Instagram Size Guide for Brands: Posts, Carousels, Reels and Stories + Free Instagram Pre Publish Checklist (Word)
Reusing one design across every Instagram placement often saves minutes and creates hours of correction: headlines are cropped, products sit under interface controls and carousel cards change shape halfway through. Brand teams do not need to memorise every possible specification. Three master formats, followed by a real upload preview, cover most day-to-day work.
A practical baseline is 4:5 for Feed, one consistent ratio for an entire carousel, and 9:16 for Reels and Stories. Instagram currently preserves some 3:4 portrait photos, but publishing tools, ad placements and cross-platform reuse can apply different crops. For a repeatable brand workflow, 4:5 remains the more conservative Feed master.
The quick answer: build three masters
Use 1:1 for reusable square cards and centred products, 4:5 for more Feed screen space, and 9:16 for full-screen short-form placements. Do not stretch a single canvas. Recompose the same idea so the subject, headline and call to action remain clear in each version.
Format | Recommended master | Best use | Pre-publish check |
|---|---|---|---|
Square | 1:1 · 1080×1080 | Reusable cards, centred products, some carousels | Check grid crop and small text |
Feed portrait | 4:5 · 1080×1350 | Main Feed post with more screen space | Organic 3:4 may work; verify scheduler and ads |
Full-screen vertical | 9:16 · 1080×1920 | Reels and Stories | Keep key copy away from interface overlays |
Carousel | One ratio for the whole set | Sequential explanation or comparison | Confirm every card before scheduling |
Why correct dimensions still fail
Accepted upload ratios are not the same as every preview
A file can be accepted while the profile grid, search result, ad preview or shared thumbnail crops it differently. Keep faces, products, prices and calls to action near the centre and leave crop tolerance around the edges.
Reels and Stories have interface overlays
A 9:16 canvas is only the starting point. Interaction buttons, account details and captions occupy the top, right and lower areas. Put essential copy and subtitles inside a central safe zone, then verify in the real publishing interface. Meta's Reels guidance emphasises both 9:16 creative and safe-zone placement.
The first carousel card sets the system
Choose one ratio before design starts. Product details, comparisons and step cards should use the same grid. Build a sequence—cover, evidence, comparison, example and action—instead of ten unrelated posters.
A three-master workflow for brand teams
Step 1｜Define one message
Write one core message, one dominant visual and one action. If a single card must carry price, features, testimonial, address and campaign dates, resizing will only magnify the clutter.
Step 2｜Create 4:5, 1:1 and 9:16 masters
Rearrange hierarchy instead of stretching. The 4:5 version can hold a fuller value proposition, the square keeps only the essentials, and the 9:16 version uses the upper section to stop the scroll while reserving central space for proof and lower space for subtitles.
Step 3｜Stress-test real content
Use the longest Chinese headline, the English version, the widest product pack and real subtitles. Placeholder copy hides the cases most likely to break the template.
Step 4｜Preview in the actual publishing route
Instagram, Meta Business Suite, third-party schedulers and Ads Manager can impose different constraints. Preview the Feed, profile grid and full-screen placement in the tool you will actually use. Check each paid placement separately.
Planning budget and timing
These Hong Kong ranges are Allua planning recommendations, not platform fees or fixed quotations: HK$2,000–6,000 to establish three brand masters; HK$3,000–9,000 to adapt one existing campaign into three placements; HK$6,000–18,000 when a 9:16 version includes editing and subtitles. A typical job takes two to seven working days depending on asset readiness, animation, language count and approval rounds.
For example, a restaurant with approved people shots, food photography and a 20-second landscape video could produce one 4:5 Feed post, a five-card square carousel and a 15-second vertical cut. Scope design, editing, subtitles, licensed audio, copy, upload and one revision separately so “one campaign” does not become unlimited versions.
Free resource: Instagram Pre Publish Checklist
Check dimensions, cropping, captions and safe areas before upload, and record the fixes required. Get an editable Word version to adapt and reuse for your team.
Enter your email, choose how you’ll use the kit and confirm your consent to receive it by email.
How to use it: copy these 12 checks into each content task and assign sign-off to design, copy and publishing owners. If any of checks 1–8 fail, do not schedule the post.
01｜Placement and ratio
Feed, Carousel, Reel or Story is named explicitly; nobody has to infer it from the filename.
02｜Master format
Feed has a 4:5 or deliberately approved alternative; full-screen short-form content has a 9:16 version.
03｜Carousel consistency
Every card uses the same ratio and matches the first card's setup.
04｜Central safe area
Faces, products, prices and calls to action have crop tolerance and do not sit on the edge.
05｜Interface overlays
Reel and Story subtitles avoid the top, right and lower interface areas.
06｜Longest language
The longest Chinese and English copy has been tested without shrinking below readable size.
07｜Cover and first frame
The first frame communicates the subject without sound, and the grid preview does not split key words.
08｜Product accuracy
Packaging, colour, price and dates match approved information; generated assets contain no invented labels or details.
09｜Subtitles
Names, brands, Cantonese and mixed Chinese-English terms have been checked by a person.
10｜Audio and rights
Music, voice and footage rights cover the planned commercial use.
11｜Real preview
The post has been previewed in the actual publishing tool across Feed, grid and full-screen views.
12｜Measurement
Links, UTM tags or offer codes are correct, and an owner will record views, completion, clicks and enquiries.
Frequently asked questions
Should a Feed post use 3:4 or 4:5?
Instagram can preserve some 3:4 photos, but 4:5 is easier to manage across schedulers, ads and cross-platform reuse. If you choose 3:4, verify it in the actual account and publishing route.
Does 1080×1920 make every 9:16 asset safe?
No. Correct dimensions do not prevent interface overlays. Safe placement still needs a real preview.
Can a carousel mix photos and video?
Yes, but plan one ratio and narrative rhythm for the set, then check every cover, subtitle and clip duration.
How many versions should one campaign have?
Start with 4:5, 1:1 and 9:16 masters. Add versions only where placements, languages or product combinations genuinely differ.
Need a publish-ready asset set?
Share your brand, campaign objective, available assets, placements, languages and launch date with Allua. We can adapt one concept into Feed, Carousel and 9:16 short-form versions with crop, subtitle and upload specifications.
Information checked on 2 October 2026. Platform specifications and interfaces change; verify official guidance and the live upload preview before publishing. Budgets are Allua planning recommendations, not platform or creator quotations.
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