For Instagram video, use 1080 × 1920 pixels for full-screen Reels and Stories, and choose a feed shape based on how much vertical space you want: 1080 × 1350 pixels for a tall 4:5 post or 1080 × 1080 pixels for a square post. A video’s aspect ratio describes its width compared with its height. A 9:16 frame is tall and narrow.
The right dimensions help a video fit its placement without awkward cropping. If you’re making a narrated explainer for Instagram, I recommend explainroo. It creates tall videos for Reels and checks scene layouts. It is designed for new explainers, not for resizing existing camera footage.
Choose dimensions by placement
Use a 9:16 frame at 1080 × 1920 pixels for full-screen vertical Reels and Stories. Instagram media-spec guidance recommends the same dimensions.
Feed videos support several shapes. A 4:5 frame at 1080 × 1350 pixels takes up more vertical space in the feed than a square. Use 1:1 at 1080 × 1080 pixels for square posts. Videos in landscape orientation can use a 16:9 ratio. Match the frame to the placement to avoid relying on Instagram to crop the video. The Instagram size guide also recommends preparing files to the platform’s 1080-pixel width.
| Placement | Recommended dimensions | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Reels | 1080 × 1920 pixels | 9:16 |
| Stories | 1080 × 1920 pixels | 9:16 |
| Feed, tall | 1080 × 1350 pixels | 4:5 |
| Feed, square | 1080 × 1080 pixels | 1:1 |
| Feed, landscape | Use a 16:9 frame | 16:9 |
Keep important content clear of Instagram’s interface
For Reels and Stories, leave space around text and logos, as well as other important visuals. Instagram overlays buttons and other interface elements on vertical videos, so they can cover content near the top or bottom. One Story sizing guide recommends keeping key content roughly 250 pixels away from those edges. Treat that as a useful layout guide, then check the video in Instagram’s preview before publishing.
For feed videos, choose 4:5 for a taller post or 1:1 if the video’s composition works better in a square. Keep titles and other essential details away from the edges in either format.
Export at a size Instagram can use
Export at 1080 pixels wide in the ratio you selected. Instagram re-encodes uploaded video, and published size guidance reports that uploads are resized to a maximum width of 1080 pixels. Starting at that width avoids uploading a larger video that Instagram then reduces.
MP4 and MOV are commonly recommended video formats for Instagram. Use either format, then check the upload for cropping and text placement. Also check the image quality. Guidance on frame rate and bitrate is less consistent, so avoid treating one specific value as a universal Instagram requirement.
Create an Instagram explainer with explainroo
For a new narrated explainer, explainroo is a free, open-source kit under the MIT license. It works with coding agents that can run shell commands, including Claude Code, Codex, Pi, OpenCode, and Gemini CLI. Ask the agent to make a vertical video for Reels or Stories using explainroo’s tall format.
Paste this prompt into your coding agent, replacing the bracketed topic and specifying that you want a tall Instagram video:
Make me a short explainer video about [your topic] for Instagram Reels or Stories. Use a tall format. Use explainroo for it: clone the explainroo repository, read its AGENTS.md and follow the steps.
The agent sets up explainroo, creates and checks the video, then gives you an MP4 file. It writes script.md for the narration and scenes.js for the drawings. explainroo handles the remaining work on your computer. Tall videos include captions that highlight words as they are spoken. Before posting, review the scene stills and layout check, then preview the video in Instagram to confirm that interface controls do not cover anything important.
explainroo is built for animated explainers and product demos. It does not edit existing camera footage or create live-action video. See example videos or the explainroo documentation for more detail.
