Reel Dimensions 2025: The Complete Size Guide for Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts

Reel Dimensions 2025: The Complete Size Guide for Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts

Short-form vertical video is everywhere, but every platform has slightly different rules that can trip up creators. This guide collects the current reel dimensions, safe zones, export specs, and workflow tips you need in 2025 to publish once and look great across Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts—and even TikTok.

Why reel dimensions matter in 2025

Using the correct aspect ratio, resolution, and safe zones does three things:

• Prevents automatic cropping of heads, captions, and callouts in feeds, profiles, and Explore/For You surfaces.
• Reduces extra compression from re-encoding when your upload doesn’t match platform targets.
• Preserves engagement by keeping text, CTAs, and faces visible under overlays like handles, like/comment buttons, and caption panels.

Common failure modes when reel dimensions are wrong:

• Black bars (letterboxing/pillarboxing) that reduce watch area and reach.
• Blurry uploads from low bitrates or double-compression.
• Cut-off titles on the cover image when shown in 1:1 or 4:5 grids.
• Desaturated or washed-out colors from mismatched color spaces (HDR-to-SDR tone mapping).

Baseline specs to know

• Aspect ratio: 9:16 vertical is the standard. Avoid 4:5 or 1:1 unless you have a platform-specific reason.
• Resolution:
• 1080×1920 (Full HD vertical) is the workhorse for 2025.
• 2160×3840 (4K vertical) future-proofs sharpness and text; platforms will downscale cleanly.
• Frame rates: 24/25 fps for cinematic feel; 30 fps is the safe default; 60 fps for hyper-smooth motion and gaming/tech content.
• Bitrates (guideline for clean uploads):
• 1080×1920: 8–16 Mbps (VBR target), peaks up to ~20 Mbps.
• 2160×3840: 25–45 Mbps (VBR target), peaks up to ~60 Mbps.
• Codecs/containers: H.264 (AVC) High Profile in .MP4 is the most compatible. HEVC (H.265) in .MP4 or .MOV saves space but can trigger extra processing on some devices.
• Audio: AAC LC, 48 kHz, 160–320 kbps stereo.
• Color: Rec.709/sRGB SDR for consistency across apps.

Platform cheat sheet

Instagram Reels dimensions and limits

• Dimensions: 9:16 at 1080×1920 (or 2160×3840).
• Length: 5–30 seconds performs well; platform supports up to ~90 seconds on most accounts.
• File types: .MP4 or .MOV with H.264/H.265 video and AAC audio.
• Covers:
• Best master: 1080×1920.
• Consider grid crops:
• 1:1 (1080×1080) for your profile grid.
• 4:5 (1080×1350) often used in feed previews.
• Keep titles/logos inside the central 1:1 square to avoid chops on your profile.

Tip: Instagram adds overlays at top (handle, follow) and bottom (caption, audio, CTA). Keep on-screen text inside the central 80–85% of the frame.

Facebook Reels specifics

• Dimensions: 9:16 (1080×1920) recommended.
• Technicals: Mirrors Instagram; H.264 + AAC is simplest.
• UI overlays:
• A slightly taller bottom caption/CTA area can obscure lower-thirds.
• Buttons (like/comment/share) sit along the right edge.
• Safe placement:
• Avoid placing text within the bottom ~14–18% of frame (≈270–345 px on a 1920 px height).
• Keep key graphics at least 100–120 px away from the right edge (button column).

YouTube Shorts requirements

• Dimensions: Vertical 9:16 (1080×1920) for maximum surface. Square works but wastes screen space.
• Length: Up to 60 seconds.
• Discovery:
• Shorts rely on the title, not a custom thumbnail in the Shorts shelf.
• Avoid letterboxing; black bars can reduce visual weight and may affect eligibility when detected as non-vertical content.
• Technicals: H.264 .MP4, Rec.709, 30 or 60 fps, 8–16 Mbps is solid.

Cross-posting to TikTok and others

A single 9:16 master can work everywhere if you design with universal safe zones:

• TikTok: Top UI (handle + icons) roughly 150–200 px; bottom caption/CTA 250–320 px on a 1920 px-high frame.
• Instagram: Similar top; bottom often 220–280 px overlay.
• Facebook: Bottom can be a bit taller; allow 270–345 px.
• YouTube Shorts: Title/channel and scrubber stack near the bottom; allow ~220–260 px.

Guideline: Reserve top 8–12% and bottom 12–18% as no-text zones. Keep all critical text, faces, and CTAs in the center 80–85% of the frame.

Safe text and graphic zones (practical numbers)

For a 1080×1920 canvas:

• Horizontal padding: 8–10% each side (≈86–108 px).
• Top padding: 8–12% (≈154–230 px).
• Bottom padding: 12–18% (≈230–345 px).

Quick presets:

• Conservative safe box: 1080×1920 minus 108 px left/right, 230 px top, 320 px bottom → safe area ≈ 864×1370 centered.
• Aggressive safe box (if you need more space): 86 px sides, 192 px top, 256 px bottom → safe area ≈ 908×1472.

