Post by sumaiya12 on Nov 2, 2024 9:18:21 GMT 5.5
If you want to create a bright advertising message that will be seen by hundreds of thousands or even millions of users, you should choose Instagram (IG). This social network is ideal for promoting business using multimedia. To understand how to do it right, we will look into the characteristics of videos for Instagram - sizes, formats, resolution, duration, etc.
What should a video for Instagram be like: size, resolution, formats
Content
What types of videos are there on Instagram?
In 2018, the IGTV app content writing service was launched, which, according to the plans of the social network's founders, was supposed to compete with YouTube. It became quite popular, but still did not live up to the creators' expectations. First, it was merged with the main program, and then the service was canceled altogether. So, today we have four video formats.
Video in feed (carousel)
This is a video that is placed in a regular message just like a photo. To add it, click the button with the “+” symbol on the top right, select “Message” and upload the file from your device. Please note: Instagram’s video parameters are the most flexible for this format — you can even upload short films of your own making to the social network.
Reels
Short videos are similar to TikTok or YouTube Shorts. They are displayed in a separate section of the application. To view them, click the button with the "Play" icon at the bottom center. Only verified users are allowed to publish Reels - you will not be able to do this immediately after registering an account. However, these are temporary restrictions that should be lifted soon. Reels are added in the same way as regular messages. However, after clicking the "+" button, you will need to select the appropriate menu section.
Stories
Temporary messages available for viewing for 24 hours. They are saved in the cloud service memory - you can restore them or make collages from them if you wish. When new Stories appear, a colored circle appears around the user's avatar. By clicking on the image, you will see what he wants to share with his followers. To add a video, click the "+" button and select "Story". You can upload a ready-made file or shoot a video on the spot.
Live
Live broadcasts that can be saved as video for later viewing. Recorded live only, file uploads are not available. To start a stream, click the "+" button and select the "Live" section in the menu below.
Instagram settings to keep in mind when uploading videos
If you are just exploring different means of communication on the social network, don’t be afraid to experiment – it’s fun and interesting. But professionals need to prepare well for publications, because even one low-quality message can negatively affect the brand’s reputation. Therefore, it is worth knowing how to make a video suitable for Instagram.
1. Video file size
Don't confuse this with duration or resolution. This only refers to the amount of memory your file takes up. The following file size limits are set:
video in a message - 650 MB for 10 minutes or 3.6 GB for 60 minutes;
Reels - 4 GB;
Stories - 4 GB for every 15 seconds;
Live — 4 GB for the entire stream up to 4 hours long. If this limit is exceeded, the broadcast is automatically interrupted and must be restarted. It is recommended to start the broadcast only if the data transfer rate exceeds 500 KB/s.
2. Orientation
Over 86% of users browse their feeds on smartphones. Therefore, the normal video orientation for Instagram is vertical (portrait). This rule must be followed when publishing Stories, Reels, and live broadcasts. The only exception is videos in messages. They can be horizontal. However, videos with the wrong aspect ratio will be shown with black bars along the edges. To avoid this, we move on to the next requirement.
3. Aspect ratio
The social network is primarily focused on mobile devices, so the aspect ratio of videos in IG is adapted to elongated vertical screens:
Video in message - 9:16 in portrait format or 5:4 in landscape (horizontal). There is also support for 1:1.91 and 1:1;
Reels — 9:16;
Stories — 9:16;
Live — 9:16.
4. Recording duration
Instagram is focused on short videos that can be viewed on the go. The IGTV app, which allowed for long videos to be posted, was not as popular as expected. That's why the following limits are set today:
video in a message - up to 60 minutes;
Reels - up to 60 seconds;
Stories — up to 15 seconds. If you upload a longer video, it is automatically split into 15-second blocks that are published separately;
Live - the broadcast can last no more than 4 hours.
5. Video file types
The most important feature. We recommend that you immediately install the appropriate video file types for Instagram in the camera menu to reduce the effort and time spent on format conversion. The application works with MP4 and MOV encoding.
You can also post animated GIFs to your feed and Stories. If you like this type of file, we recommend downloading the GIPHY Capture app. It helps you create animations from photos and videos.
6. Resolution
Of course, you want to publish messages and stories of the highest quality. However, more than 70% of users view content on screens no higher than Full HD. Therefore, the video resolution on Instagram is limited - this allows you to save traffic and reduce the load on servers:
video in a message - from 680 × 1080 to 1080 × 1920 in portrait orientation, up to 1350 × 1080 in landscape;
Reels - 1080×1920 without variations;
Stories - from 680 × 1080 to 1080 × 1920;
Live — 1080×1920 without variations.
Please note! You can publish videos in lower resolution in Stories and messages. However, this means that the image quality will be significantly reduced. In addition, the incorrect aspect ratio will result in cropped edges or black bars.
