Instagram Stories are a great way to share fleeting moments, connect with followers, and express your creativity. Since they disappear after a single day, they give accounts a bit more freedom to say what they’re currently feeling without it sticking around.
Stories can also be a way of boosting your audience and account. If your stories are great, your followers will rush to engage with them before they go offline. This is why your content must look its best. No one likes those unsightly black bars that appear when a story is not in the correct dimensions, and that’s where we come in.
With this article, we’ll show you the ideal dimensions or aspect ratio for Instagram Stories, helping you create visually stunning and engaging experiences for your audience.
What Are Aspect Ratios?
You may have heard of the phrase, ‘Aspect Ratio’ before. This refers to the proportional relationship between the width and height of an image or video.
For Instagram Stories, the ideal aspect ratio is 9:16. This means for every 9 units of width, your story should be 16 units tall.
That ratio fits perfectly with the vertical layout of smartphone screens, ensuring that your content fills the entire screen without any awkward cropping or black bars. This results in a very immersive experience.
While the aspect ratio is important, optimizing the specific pixel dimensions of your story will ensure the best quality and presentation on all devices. Here are the dimensions you’ll need:
- Width: 1080 pixels
- Height: 1920 pixels
With these dimensions, your story will be displayed without any blurring or pixelation on smartphones. Instagram might compress larger images or videos slightly to optimize loading times. However, your quality would not be affected too much with this setting.
Additional Things to Consider
Beyond the dimensions of your Story, here are some additional factors to keep in mind:
- Safe Zones: Safe zones are parts of Stories where text and captions won’t be obscured by profile pictures or user interface elements. Ensure you keep crucial text or graphics within the center of the story for maximum visibility.
- Portrait vs. Landscape: Since Instagram Stories are primarily viewed on smartphones held vertically, you’d be better off creating content in portrait mode. Landscape videos or images might appear with those black bars when displayed within the story frame.
- Minimum Requirements: While the recommended dimensions are there to ensure quality, Instagram allows for a minimum size of 600 x 315 pixels. However, using smaller sizes might result in blurry and pixelated images that may not be visually pleasing.
Quick Tips for Optimizing Your Instagram Stories
While dimensions are crucial, optimizing your stories for engagement goes beyond the correct orientation. Take note of other things like:
- High-Quality Visuals: Use high-resolution photos and videos for a visually polished and professional look.
- Captions and Hashtags: Craft engaging captions and research relevant hashtags to spark conversation and increase your discoverability.
- Interactive Features: Use Instagram’s interactive features like polls, quizzes, and questions to boost engagement and encourage audience participation in your Stories.
- Story Highlights: Save compelling stories as Highlights on your profile for extended visibility beyond the 24-hour timeframe.
Story Time
By understanding the ideal dimensions and safe zones, you can craft engaging Instagram Stories that resonate with your audience. Follow these tips and watch your Story engagements rise.
