Video Sizes & Quality Cheat Sheet

August 16, 2022

Videos are dominating social media. Consumers like content in video format because it’s engaging and easy to consume, while for marketers, it can offer a high return on investment across a variety of channels. Videos are being supported by the algorithms on social media, especially on Instagram, which makes them a crucial part of your strategy.

The process of creating videos starting from a rough draft through to the final export can be exhausting. To make your life easier, I have created a list of all the information you need for creating videos for all the main social media platforms.

Facebook Video Sizes

Facebook is the undefeated leader in social media. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that Facebook is only being used by the older generation because, according to DataReportal’s 2022 estimate, 58% of Facebook users are under the age of 35, which places them in the Millennial and Generation Z age groups. So, it’s time for you to tap into the potential of Facebook by using an effective video marketing strategy. Below are some specs that will be helpful.

Facebook Shared Post Video

Dimensions: 1280×720 pixels (landscape and portrait mode)
Aspect ratio: 2:3 (for mobile devices)
Best formats: MP4, MOV, or GIF
Maximum length: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Maximum Max file size: 4 GB

Facebook Stories Video

Dimensions: 1080×1080 pixels (mode)
Aspect ratio: 1:91 to 9:16 (The text will be positioned beneath the video, and gradient bars will be added to the top and bottom of your video if it is shorter than 9:16.)
Best formats: MP4 and MOV
Max length: 2 minutes
Max file size: 4 GB

Facebook 360-Degree Video

Monoscopic dimensions: 5120×2560 pixels
Stereoscopic dimensions: 5120×5120 pixels
Best formats: MP4 and MOV
Max length: 30 minutes, Frame Rate of 30 FPS
Max file size: 10 GB

Facebook Video Ad Sizes (In-feed)

Dimensions: 1080×1080 pixels
Aspect ratio: 2:3 (for mobile devices)
Best formats: MP4 and MOV
Square video ad aspect ratio: 1:1 (for collection ads)
Vertical video ad aspect ratio: 4:5 or 2:3
Portrait video ad aspect ratio: 9:16
Max length: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Max file size: 4 GB

Facebook Video Carousel Ad

Dimensions: 1080×1080 pixels
Aspect ratio: 2:3 (for mobile devices)
Best formats: MP4 and MOV
Max length: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Max file size: 4 GB
Frame rate:30 FPS
Up to 10 videos can be included

Facebook Slideshow Video Ad

Dimensions: 1200×720 pixels (landscape and portrait mode)
Landscape aspect ratio: 16:9
Portrait aspect ratio: 4:5
Square aspect ratio: 1:1
Best formats: MP4 and MOV
Max length: 15 seconds
Max file size: 4 GB

Facebook Instant Experience Video Ad

Dimensions: 1280×720 pixels (landscape and portrait mode)
Aspect ratio for square: 1:1 (720×720 Pixels)
Aspect ratio for landscape: 1.9:1 (720×379 Pixels)
Best formats: MP4 And MOV
Max length: 120 minutes (2 hours)
Max file size: 4 GB

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Instagram Video Sizes

Instagram has faced a lot of controversy because of its obvious bias toward videos lately (we all know by now that uploading reels on Instagram gives users the highest possible reach). Did you know that the most popular reel on Instagram has more than 289 million views? The potential for going viral on Instagram is high, so make the most of it.

Instagram In-Feed Video Specifications

Dimensions: 500 pixels minimum width, 1080 x 1080 pixels for square posts, 1920 x 1080 pixels for landscape posts
Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square), 9:16 & 4:5 (vertical), 16:9 (horizontal)
Best formats: MP4 And MOV
Max length: 3 seconds minimum to 60 minutes
Max file size: 650 MB for 10 minutes, and 3.6 GB for 60 minutes

Instagram Stories Video Specifications (Organic & Ads)

Dimensions: 1080×1080 pixels
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Best formats: MP4 And MOV
Max length: 2 minutes for ads, and 15 seconds for organic
Max file size: 4 GB

Instagram Reels Video Specifications (Organic & Ads)

Dimensions: 1080×1080 pixels
Aspect Ratio: 9:16
Best formats: MP4 And MOV
Max length: 15 seconds to 60 seconds
Max file size: 4 GB
Thumbnail: 1080 x 1080, 1:1 aspect ratio

Instagram IGTV Specifications

Dimensions: 1080 x 1920 pixels
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 and 9:16
Thumbnail Aspect Ratio: 4:5
Best formats: MP4
Video Length: 1 hour if you upload from a laptop but 15 minutes when uploading from a mobile device
Max file size: 650 MB for 10 minutes, 3.6 GB for 60 minutes

Instagram Live Video Specifications

Duration: Up to 4 hours
Aspect Ratio: 9:16

Twitter Video Sizes

Even though Twitter is more about text than video, the occasional use of video will most definitely help you reach a wider audience by giving them more to engage with when you share your tweets.

