How to Optimize Your Instagram Videos & Images (2023 CHEATSHEET)

It’s no secret that in today’s digital world, having the correct size of images for social media is essential. Statistics show that 46% of users are less likely to interact with an image if it looks pixelated or distorted, while 32% of users said they won’t even click on a link if the image isn’t up to their standards. Knowing and understanding the various guidelines for different platforms can help you ensure your images look great across the board. Let’s dive into some specific tips for optimizing your social media images.

The Basics

Before we get into specifics, let’s go over some basic guidelines for designing your images. Generally speaking, most platforms recommend using JPEG files for photographs, and PNG files for graphics or illustrations with transparent backgrounds. The file size should be kept as small as possible without sacrificing quality; this means avoiding large resolutions and high-quality settings if not necessary. As a rule of thumb, you should aim to keep file sizes under 1 MB whenever possible.

Instagram Specific Guidelines

Each platform has its own guidelines when it comes to sizing images correctly—let’s take a quick look at Instagram:

While Instagram was initially known for its square images (which it still has) it now also supports both vertically and horizontally oriented images as well. This gives you more options, but also can make figuring out the right dimensions for your post a little more difficult. Here are some guidelines to help you get it right, every time:

Instagram Profile Picture Size: 320×320 pixels

While the profile pictures are actually displayed at 110×110 pixels, the images are stored at 320×320 pixels which means you want your upload to be at least that size (or bigger).

Pro Tip: Even though the dimensions for upload are square the image is displayed as a circle which means if you don’t plan ahead you may lose a portion of your image inadvertently. Keep the elements you want centered in your image and if you need to, crop wider with extra white space (or any color)!

Instagram post sizes (photos in your feed):

• Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels
• Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels
• Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Supported aspect ratios: Anywhere between 1.91:1 and 4:5
• Recommended image size: Width of 1080 pixels, height between 566 and 1350 pixels (depending on whether the image is landscape or portrait)

Pro Tip: Aim to have your uploaded images on Instagram at 1080 pixels wide for best results. If they are larger than that, Instagram will size them down. Alternatively, if your image is under 320 pixels Instagram will size it up. Finally, if your images doesn’t fall between a ratio of 1.9:1 or 4:5 it will automatically be cropped. To future proof your Instagram uploads be sure to make them at the 1080 pixel width with a good resolution!

Instagram Stories/Reels Size: 1080×1920 pixels

Pro Tip: 1080×1920 pixels is an aspect ratio of 9:16, when possible maintain this ratio but utilize a smaller pixel size to increase the speed at which your Story will buffer. If you stray away from this aspect ratio, your story may end up oddly cropped, zoomed or have sections of the screen blank. If you upload an independent image for your Reels Cover it should also be at the 1080×1920 sizing, but keep in mind that if you are sharing your reel to your feed it will be cropped to a 1:1 ratio – so place any pertinent elements within that zone.

Instagram Carousel Image Sizes:

• Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels
• Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels
• Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Aspect ratio: landscape (1.91:1), square (1:1), vertical (4:5)
• Recommended image size: Width of 1080 pixels, height between 566 and 1350 pixels (depending on whether the image is landscape or portrait)

Instagram Ads Image Sizes:

• Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels
• Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Minimum width: 320 pixels
• Maximum width: 1080 pixels
• Supported aspect ratios: Anywhere between 1.91:1 and 4:5

Pro Tip: Your Instagram ads cannot have more than 30 hashtags and there are other text recommendations to consider. Your headline should be 40 characters and the primary text for your ad should not exceed 125 characters.

Instagram Stories Ads Size: 1080×1920 pixels

Pro Tip: To prevent your logo and text from being blocked, Instagram recommends making sure you don’t place these items in the 250 pixels at the top and bottom of your image or video. Also, you don’t have to worry about having more than 20% of your ad space covered in text as this regulation was removed back in September of 2020.

Each platform has its own set of guidelines when it comes to sizing images correctly—and these aren’t set in stone! As social media evolves so too do the standards around how we share our content visually online. Keeping up with all the changes can be daunting but it doesn’t have to be difficult! With these tips in mind you’ll have all the tools you need to optimize your social media images like a pro! Now go forth and create beautiful visuals!

Looking for help with your social media marketing strategy? Contact us today and let our experienced team of digital marketers help you create a powerful campaign!

About Rene | Spherical Strategies – Senior Marketing Strategist Rene works with Spherical Strategies as a Senior Marketing Strategist. She brings a love of business building and decades of marketing experience to every project she works on. Over the past several years she has worked with companies of all sizes developing custom marketing strategies focused on business development and growth. Outside of her work as a marketing strategist, Rene loves to travel and experience food from around the world while encouraging those around her to get outside of their comfort zones.