Instagram has become the go-to social media platform for brands and individuals alike. The app encourages you to post pictures and media that keep people engaged. However, with its focus on mobile viewing, one question comes up: How do you post horizontal and vertical photos on Instagram without compromising their quality or aesthetics? The app is famous for square photos, so where do horizontal and vertical ones come in?
This guide equips you with the knowledge and strategies to conquer both orientations and make your Instagram feed visually stunning.
Understanding Instagram’s Native Format
Instagram, by default, favors a square format (1:1 aspect ratio) for photos and videos. This ensures a clean, consistent look across feeds. However, the platform does allow for both horizontal (landscape) and vertical (portrait) photos, offering more flexibility in storytelling.
So, you may not have to tweak your landscape or portrait shots too much, seeing that the app supports them natively. However, you do have to keep the specific aspect ratios in mind. We’ll talk about those soon.
The Case for Vertical Photos
Vertical photos, which naturally align with how we hold our phones, offer several advantages:
- Optimal Mobile Viewing: They take up the entire phone screen, creating a more immersive experience for viewers scrolling through their feeds.
- Focus on Details: They’re ideal for showcasing close-up shots, portraits, product details, or capturing the full length of an object.
- Action and Movement: Vertical photos excel at capturing action sequences or moments that unfold vertically, like a dancer leaping or a waterfall cascading down.
You can get all these benefits when you ensure that your photos are taken in the correct aspect for Instagram vertical photos.
Instagram supports vertical photos in the 4:5 aspect ratio, so keep that in mind as you take your shots.
The Allure of Horizontal Photos
Horizontal photos, mimicking the widescreen format, offer a different storytelling perspective:
- Panoramic Views: They’re perfect for showcasing landscapes, cityscapes, group photos, or capturing the vastness of a scene.
- Enhanced Details: They provide more space for intricate details, ideal for architectural photography, product flat lays, or showcasing a wide variety of elements within a single frame.
- Creative Cropping: Horizontal photos offer more flexibility for creative cropping during editing, allowing you to emphasize specific elements of the scene.
Instagram’s supported aspect ratio is a bit tricky for horizontal photos. The app supports landscape photos in the 1.91:1 aspect ratio, so taking your photos with that in mind can help.
Creative Solutions for Non-standard Photos
What if your photo isn’t perfectly square, vertical, or horizontal? Here are some creative solutions to consider:
- Cropping: Instagram allows you to crop your photos before posting. You can adjust the aspect ratio to fit the platform’s requirements while maintaining the essence of your photo.
- Color Blocking: Add a solid color border to your photo to create a square format. This can add a pop of color and visually frame your image.
- Third-Party Apps: Several photo editing apps allow you to add creative backgrounds to your photos, effectively transforming them into whatever format you choose.
It takes some serious talent to take masterful photos, but be sure to optimize them for Instagram before posting. No one likes those black borders.
