Framework
Before the Numbers: The 5-Ratio Framework
Square
Feed Post · Profile Photo
Portrait Feed
Feed Portrait Post
Full-Screen Vertical
Short Video · Story
Widescreen
Video · Landscape Image
Link Preview Wide
Link Preview · Landscape Post
Why this frame matters
Once you see the five dominant shapes, the rest of the guide becomes a lookup problem rather than a memorization problem. The real decision is not the pixel count. It is which shape lets the content survive the destination without losing the subject.
Instagram Image & Video Sizes 2025
| Content type | Ratio | Recommended size | Minimum size | Max file | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Feed Post (Portrait)Recommended | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | 320 × 400 | 30 MB | JPG/PNG | Recommended feed default |
Feed Post (Square) | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | 320 × 320 | 30 MB | JPG/PNG | Safest general-purpose fallback |
Feed Post (Landscape) | 1.91:1 | 1080 × 566 | 320 × 167 | 30 MB | JPG/PNG | Best for horizontal visuals |
Stories | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | 500 × 889 | 30 MB / 4 GB | JPG/PNG/MP4 | Full-screen vertical |
Reels | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | — | 4 GB | MP4/MOV | Algorithm-first video format |
Profile Photo | 1:1 | 320 × 320 | 110 × 110 | 8 MB | JPG/PNG | Displays inside a circular crop |
IGTV Cover | 1:1.55 | 420 × 654 | — | — | JPG/PNG | Legacy surface, still appears on some accounts |
Instagram's best publishing strategy
Feed images should start at 4:5 rather than 1:1 because portrait posts occupy noticeably more screen space in the feed.
Video content should start as 9:16 Reels or Stories when discovery matters; that is still Instagram's highest-priority native video format.
For Reels, keep critical text and faces away from the top 250 px and bottom 400 px where UI overlays crowd the frame.
Related workflow
Need the full destination-specific workflow? Open the Instagram workflow guide.
TikTok
TikTok Video Sizes 2025
| Content type | Ratio | Recommended size | Minimum size | Max file | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Video (Main)Recommended | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | — | 287.6 MB | MP4/MOV | Longest 10 minutes |
Video (Landscape) | 16:9 | 1920 × 1080 | — | — | MP4/MOV | Displays with black bars |
Video (Square) | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | — | — | MP4/MOV | Also displays with black bars |
Profile Photo | 1:1 | 200 × 200 | — | 2 MB | JPG/PNG | Circular display crop |
Cover Image | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | — | — | JPG/PNG | Should visually match the video frame |
TikTok optimization rule
A 16:9 or 1:1 upload occupies less than a third of the screen on TikTok and reads as non-native immediately.
When you publish landscape footage to TikTok, you usually pay twice: the frame looks smaller and the algorithm has less reason to reward it.
If TikTok is the primary destination, start with 9:16 and protect the center safe zone for captions and call-to-action overlays.
Related workflow
Need the full destination-specific workflow? Open the TikTok workflow guide.
YouTube
YouTube Image & Video Sizes 2025
| Content type | Ratio | Recommended size | Minimum size | Max file | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Video (Main)Recommended | 16:9 | 3840 × 2160 / 1920 × 1080 | — | 256 GB / 12 hours | MP4/MOV/AVI | Main channel format |
ShortsRecommended | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | — | 256 GB | MP4/MOV | Vertical Shorts feed |
Thumbnail | 16:9 | 1280 × 720 | 640 × 360 | 2 MB | JPG/PNG/GIF | Keep critical text inside the center 80% |
Channel Art | 16:9 | 2560 × 1440 | — | 6 MB | JPG/PNG | Design for the centered safe zone |
Channel Icon | 1:1 | 800 × 800 | — | 4 MB | JPG/PNG | Displays as a circle |
End Screen | 16:9 | 1280 × 720 | — | — | — | Build with visible CTA space |
YouTube channel art safe zone
The full channel art canvas is 2560 × 1440, but only the centered 1546 × 423 area is consistently visible across phone, tablet, and desktop.
