Starting your Instagram journey and want to make a strong impact? Using the right Instagram photo sizes and creating authentic, engaging content is key to boosting visibility, reach, and engagement.

In this blog, find out dimensions that experts recommend and influencers use to up their impact on Instagram.

What Are The Recommended Instagram Photo Dimensions?

Instagram allows you to post square, portrait, or landscape photos. However, to make sure that your post displays perfectly in feed previews and retains full aspect ratios when clicked, remember to use these recommended dimensions.

Instagram post size dimensions:

• Square (1:1): 1080px by 1080px.
• Landscape (1.91:1): 1080px by 566px.
• Portrait (4:5): 1080px by 1350px.

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Dimensions for Other Instagram Content Types

If Instagram is a key part of your social media strategy, you’re likely using more than just photo posts. All the top IG players use a combination of posts, Stories, and Reels to enhance their content.

Stick to these dimensions for different content types to maintain quality and visibility.

• For Instagram Stories & Reels: Use 1080px by 1920px (9:16 aspect ratio) so your content takes up the entire screen. Note that Stories can be up to 15 seconds long per segment, while Reels can extend up to 90 seconds.
• Profile Photos: Use 320px by 320px. Although Instagram displays profile pictures as circles, using this square dimension ensures your logo or image is clear.
• Story Highlights: Use the same dimensions as Instagram Stories (1080px by 1920px) for a consistent, professional look that fills the screen.

Make sure all your image files are under 30 MB and in JPEG or PNG formats to follow Instagram requirements. This way, your photo fills most of the viewer’s phone screen while leaving you enough space to put in some engaging text.

What Is the Best Instagram Post Resolution?

The best resolution for Instagram posts is 1080 pixels in width. Instagram compresses images upon upload, which can degrade quality. To counter this, upload at the highest resolution Instagram supports—up to 1080px in width.

For professionals or those looking to maintain top quality, shoot and edit photos at an even higher resolution (e.g., 2160px) and downscale them to 1080px before uploading. This makes sure that Instagram’s compression doesn’t impact your image as much.

Hint: Check out posts from successful influencers to learn the nuances of IG post size, dimensions, and resolution standards. You can then apply these insights to your own posting strategy.

Best Practices for Maintaining Image Quality and Engagement on Instagram

• To avoid losing important elements, keep text, logos, or critical visuals within a safe zone—generally 1080px by 1080px for square and portrait images. This way, no matter where your content appears, your key message always remains visible.

• To ensure your images maintain quality, stick to JPEG or PNG for photos and MP4, GIF, or MOV for videos.

• Add hashtags, location tags, user mentions, and live stickers to enhance visibility, upping the chances of your target audience seeing your stories.

• Remember, images appear for five seconds, whereas videos play in 15-second segments.

Also Read: How to Find Instagram Follower Demographics of Influencers

However, videos longer than 15 seconds can be recorded up to one minute and will be automatically divided into four segments, so be strategic about your content flow.

For example, use the first part of your video to introduce a compelling hook or teaser, the middle part of building the story or highlighting key information, and save the last part for a strong call-to-action or summary. This way, you make the most of your time, and the structure helps maintain viewers’ interest and engagement throughout the entire content.

Use of Landscape and Portrait Dimensions:

You’ve probably noticed that landscape images usually get lost in the feed, so while you can still use them, use them strategically when a wide perspective is essential, like for showcasing panoramic landscapes, group shots, or highlighting wider scenes like architecture or events. These images work best when the entire width of the scene is important to telling the story or capturing the full context of the moment.

On the other hand, opt for portrait dimensions (1080px by 1350px) whenever possible. They’re perfect for mobile users and make your content more engaging and less likely to be scrolled past quickly.

What Is The Best Way To Resize Photographs For Instagram?

Many online tools like Picsart, Adobe Express, and Canva offer presets for Instagram’s recommended dimensions. They allow you to quickly adjust your photos to ideal sizes for Instagram posts, stories, and profile pictures without losing any quality.

One of the great things about these platforms is that they include additional features like the ability to add text, apply filters, or finely adjust the crop to ensure your subject remains the focal point.

To resize a photo, simply upload it to one of these tools, select the correct Instagram size preset, and then download the resized image ready for posting.

Important Note: Remember, resizing and cropping are not the same. Resizing changes the pixel dimensions of an image to scale it up or down, while cropping removes parts of the original image to refocus the content or change its aspect ratio.

Also Read: How Do You Calculate Engagement Rate on Instagram

Key takeaways on Instagram size dimensions

Sticking to the recommended IG sizes helps to enhance the impact of your content by displaying everything you want to display. And while dimensions are crucial for technical perfection, aesthetic consistency makes a lasting impact.

Stick to a consistent style, tone, or color palette across your posts. This gives your profile a cohesive look and makes your brand instantly recognizable, turning occasional viewers into loyal followers.

FAQs

• What Is The Instagram Portrait Size?

The best Instagram portrait size for 2023 is 1080 x 1350 pixels with a 4:5 aspect ratio. This size ensures a clear, effective display of vertical images on the platform.

• What is The Best Instagram Story SIze?

For the best display, your Instagram Stories should be 1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall because this fits the recommended 9:16 IG aspect ratio.