7. Cover photo size
IG lets users choose a preview image that will grab viewers' attention. Reels and videos in posts support images with a resolution of 420 × 654 pixels. Images must have an aspect ratio of 1:1.55.
What should a video for Instagram be like: size, resolution, formats
Content
What types of videos are there on Instagram?
In 2018, the IGTV app content writing service was launched, which, according to the plans of the social network's founders, was supposed to compete with YouTube. It became quite popular, but still did not live up to the creators' expectations. First, it was merged with the main program, and then the service was canceled altogether. So, today we have four video formats.
Video in feed (carousel)
This is a video that is placed in a regular message just like a photo. To add it, click the button with the “+” symbol on the top right, select “Message” and upload the file from your device. Please note: Instagram’s video parameters are the most flexible for this format — you can even upload short films of your own making to the social network.
Reels
Short videos are similar to TikTok or YouTube Shorts. They are displayed in a separate section of the application. To view them, click the button with the "Play" icon at the bottom center. Only verified users are allowed to publish Reels - you will not be able to do this immediately after registering an account. However, these are temporary restrictions that should be lifted soon. Reels are added in the same way as regular messages. However, after clicking the "+" button, you will need to select the appropriate menu section.
Stories
Temporary messages available for viewing for 24 hours. They are saved in the cloud service memory - you can restore them or make collages from them if you wish. When new Stories appear, a colored circle appears around the user's avatar. By clicking on the image, you will see what he wants to share with his followers. To add a video, click the "+" button and select "Story". You can upload a ready-made file or shoot a video on the spot.
Live
Live broadcasts that can be saved as video for later viewing. Recorded live only, file uploads are not available. To start a stream, click the "+" button and select the "Live" section in the menu below.
Instagram settings to keep in mind when uploading videos
If you are just exploring different means of communication on the social network, don’t be afraid to experiment – it’s fun and interesting. But professionals need to prepare well for publications, because even one low-quality message can negatively affect the brand’s reputation. Therefore, it is worth knowing how to make a video suitable for Instagram.
1. Video file size
Don't confuse this with duration or resolution. This only refers to the amount of memory your file takes up. The following file size limits are set:
video in a message - 650 MB for 10 minutes or 3.6 GB for 60 minutes;
Reels - 4 GB;
Stories - 4 GB for every 15 seconds;
Live — 4 GB for the entire stream up to 4 hours long. If this limit is exceeded, the broadcast is automatically interrupted and must be restarted. It is recommended to start the broadcast only if the data transfer rate exceeds 500 KB/s.
2. Orientation
Over 86% of users browse their feeds on smartphones. Therefore, the normal video orientation for Instagram is vertical (portrait). This rule must be followed when publishing Stories, Reels, and live broadcasts. The only exception is videos in messages. They can be horizontal. However, videos with the wrong aspect ratio will be shown with black bars along the edges. To avoid this, we move on to the next requirement.
3. Aspect ratio
The social network is primarily focused on mobile devices, so the aspect ratio of videos in IG is adapted to elongated vertical screens:
Video in message - 9:16 in portrait format or 5:4 in landscape (horizontal). There is also support for 1:1.91 and 1:1;
Reels — 9:16;
Stories — 9:16;
Live — 9:16.
4. Recording duration
Instagram is focused on short videos that can be viewed on the go. The IGTV app, which allowed for long videos to be posted, was not as popular as expected. That's why the following limits are set today:
video in a message - up to 60 minutes;
Reels - up to 60 seconds;
Stories — up to 15 seconds. If you upload a longer video, it is automatically split into 15-second blocks that are published separately;
Live - the broadcast can last no more than 4 hours.
5. Video file types
The most important feature. We recommend that you immediately install the appropriate video file types for Instagram in the camera menu to reduce the effort and time spent on format conversion. The application works with MP4 and MOV encoding.
You can also post animated GIFs to your feed and Stories. If you like this type of file, we recommend downloading the GIPHY Capture app. It helps you create animations from photos and videos.
6. Resolution
Of course, you want to publish messages and stories of the highest quality. However, more than 70% of users view content on screens no higher than Full HD. Therefore, the video resolution on Instagram is limited - this allows you to save traffic and reduce the load on servers:
video in a message - from 680 × 1080 to 1080 × 1920 in portrait orientation, up to 1350 × 1080 in landscape;
Reels - 1080×1920 without variations;
Stories - from 680 × 1080 to 1080 × 1920;
Live — 1080×1920 without variations.
Please note! You can publish videos in lower resolution in Stories and messages. However, this means that the image quality will be significantly reduced. In addition, the incorrect aspect ratio will result in cropped edges or black bars.
7. Cover photo size
IG lets users choose a preview image that will grab viewers' attention. Reels and videos in posts support images with a resolution of 420 × 654 pixels. Images must have an aspect ratio of 1:1.55.