Anything outside that core band is decorative space, not trustworthy branding space.
This is why channel art often looks empty on TV: it was designed correctly for the smaller device crops.
- Full canvas
- 2560 × 1440
- All-device safe zone
- 1546 × 423
- Desktop-only band
- 2560 × 423
Related workflow
Need the full destination-specific workflow? Open the YouTube workflow guide.
Facebook Image & Video Sizes 2025
| Content type | Ratio | Recommended size | Minimum size | Max file | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Feed Photo (Landscape) | 1.91:1 | 1200 × 630 | — | 30 MB | JPG/PNG | Matches link previews |
Feed Photo (Square) | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | — | 30 MB | JPG/PNG | General feed fallback |
Feed VideoRecommended | 16:9 | 1280 × 720 | — | 10 GB | MP4/MOV | Desktop-friendly default |
Stories | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | — | 4 GB | JPG/PNG/MP4 | Full-screen mobile |
Reels | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | — | 4 GB | MP4/MOV | Meta vertical video surface |
Cover Photo | 2.7:1 | 820 × 312 | — | 100 MB | JPG/PNG | Desktop crop differs from mobile |
Profile Photo | 1:1 | 170 × 170 | — | 100 MB | JPG/PNG | Desktop display size |
Event Cover | 1.91:1 | 1920 × 1005 | — | — | JPG/PNG | Event-first surface |
Link Preview | 1.91:1 | 1200 × 630 | — | — | JPG/PNG | Shared-link default |
Facebook cover crop rule
The desktop cover photo surface is 820 × 312, but the mobile crop behaves much closer to 640 × 360.
Design the message inside the centered 640 × 312 band and treat the rest as decorative bleed.
If you compose for the full 820-pixel width, mobile will clip the ends first.
Related workflow
Need the full destination-specific workflow? Open the Facebook workflow guide.
Twitter / X
Twitter / X Image & Video Sizes 2025
Twitter / X is relatively permissive, but permissive platforms are often where creators get cut off unexpectedly because the crop logic is not obvious. The safest workflow is still 16:9 for single in-stream images, 1:1 for multi-image posts, and a centered design for the 3:1 header.
| Content type | Ratio | Recommended size | Minimum size | Max file | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
In-stream Photo (Single)Recommended | 16:9 | 1600 × 900 | — | 5 MB | JPG/PNG/GIF | Safest single-image post |
In-stream Photo (Multi) | 1:1 | 1200 × 1200 | — | 5 MB | JPG/PNG | Predictable multi-image crop |
In-stream Video | 16:9 | 1280 × 720 | — | 512 MB | MP4/MOV | Landscape default |
Header Image | 3:1 | 1500 × 500 | — | 5 MB | JPG/PNG | Center-safe composition only |
Profile Photo | 1:1 | 400 × 400 | — | 2 MB | JPG/PNG | Circular crop |
Card Image (Summary) | 1:1 | 800 × 800 | — | — | JPG/PNG | Square summary card |
Card Image (Large) | 1.91:1 | 800 × 418 | — | — | JPG/PNG | Large preview card |
Twitter / X crop discipline
Twitter / X will usually accept more ratios than it will preview gracefully.
If the post absolutely must look right in the timeline, use 16:9 for a single image or 1:1 for a carousel and keep the subject centered.
Treat the top and bottom edges of unusually tall images as expendable because preview crops vary by context.
Related workflow
Need the full destination-specific workflow? Open the Twitter / X workflow guide.
