like 4:5 or 9:16, where the first digit represents the width and the second digit represents height.
What is size?
Size (or resolution) refers to the number of pixels that make up the width and height of your photo or video.
What is the difference between a square and an unsquare image?
Unsquare images appear as center-cropped squares on your profile gallery.
How do I square or unsquare a photo or video?
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.
How do you fit a full picture on Instagram?
Open the Instagram app and upload your picture. You'll notice that Instagram crops the picture to square by default, but you can click the expand arrows or pinch the image in the lower left to fit the whole picture on Instagram.
Fed up With Instagram Photo Size Headaches?
Don’t want to go through all this sizing and placement yourself? Our team at Sphere Agency is here to help you manage your Instagram business account with creative and compelling content. See our Social Media Marketing Services and Contact Us today!
