Instagram portrait size plays a crucial role in how your content is displayed, perceived, and engaged with. Whether you’re a content creator, marketer, small business owner, or aspiring influencer, mastering the correct portrait dimensions ensures your visuals look crisp and professional. As Instagram evolves with new features and layouts, understanding optimal image sizes—especially for portrait mode—can mean the difference between a scroll-past and a like, share, or follow. In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about getting the perfect Instagram portrait size, including best practices, dimensions, tips, and tools to help amplify your Instagram presence. Let’s dive in!

What Is Instagram Portrait Size?

The Instagram portrait size refers to the dimensions of vertical photos or videos that users post to their feed or stories. Unlike square posts (1:1 aspect ratio), portrait images take up more screen real estate, naturally drawing more attention as users scroll.

**Recommended aspect ratio:** 4:5
**Optimal pixel size:** 1080 x 1350 pixels
**Maximum resolution:** Instagram will scale down larger files, so uploading at 1080 x 1350 ensures high quality without compression.

Using the correct portrait size for Instagram will ensure your content maintains its integrity and visual appeal across devices.

Why Instagram Portrait Size Matters

Choosing the right size isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s a strategy. Here’s why Instagram portrait dimensions are beneficial:

Max screen coverage: A 4:5 portrait post fills more vertical space, making your content more dominant in the feed than square or landscape posts.
Increased engagement: Larger visuals tend to catch more eyes, leading to higher interaction rates.
Better storytelling: Vertically aligned photos and videos are more natural for people to consume on mobile devices.

In a platform like Instagram, where first impressions matter, portrait sizing can offer a competitive visual edge.

Instagram Portrait vs. Square and Landscape: What’s the Difference?

Instagram supports three primary sizes:

Square: 1080 x 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Portrait: 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5 aspect ratio)
Landscape: 1080 x 566 pixels (1.91:1 aspect ratio)

Among these, portrait images often stand out more. While square and landscape are perfectly valid, portrait can dominate the feed visually.

Best Practices for Posting in Instagram Portrait Size

To make the most of the Instagram portrait ratio and size, follow these best practices:

Always upload in 4:5 ratio: Use photo editing tools or apps to crop or scale your images before posting.
Use high-resolution images: Starting with quality photos minimizes compression and maintains image clarity.
Check the visual balance: Because your image is taller, ensure that important subjects are centered to avoid cropping issues.
Stay within Instagram’s guidelines: Avoid exceeding the 1350-pixel height, or Instagram will automatically crop your image.

How to Resize Photos to Instagram Portrait Dimensions

Many editing tools make it simple to resize images. Here’s how to do it step-by-step:

Using a Photo Editing App:

Open your photo in your preferred app.
Choose the crop or resize option.
Select the 4:5 aspect ratio or manually enter 1080 x 1350 px.
Adjust the framing to center your subject.
Save and upload to Instagram.

Pro Tip: Tools like Canva or Lightroom include presets for Instagram sizes, making editing seamless.

Portrait Size for Instagram Stories and Reels

While this guide focuses on feed posts, let’s not overlook stories and reels, which also favor vertical content:

Instagram Stories: 1080 x 1920 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio)
Instagram Reels: Also 1080 x 1920 pixels (but displays in 4:5 in feed previews)

That means while stories and reels can use full portrait dimensions, reels majorly appear as square or 4:5 previews on the feed or profile, so factor that into your design layout.

Instagram Portrait Video Size: Things to Know

Increasingly, brands and users are opting to share vertical videos. Here’s what you should keep in mind when uploading portrait videos to Instagram:

Minimum resolution: 600 x 750 pixels
Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1350 pixels
File format: MP4 or MOV
Max file size: 100 MB for posts (up to 4 GB for Reels/IGTV)

Video compression is more noticeable than photos, so resizing and transcoding your content correctly is essential before uploading.

Instagram Portrait Size for Carousels

Carousel posts allow you to share multiple images in one post, but there’s a catch. All images in a carousel must share the same aspect ratio.

If you’re posting a mixture of landscape, square, or portrait images, Instagram will default all slides to the first image’s orientation. If your first image is 4:5 (portrait), all other images will be displayed at that ratio.

Use this smartly by preparing an entire carousel with portraits optimized at 1080 x 1350 px to maintain consistency and professional visual flow.

Instagram Portrait Size Cheat Sheet

Here’s a quick guide you can bookmark for your image and video dimensions:

Portrait Posts: 1080 x 1350 px (4:5)
Stories & Reels: 1080 x 1920 px (9:16)
Square Posts: 1080 x 1080 px (1:1)
Landscape Posts: 1080 x 566 px (1.91:1)

Keep this reference handy as a go-to when planning your Instagram visuals.

Common Mistakes to Avoid with Instagram Portrait Size

Even experienced users make errors when formatting their content. Avoid these pitfalls:

Uploading wrong aspect ratios: Instagram may auto-crop, ruining your intended layout.
Poor resolution: Blurry or pixelated images hurt brand credibility.
Irrelevant cropping: Instagram centers images by default, so what you see in the preview might not be aligned the way you want.
Ignoring previews: Especially for Reels, make sure important visual or text elements appear in the cropped preview area.

Tools to Help with Instagram Portrait Image Editing

Managing image sizes across various platforms can be overwhelming. With tools like ViralPulseAI, you can automate and optimize Instagram content effortlessly:

Automated resizing tools tailored for Instagram-specific dimensions
AI design suggestions for portrait posts that draw engagement
Bulk upload features to manage content efficiency

Leveraging Instagram Portrait Size for Your Brand or Business

Strong visuals establish credibility and authenticity—key ingredients for business growth. By using the correct portrait dimensions on Instagram, you can:

Create a **professional and cohesive feed** that impresses potential customers
Optimize layouts for story-based branding and storytelling
Make your mobile ads and promotions more **visually impactful**

A strategic approach to Instagram portrait size not only elevates brand visuals but also boosts performance metrics like click-through