LinkedIn Image & Video Sizes 2025
LinkedIn is shaped by desktop behavior more than most social platforms, which is why landscape layouts still work better here than they do on TikTok or Instagram. If the audience is professional, presentation-oriented, or education-first, the native LinkedIn ratios matter more than short-form vertical trends.
| Content type | Ratio | Recommended size | Minimum size | Max file | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Post Image (Landscape)Recommended | 1.91:1 | 1200 × 627 | — | 5 MB | JPG/PNG | Best-fit landscape image |
Post Image (Square) | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | — | 5 MB | JPG/PNG | Secondary feed option |
Post Video | 16:9 | 1920 × 1080 | — | 5 GB | MP4/MOV | Best desktop video default |
Article Cover | 1.91:1 | 1280 × 720 | — | — | JPG/PNG | Article preview visual |
Personal Cover | 4:1 | 1584 × 396 | — | 8 MB | JPG/PNG | Personal profile banner |
Company Cover | 4:1 | 1128 × 191 | — | 2 MB | JPG/PNG | Company page banner |
Company Logo | 1:1 | 300 × 300 | — | 5 MB | JPG/PNG | Square logo source |
Profile Photo | 1:1 | 400 × 400 | — | 8 MB | JPG/PNG | Circular display crop |
Sponsored Content | 1.91:1 | 1200 × 627 | — | — | JPG/PNG | Matches post image shape |
LinkedIn device bias
LinkedIn's audience remains more desktop-heavy than Instagram or TikTok, so 16:9 video and 1.91:1 landscape graphics still feel native here.
That device bias changes the creative recommendation completely: a format that looks old-fashioned on TikTok can look correct and high-trust on LinkedIn.
When the content is B2B, education, or thought leadership, start wider, not taller.
Related workflow
Need the full destination-specific workflow? Open the LinkedIn workflow guide.
Pinterest Image & Video Sizes 2025
Pinterest is the outlier in this guide because it still rewards vertical images outside of a pure video environment. That makes 2:3 the most important Pinterest ratio, with 9:16 as a secondary format for Story-style publishing and square as a fallback rather than a strategic default.
| Content type | Ratio | Recommended size | Minimum size | Max file | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard PinRecommended | 2:3 | 1000 × 1500 | — | 32 MB | JPG/PNG | Best all-purpose Pin |
Square Pin | 1:1 | 1000 × 1000 | — | 32 MB | JPG/PNG | Fallback format |
Long Pin | 1:2.1 | 1000 × 2100 | — | 32 MB | JPG/PNG | Maximum height before truncation |
Video Pin | 1:1 or 2:3 | 1000 × 1000 / 1000 × 1500 | — | 2 GB | MP4/MOV | Square or vertical video |
Story Pin | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | — | 2 GB | JPG/PNG/MP4 | Full-screen vertical story |
Profile Photo | 1:1 | 165 × 165 | — | — | JPG/PNG | Displayed as a circle |
Pinterest publishing bias
Pinterest is the rare platform where a vertical still image can outperform a horizontal one even outside of pure video.
A 2:3 Pin fills more of the masonry feed and usually earns more clicks than square artwork.
Long Pins work for recipes, checklists, and infographics, but once you go beyond 1:2.1 the platform starts cutting them down.
Related workflow
Need the full destination-specific workflow? Open the Pinterest workflow guide.
Additional Specs
Additional Platform Specs
Snapchat and YouTube Shorts both reinforce the same mobile-first lesson: full-screen vertical is now the default viewing environment for discovery surfaces. The differences are mostly in metadata, duration, and safe-zone behavior, not in the core frame.
Snapchat
9:16YouTube Shorts
9:16- Aspect ratio
- 9:16
- Recommended size
- 1080 × 1920
- Max duration
- 60 seconds (extended to 3 minutes)
- Max file
- 256 GB
- Format
- MP4/MOV
- Safe zone
- Leave the top and bottom 250 px for UI
Shorts safe-zone reminder
Shorts shares the same 9:16 frame as TikTok and Reels, but that does not mean the usable space is edge to edge. Leave the top and bottom bands for UI so subtitles, CTAs, and faces do not collide with platform chrome.