Twitter Video Specifications

Dimensions: 1920 x 1200 (and 1200 x 1900)
Aspect ratio: 1:2.39 – 2.39:1 range (inclusive)
Aspect ratio: 1:1
Best formats: MOV or MP4
Length: .5 seconds to 140 seconds (2 minutes, 20 seconds)
Max file size: 512 MB
Frame Rate: 40 FPS

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LinkedIn Video Sizes

Although LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, it is not all about resumes. Establish your presence on the platform by sharing videos that show off your communication skills and let recruiters know more about your personality.

LinkedIn Shared Video Specifications

Dimensions: 256 x 144 pixels to 4096×2304 pixels
Aspect Ratio: landscape (16:9) or square (1:1)
Best formats: MP4, ASF MPEG-1, MPEG-4, MKV, H264/AVC, MP4, VP8 and VP9, WMV2 and WMV3
Length: 3 seconds to 10 minutes
Max file size: Maximum 5 GB

LinkedIn Video Ads Specs

Dimensions for landscape video ads: 640×360 min, 1920×1080 max
Dimensions for square video ads: 360×360 min, 1920×1920 max
Dimensions for vertical video ads: 360×640 min, 1080×1920 max
Best formats: MP4
Length: 30 minutes maximum (recommendation keep it short and impactful)
Max file size: 75 MB – 200 MB max
Audio format: AAC or MPEG4
Audio sample rate: Less than 64KHz

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YouTube Video Sizes

YouTube will most likely remain the leader of video content on the internet for a long time, so it’s worth posting on there (and of course, you can monetise the content you publish). The requirements for the duration or the size of a video clip are much less restrictive than on the other platforms.

YouTube Video Specifications

Dimensions: 2160p: 3840×2160, 1440p: 2560×1440, 1080p: 1920×1080
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Best formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, .MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, HEVC (h265)
Length: 15 minutes to 12 hours for verified users
Max file size: Maximum 12 GB

YouTube Thumbnail Size

YouTube thumbnail size: 1280×720 (minimum width of 640 pixels)
Format: JPG, GIF, or PNG
Max file size: 2 MB
Aspect Ratio: 16:9

YouTube Shorts Video Specifications

Dimensions: 1920×1080 pixels (vertical)
Aspect ratio (vertical): 9:16
Best formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEG-PS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM
Max length: 60 Seconds

YouTube Video Ads Specifications

Dimensions: 426 x 240 (240p), 640 x 360 (360p), 854 x 480 (480p),1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 2560 x 1440 (1440p) and 3840 x 2160 (2160p)
Aspect ratio (for computer/television): 16:9
Aspect ratio (for mobile): 9:16 or 1:1
Supported formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEG-PS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM
Max file size/duration: 128 GB or 12 hours (whichever limit is reached first)
Skippable video ad specs: 6 minutes maximum duration, skippable after 5 seconds
Non-skippable video ad specs: 15 seconds max viewing time
Mid-roll video ad specs: 30 seconds (minimum in length)
Bumper video ad specs: 6 seconds (maximum in length)

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TikTok Video Sizes

Whether you like it or not, TikTok’s growth is not showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon. The best thing that you can do is play along with it rather than trying to resist the platform’s popularity. Even though it was launched only in 2016, TikTok already has more than 1 billion active users – make sure you capitalise on this trend.

TikTok Video Specifications

Resolution: 1080×1920 pixels
Aspect ratio for square: 1:1 (accepted but not recommended)
Aspect ratio for portrait: 9:16
Best formats: MP4 or MOV
Max length: 3 minutes (10-minute-long videos to be rolled out in 2022)
Max file size: 286 MB

TikTok Ads Video Specifications

Resolution: 1080×1920 pixels
Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, 16:9
Best formats: MP4, MOV, MPEG, or AVI
Length: 9-15 seconds (short and impactful preferred)
Max file size: 500 MB

Pinterest Video Sizes

Pinterest is highly engaging and is a great platform for getting sales as well as followers. Here is what you need to know before beginning to upload videos on Pinterest.

Pinterest Ads and Organic Video Specifications

Resolution: 1200 × 1800 pixels
Aspect ratio (recommended): 1:1 square size or 2:3, 4:5, 9:16 vertical size
Best formats: MP4, MOV, or M4V
Length: 4 seconds to 15 minutes
Max file size: 2 GB

We have established that videos are very important on social media and are a sure-fire way to increase engagement. This cheat sheet will hopefully help you save time while creating and exporting videos. You can check my article on social media images cheat sheet as well. If you need help with creating content for your business, my team and I can help. Click here to book a one to one call with me.

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