Guide two
Sizes & Formats
Shoot and export in the shape the screen expects, and your video stays sharp and nothing important gets cut off.
The common shapes
| Aspect ratio | Common size in pixels | Where it fits best |
|---|---|---|
| 9:16 (tall) | 1080 × 1920 | Full-screen status, stories and short vertical video |
| 4:5 (tall feed) | 1080 × 1350 | Feed posts that should fill more of the screen |
| 1:1 (square) | 1080 × 1080 | Square posts, profile videos, mixed feeds |
| 16:9 (wide) | 1920 × 1080 | Video sites, laptops and TVs |
If you need several shapes, shoot tall 9:16 with a little space around the subject. It is easier to crop a tall frame to 4:5 or 1:1 than to rescue a wide shot.
Safe zones
Apps place names, buttons and reply boxes over the top and bottom of tall videos. Keep words, faces and logos away from roughly the top seventh and the bottom fifth of the frame, and a little in from each side. Most editors can show a grid to help.
Frame rate
- 30 fps suits almost everything posted on a phone.
- 24 or 25 fps gives a slightly filmic look.
- 60 fps is smoother and allows slow motion at half speed.
Keep the same frame rate from shooting to export. Mixing rates can make motion stutter.
Export settings that travel well
- File type: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio opens almost everywhere. HEVC (H.265) makes smaller files but some older phones and apps convert it again.
- Resolution: 1080p is the sweet spot for status and stories. Higher sizes are usually shrunk by the app anyway.
- Quality: choose the editor’s high or recommended setting rather than the smallest file.
- Length: each app sets its own maximum length for a status or story and changes it from time to time. Check the current limit in your app before you edit, or split longer pieces into parts.
Why videos go soft after posting
Every app compresses uploads to save data. You cannot stop that, but you can help: upload over Wi-Fi, check whether the app has a setting for high-quality uploads, avoid digital zoom, shoot in good light (dark footage compresses badly), and avoid exporting, re-saving and re-exporting the same file.
Try this. Export the same ten-second clip at 720p and 1080p, post both privately, and compare them on your phone. The difference shows you what your app does with each.