Workflow
The Minimum Asset Set: Cover Every Platform with 3 Master Files
Most teams waste time building one-off exports for every single placement. The higher-leverage approach is to maintain three masters at the right shapes, then derive everything else from them with planned crops or padding.
Master file
Master File 1: 9:16 Vertical
1080 × 1920 px or 2160 × 3840 px
- Crop the center 1080 × 1080 for an Instagram or Facebook square.
- Crop the center 1080 × 1350 for an Instagram 4:5 feed post.
- Use blur-fill or extended backgrounds to derive a 16:9 YouTube-safe version.
Master file
Master File 2: 16:9 Horizontal
1920 × 1080 px or 3840 × 2160 px
- Crop the center square for 1:1 fallback assets.
- Crop to 1200 × 630 for 1.91:1 link previews on Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Crop to 1280 × 720 for YouTube thumbnails or end screens.
Master file
Master File 3: 4:5 Feed Portrait
1080 × 1350 px- Crop the center 1080 × 1080 for square feed fallbacks.
- Extend top and bottom to 1080 × 1920 with background treatment for Stories.
- Use the 4:5 version when you want maximum feed presence without going full vertical.
The 4K advantage
If you shoot or design at 4K, you buy yourself crop room. A 3840 × 2160 master can still produce clean 1080p derivatives after reframing, which is why professional teams capture more pixels than the final deliverable technically needs.
Decision
Which Format to Create First: A Decision Framework
If you can only make one version of a piece of content, do not guess. Choose the starting ratio by audience device, then derive the rest from the master file.
| Audience | Primary platform | Start with | Derive next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile-first | TikTok / Reels / Shorts | 9:16 | Derive 1:1 by center crop and 16:9 with blur-fill |
| Mobile-first | Instagram Feed | 4:5 | Derive 1:1 by crop and 9:16 with background extension |
| Desktop-first | LinkedIn / YouTube | 16:9 | Derive 1:1 and 1.91:1 crops from the center strip |
| Desktop-first | Twitter / X | 16:9 | Use 1:1 only for multi-image posts |
| Mixed audience | Brand accounts / media teams | 9:16 | 9:16 to 4:5 to 1:1 to 16:9 to 1.91:1 |
Decision rule
If the audience is mobile-first, start vertical. If the audience is desktop-first, start widescreen. If the audience is mixed, build the highest-resolution vertical master you can and derive the rest from it.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions that come up most often when creators, social teams, and designers try to standardize image exports across multiple platforms.
What is the best image size for Instagram in 2025?
For Instagram feed posts, the best size is 1080 × 1350 pixels at a 4:5 ratio. Portrait posts occupy more screen space than 1:1 square posts, which usually improves visual presence in the feed. For Stories and Reels, use 1080 × 1920 at 9:16.
What size should TikTok videos be?
TikTok videos should be 1080 × 1920 pixels at a 9:16 ratio. This is the native full-screen format. 16:9 and 1:1 uploads display with black bars and typically perform worse because they fill far less of the screen.
What is the best YouTube thumbnail size?
YouTube thumbnails should be 1280 × 720 pixels in a 16:9 ratio, with a minimum size of 640 × 360. JPG or PNG both work, and the file should stay under 2 MB. The 16:9 ratio matches the player so the thumbnail displays without cropping.
Can I use the same image for all social media platforms?
Not without compromise. Instagram Feed prefers 4:5, TikTok and Stories require 9:16, YouTube prefers 16:9, and Facebook or LinkedIn link previews use 1.91:1. The closest thing to a universal fallback is 1:1, but native-ratio assets still perform better. The most efficient workflow is to maintain three master files: 9:16, 16:9, and 4:5.
What aspect ratio is best for social media videos in 2025?
It depends on the platform. Use 9:16 for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Stories. Use 16:9 for YouTube long-form, LinkedIn, and Facebook video. If you need one default for the broadest 2025 workflow, start with 9:16 because mobile video consumption dominates and horizontal derivatives can be built with blur-fill or careful crops.