Instagram Post Sizes: A Practical Export and Crop Checklist
Prepare Instagram feed, portrait and full-screen images with practical canvas sizes, crop checks and a final export checklist for your team.
TL;DR
- Choose the intended Instagram placement before exporting: a feed photo and a full-screen Story need different compositions.
- Keep an editable master and create separate square, portrait and full-screen exports when the campaign needs them.
- Preview the actual crop in the publishing tool; native-app support and third-party publishing support can differ.
- Keep essential text and the subject away from edges, and check the final file on a phone before scheduling.
Start with the placement, not one universal size
An Instagram post-size question usually hides a composition problem. A product photo, a text-heavy tutorial slide and a Story may come from the same campaign, but they do not need the same crop. Decide where the image will appear before opening the export dialog.
The dimensions below are practical production canvases, not a promise that every account, placement or publishing integration accepts every ratio. Check the current composer and preview for the exact post type you intend to publish. Platform support changes, and a native-app capability may arrive before an external publishing workflow supports it.
Prepare a small set of useful export canvases
Keep the highest-quality editable source, then export only the variants your campaign uses. Do not repeatedly resize a compressed download from a previous social post.
| Intended composition | Example working canvas | Design priority |
|---|---|---|
| Square feed visual | 1080 × 1080 pixels | Balanced center and readable headline |
| Portrait feed visual | 1080 × 1350 pixels | Use vertical space without crowding the bottom |
| Taller portrait, where supported | 1080 × 1440 pixels | Confirm support and preview the profile/feed crop |
| Full-screen vertical creative | 1080 × 1920 pixels | Allow space for interface overlays |
These dimensions express a ratio and an export resolution. A 1080 × 1350 image is 4:5 because both dimensions divide by 270. Making the file larger does not restore detail that was absent from the original photograph.
Design for more than the full image
A visual may be encountered in a feed, on a profile grid, in a preview or inside a shared message. The full image and its thumbnail do not necessarily receive the same treatment. Keep the recognizable subject near the center and make the first visual cue work even when the margins disappear.
For a hypothetical skincare launch, place the bottle and its distinguishing silhouette in the central area. Put the product explanation in the caption rather than relying on tiny ingredients text baked into the photograph. A square crop should still communicate the subject even if the portrait version includes more surrounding detail.
For text-led slides, use a short headline, one main explanation and sufficient empty space. If the copy only fits at a tiny font size, split the idea across slides or move supporting detail into the caption. Shrinking everything is rarely a readable solution.
Keep carousel slides visually consistent
Build the slides from a common canvas and preview them together. Consistent margins, headline placement and image treatment help readers understand that the sequence belongs together. Avoid a first slide that promises a practical checklist followed by dense screenshots nobody can read.
A useful sequence for a five-slide tutorial is problem, preparation, action, example and next step. Check the first slide separately: it should make sense without the later explanation. Then check the last slide for a useful action rather than an unrelated sales pitch.
When different source images have different proportions, fit them intentionally inside the chosen slide layout. Reframe or add a neutral background instead of stretching a person's face or distorting a product.
Use a final export checklist
Before scheduling, inspect the actual exported file rather than the design application's zoomed-in canvas.
- Open it on a phone and read the smallest essential text without zooming.
- Confirm the correct product, price and date, if those appear in the creative.
- Inspect faces, edges, gradients and fine lines for compression damage.
- Preview the intended placement in the tool that will publish it.
- Confirm every slide has the correct order and crop.
- Add a descriptive caption and accessibility text where the workflow supports it.
Keep a filename that identifies the campaign, placement and revision, such as spring-kit-feed-portrait-v03.jpg. A filename is not a substitute for a final visual check, but it reduces the chance that a teammate uploads an obsolete export.
When the preview looks wrong
Return to the master design if the crop hides the subject. Export a new variant instead of repeatedly uploading the same file and hoping the platform chooses a different crop. If a taller portrait is rejected by the publishing workflow, use a supported composition or publish through an appropriate native workflow after review.
PostCoPilot helps organize social drafts and publishing. Use its final preview as part of the check, and keep the original design assets available for corrections. For companion posts, see the LinkedIn image-size guide and the social accessibility checklist.