Pro tip: If you must place captions, use a background plate or shadow and keep baseline at least 340 px above the bottom for Facebook and TikTok.

Export and upload best practices

Recommended export (works across all three):

• Container: MP4
• Codec: H.264, High Profile, Level 4.2
• Resolution: 1080×1920 (or 2160×3840 for 4K vertical)
• Frame rate: 30 or 60 fps, constant frame rate (CFR)
• Bitrate:
• 1080p: VBR 2-pass, Target 12 Mbps, Max 20 Mbps
• 4K vertical: VBR 2-pass, Target 35 Mbps, Max 55 Mbps
• Keyframe interval (GOP): 2 seconds (e.g., 60 frames at 30 fps)
• Color: Rec.709, gamma 2.4 (SDR), tag color primaries and matrix as BT.709
• Audio: AAC LC, 48 kHz, 192–320 kbps

Example FFmpeg command (1080×1920, 30 fps, H.264):

ffmpeg -i input.mov \
  -vf "scale=1080:1920:flags=lanczos,fps=30,format=yuv420p" \
  -c:v libx264 -profile:v high -level 4.2 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  -preset slow -x264-params keyint=60:min-keyint=60:scenecut=0 \
  -b:v 0 -crf 18 -maxrate 20M -bufsize 40M \
  -color_primaries bt709 -color_trc bt709 -colorspace bt709 \
  -movflags +faststart \
  -c:a aac -b:a 192k -ar 48000 \
  reels_1080x1920_h264.mp4

Notes:

• Prefer CFR exports; variable frame rate from phones can cause sync issues after re-encodes.
• If your source is HDR (iPhone Dolby Vision/HLG), convert to SDR Rec.709 during edit to avoid washed-out colors on upload.

Cover images and thumbnails that don’t crop

Instagram and Facebook:

• Master cover: 1080×1920 .JPG or .PNG.
• Design for three views:
• 9:16: Full cover in Reels/Watch/Explore.
• 4:5: Center crop for some feed surfaces (1080×1350 from the center).
• 1:1: Profile grid (1080×1080 center).

Text placement rules:

• Keep title/logo fully inside the central 1:1 square.
• Keep any subtitle inside the central 4:5 rectangle.
• Leave 8–10% padding around edges to avoid edge clipping on different devices.

File tips:

• Avoid heavy compression; keep covers < 2 MB with sRGB color profile.
• Use high-contrast, simple typography (48–96 pt at 1080×1920) for legibility on mobile.

Troubleshooting: Fixes for common problems

Preflight checklist (publish with confidence)

• Canvas set to 9:16 (1080×1920 or 2160×3840).
• All critical text/logos inside center 80–85%:
• ≥ 192–230 px top padding, ≥ 256–345 px bottom padding.
• ≥ 86–108 px side padding.
• Export SDR Rec.709, H.264 High Profile, CFR 30 or 60 fps.
• Bitrate: 12–16 Mbps (1080p) or 35–45 Mbps (4K v); GOP 2s.
• Audio: AAC, 48 kHz, ≥ 192 kbps.
• No letterboxing; fills full 9:16 frame.
• Cover: 1080×1920 with safe 1:1 and 4:5 crops.
• Final file plays smoothly on your phone before upload.
• Upload over stable Wi‑Fi; avoid heavy background network activity.

Downloadable presets (DIY quick setup)

Can’t download here? Recreate these in your editor:

• Sequence/Canvas:
• 1080×1920, 30 fps, Rec.709, square pixels.
• 2160×3840, 30 or 60 fps, Rec.709.
• Safe-zone overlays:
• Guide 1: 108 px left/right, 230 px top, 320 px bottom.
• Guide 2: 86 px left/right, 192 px top, 256 px bottom.
• Export presets:
• H.264 High Profile, Level 4.2, VBR 2-pass, Target 12 Mbps (1080p), Max 20 Mbps.
• H.264 High Profile, Level 5.2, VBR 2-pass, Target 35 Mbps (4K v), Max 55 Mbps.
• Keyframe = 2s; AAC 48 kHz 192 kbps.

Final takeaways

• Master once at 9:16, 1080×1920 (or 4K vertical if you can).
• Design for safe zones: center 80–85% is your friend.
• Export clean SDR H.264 with healthy bitrates to dodge platform recompression.
• Plan covers that read in 9:16, 4:5, and 1:1 crops.
• Avoid letterboxing and variable frame rate to maintain quality and reach.

When your reel dimensions, safe zones, and exports are dialed in, your content will look sharp and convert across Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, and beyond—no re-editing required.

Summary

This guide standardizes vertical video creation in 2025 with clear specs for aspect ratios, resolutions, bitrates, color, and safe zones that work across Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Follow the universal 9:16 workflow, honor top/bottom UI overlays, and export clean SDR H.264 at recommended bitrates to avoid re-encoding artifacts. With these practices, you can master once, cross-post everywhere, and preserve clarity, framing, and engagement.