Even though Instagram started its life as a photo sharing app, the platform has since evolved into a full media service. With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is also becoming the most popular social network after Facebook.

More importantly, things like short videos, stories, live video, and more have changed the way the platform works. For instance, the time users spend watching video on Instagram has risen by a whopping 80% since 2017, while nearly 4 times more videos are uploaded per day.

Video Format for Instagram: The Background

Still, posting videos on Instagram requires some more consideration than just uploading your most recent phone recording. For businesses and brands, Instagram videos can be a fun and effective way to expand your reach, create awareness, and eventually generate conversions. Even so, you should learn about the most efficient way to upload video, as well as the right formats and best practices for posting. Read below to answer all your questions about Instagram’s video formats.

What is Instagram’s Preferred Video Format?

You can upload videos to Instagram in multiple formats, but your mileage may vary depending on your choices. To get the best results with every video, make sure your video is in an MP4 format. More importantly, ensure that it also meets the following specifications:

• AAC Audio
• 3 500 KBPS video bitrate
• 30 Frame per second (FPS) frame rate
• A 15mb maximum file size
• A maximum of 60 seconds long
• H.264 Codec
• 1080p maximum width

What’s the Best Instagram Video Size and Dimensions?

Instagram is notorious for its hard limits on the dimensions of the media that’s uploaded to their platform. Because of the app’s design, certain sizes and dimensions will be compressed or altered to affect your video quality.

To get the best results from your video uploads, make your videos 864 pixels wide by 1080 pixels tall, with an aspect ratio of 4:5. Although landscape-oriented videos are tempting, Instagram’s vertical nature means you should work to the best of your constraints.

How Can You Get the Best Video Quality on Instagram?

More than its dimension restrictions, Instagram does not make it easy to work with for marketers. The platform is clear that to get the best video quality, you must work to optimize its quality before you upload it. To make sure you get the best possible results, follow these quick tips:

• Double-check your video dimensions and specifications to get the best fit
• Use the best possible quality camera at your disposal to increase your resolution and quality
• Upload your files to Google Drive or Drop Box before transferring onto Instagram for better results
• Attempt to always upload videos on Instagram while connected to Wi-Fi to avoid any problems
• Keep the optimal settings in mind when editing your videos

One common mistake that’s easy to make is to compress videos to help speed up the upload process. While this certainly shaves a few seconds off your transfers, it reduces the quality of your final product and means users see a lessened version of your video. Avoid taking shortcuts when it comes to camera quality, upload speed, and patience.

If you’re trying to create promo videos for your IG business, make sure to use a reliable Instagram video ad maker, as well as Instagram-friendly video templates for your ads.

Some of the Best Instagram Videos:

These are some of the best examples of Instagram videos we’ve found to give you an idea:

1.      The Ellen Show

View this post on Instagram

It’s #PeaceDay. There can be peace in our world. All we have to do is start. #GoodGoesRound

A post shared by Ellen (@theellenshow) on Sep 21, 2017 at 2:29pm PDT

2.      GoPro

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Every corner counts. Drop into #GoProAthlete @rachybox’s winning run at the 2018 @uci_cycling DH World Cup in #Leogang, Austria. Would you try this course? • • • @pinkbike #GoPro #GoProHERO6 #ExperienceDifferent #GoProMTB #DownhillMTB #POV #UCIMTBWorldCup #UCI_MTB

A post shared by GoPro (@gopro) on Jun 11, 2018 at 12:02pm PDT

3.      Renan_ozturk

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The repeating patterns of nature revealing themselves from 1000ft above the frozen glacial riverbeds of southern Iceland. While shooting these braided fractal patterns they seemed like an iced human arterial network under a microscope, although we were really looking at a 5 mile wide drainage carved out in geologic time. ~ Camera wise this shot was captured by hanging a @reddigitalcinema 8K camera on a @freeflysystems MōVI gimbal out the open window of a small Cessna single engine plane which was constantly banking creating the rotational movement. It was probably -40 degrees with windchill and the flight lasted 4 hours, giving @taylorfreesolo (who was in assistant camera) permanent frost-bite damage to her feet. #thecoldestcrossing #underanarcticsky @chrisburkard @sweatpantsmedia @camp4collective @volcanopilot @thenorthface @syrp_

A post shared by Renan Ozturk (@renan_ozturk) on Aug 2, 2017 at 12:22pm PDT

4.      Philipbloom

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This was a very very fiddly #plotagraph @plotagraphpro @plotagraph

A post shared by Philip Bloom (@philipbloom) on Jul 22, 2017 at 2:13pm PDT

5.      Asept

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Another bubble video! Taken on the same day as my previous video. Enjoy!

A post shared by @ asept on Feb 18, 2019 at 1:57pm PST

Although some of these videos were shot or made by professionals, the lessons you can take away are still important. These videos maximize the real estate they have and give you the best possible quality thanks to a combination of understanding the proper dimensions, as well as using the right tools. By focusing on the little things, you can take your Instagram videos from okay to unforgettable. And don’t forget – make sure to publish your Instagram videos as the right time for maximum exposure! And check out our video maker to create picture perfect IG promo video ads.