WaffleFrame4:5 portrait vs 1:1 square on Instagram
4:5 portrait (1080×1350) takes up the most room in the feed on a phone — about 25% more screen than a square post — so it's usually the best choice for engagement.
1:1 square (1080×1080) is the classic Instagram look. It's ideal for carousels with photos, and it still shows nicely on your profile grid.
Posting a Reel? Reels use full-screen 9:16 — use the Shorts Maker for that instead.
Positioning the crop frame
A horizontal video is wider than 4:5 or 1:1, so the tool cuts a window out of it. Use the position slider to move that window left or right — the bright area in the preview shows exactly what will stay. For vertical phone videos, the slider moves the window up or down instead.
Why upload at exactly 1080 pixels wide
Instagram re-compresses everything you post. Uploading at its native size — 1080 pixels wide — means it doesn't have to scale your video as well, which keeps it sharper. The output is an H.264 MP4 with AAC sound, the format Instagram handles best.
Your video never leaves your phone or computer
Cropping runs with ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly inside your browser. Your video isn't uploaded anywhere: it's processed in your device's memory and saved straight to your downloads.
Instagram video sizes
| Placement | Aspect ratio | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Feed — portrait | 4:5 | 1080×1350 |
| Feed — square | 1:1 | 1080×1080 |
| Reels & Stories | 9:16 | 1080×1920 |
Platform specs change from time to time — check Instagram's help center for the latest values.
Who is this for?
Small businesses
Turn a landscape product video into a feed post that fills the screen.
Photographers
Match video posts to a square or 4:5 grid.
Influencers
Reuse YouTube clips as eye-catching feed posts.
Tips for best results
- Pick 4:5 for single posts — it's the biggest shape the feed allows.
- Keep text and faces inside the bright frame of the preview.
- Trim to the best 15–30 seconds first; short feed videos get more replays.
- Use the same shape for every post if you care about a tidy profile grid.
- For Reels, convert to 9:16 with the Shorts Maker instead of cropping.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a video be for the Instagram feed?
Use 1080×1350 pixels (4:5) for portrait posts or 1080×1080 (1:1) for square posts. Portrait takes up the most space on a phone screen. This tool exports both sizes as H.264 MP4 files, which is the format Instagram processes best.
How do I crop a horizontal video for Instagram?
Drop the video in, choose 4:5 or 1:1 and move the position slider until your subject sits inside the highlighted frame. Click Crop video and you get a 1080 pixel wide MP4 that fits the feed perfectly. One free use or credit per export.
Will Instagram cut off my video?
If you upload a 16:9 video, Instagram shrinks it into a small strip or asks you to crop it inside the app with little control. Cropping it yourself to 4:5 or 1:1 first means you decide exactly what stays visible, and the post fills more of the screen.
Is my video uploaded to crop it?
No. The cropper runs inside your browser with ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly. Your video is read from your device, cropped in memory and saved to your downloads. Nothing goes to a server, which keeps private videos private and avoids any upload wait.
Does this work for Instagram Reels?
Reels use full-screen 9:16 (1080×1920), not 4:5 or 1:1. For Reels, use the Shorts Maker, which converts horizontal videos to 9:16 with a blurred background, a crop or a zoom. This tool is made for feed posts and carousels.
Do I lose quality when cropping?
Cropping keeps a part of the original picture, so a 1080p source cropped to 4:5 stays sharp at 1080×1350. The video is encoded with high-quality H.264 settings. Very low-resolution sources will look softer, because the crop is scaled up to 1080 pixels wide.
