Instagram Story Dimensions

The video aspect of Instagram stories allows you to connect on a deeper level with your audience and, in return, increase engagement over time. While an Instagram image can bring awareness, a well-planned-out Instagram story can give your brand a soul.

When planning the next story for your Instagram feed, you need to remember they use the same aspect ratio as a widescreen TV (only one that is flipped on its side). Using the right tools, you can ensure that you frame your photos and videos perfectly so that they look good side-by-side on the Instagram app.

This blog post will give you an overview of your Instagram stories’ recommended size and resolution and guide you on which formats can be used.

Instagram recommends that your story dimensions fit into your typical video and image ratios. These ratios include 9:16 for video and 4:5 for images. Stories are displayed vertically. The recommended pixel resolution is 1080x1920px.  

The minimum width for your stories is 500 px. You should also ensure that each image is at least 72 PPI (pixels per inch) to give standard quality for your followers. It is important to upload the correct ratios, as Instagram will crop images to format them to their standards. As this is automatic, you could lose important data if you don’t plan ahead. 

Insta Story Resolution

The minimum story resolution is 72 PPI. Instagram recommends using 1080px by 1920px (a 9:16 aspect ratio) so that it will appear clear and appealing on full screen. You can put up dimensions as low as 600px by 1067px. When filming an Instagram video, you should ensure that you record at a resolution of at least 1080px at 30 fps. You can often adjust these settings on your camera or mobile device.  

If you take pictures at a lower resolution (or film at one), you risk showing grainy images or videos to your followers. Take the time to ensure you deliver great Instagram stories every time. It is important to note that with any IG story, you will want to position the format as a portrait photo or video. The landscape style will not work for your Instagram account.

Instagram Story File Format 

Instagram story images should be uploaded in PNG, JPG, or BMP. A good strategy long-term is to edit your images in PNG so that you don’t lose any features over time. When it is finally time to upload your images, export your files as JPGs and post them on Instagram. Though the JPG can lose data over time, it is a much more compact file for online distribution. The max image size is 30MB.

For Instagram video stories, you will need to create MP4 or MOV files. Instagram’s recommended resolution for videos is 1080 x 1920px which meets the aspect ratio of 9:16.

Instagram Story Size

The max image size for Instagram stories is 30MB. If you have a lot of data stored on an image, you may want to try to upload it as a JPG instead of a PNG. You can use a video compression tool in order to get the best Instagram story size.

Instagram Story Video Size

The max video size for an Instagram story is 4GB. As the maximum length of a video on Instagram is 15 seconds long, you shouldn’t have to worry about exceeding the video file limit. You can upload multiple videos together, each in 15-second segments to show a longer clip.

If you want to ensure that you give your followers the highest quality every time, consider using a tool that will size each image, give you editing options, and allow you to layer text or images on top of each other. Creating Instagram stories with the proper tools can help you improve your overall image quality and invite other users to engage with your video content.

Here are a few of our favorites:

• Snappa

  

  Snappa has templates for Instagram as well as several other social platforms. You can create the perfect Instagram stories with overlays and graphics with the program. Whether you want something that looks interactive or upload images that can be overlaid on your video, Snappa can help you create high-quality videos that your followers will eventually associate with you.

• Placeit

  

  Placeit has highly customizable templates for Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and many other platforms. The site is easy to use and very affordable. Creating content becomes a lot easier with this tool as you can modify each video, add slides to your IG stories, and overly text, transitions, and graphics to make your Instagram posts stand out.

• Canva

  

  With Canva‘s templates for Instagram Stories as well as other social posts, you can create visually appealing images that will attract new followers for you. Every single one of their Instagram story templates is 100% customizable and you can collaborate on them with your brand’s partners in real-time so that you can create a social media post that you’re proud to share.

• Lumen5

  Lumen5 allows you to produce videos for Instagram stories. You can create professional-looking videos with layers and text. The best part is, you can set the dimensions of the video, ensuring that it comes out perfect. Over 800 thousand brands use Lumen5 to help with their branding and create posts with the perfect Instagram story dimensions.

• Adobe Spark

  With Adobe Spark, you can create short videos or social graphics that will stand out for your viewers. They have hosts of filters and animations that are designed to be eye-catching. Search through their templates that can bring new visual layers to every Instagram story you create.

• Embed Social

  If you need to add a CTA to your Instagram Stories, we recommend using Embed Social. With this platform, you can add embeddable code that makes your images shoppable. Embed Social works with several different platforms and offers growth elements outside of just the design of photos and videos.

Most Instagram influencers should aim to post between 10-20 stories per day. These should be posted periodically throughout the day and should be original content. Use your stories to update your audience and engage with them. You can also use it to bring attention to your main post of the day.

While you should plan the best times for your Instagram posts, you don’t have to worry as much with stories. Just make sure that they stay relatively within your niche and inspire your audience. While Instagram videos can help bring more eyeballs to your account, you can take your time with each Instagram story design as long as you are posting other elements consistently.