How to Export for Instagram

Nothing's more frustrating than spending hours editing a video, only to have Instagram turn it into a blurry, pixelated mess. Your carefully crafted content deserves to look as good on the feed as it does on your timeline. This guide cuts through the confusion and provides you with the exact, no-nonsense export settings to get crisp, professional-looking video and photos on Instagram every single time.

Why Instagram Compresses Your Content (and How to Work Around It)

First, let's get one thing straight: Instagram compresses every single piece of media you upload. There's no secret setting to turn this off. The platform serves billions of users on countless different devices and internet connections, so its top priority is making sure content loads quickly for everyone. A massive, uncompressed 4K video file might look pristine on your computer, but it would take forever to load on a shaky 4G connection. That's a poor user experience, and Instagram will do anything to avoid it.

So, the platform takes your beautiful, high-resolution file and runs it through its compression algorithm to make it smaller and faster to serve. This is where issues arise. If your file is drastically different from what Instagram prefers - say, a 4K video with a massive bitrate - the compression algorithm has to work overtime. It aggressively discards data to shrink the file, and that lost data results in pixelation, banding in gradients, a soft appearance, and muddy audio.

The goal isn't to upload the biggest file possible and fight the compression. It's to do the opposite. You want to give Instagram a file that’s already been optimized for its platform. By exporting your content with settings that are very close to Instagram’s ideal specifications, you reduce the work its compression algorithm needs to do. When it sees that your file is already the right size, resolution, and format, it doesn't have to compress it as aggressively, preserving the quality you worked so hard to create. Think of it as meeting Instagram halfway so it doesn’t have to stomp all over your content.

The Universal Best Export Settings for Any Video Editor

Whether you're using a professional desktop editor or a simple mobile app, these core settings are the foundation for a perfect Instagram export. Nearly every video editor allows you to adjust these basics. We’ll cover specific software walkthroughs next, but memorizing these values will serve you well regardless of the tool you use.

Video Settings: Your Go-To Recipe

These settings are optimized for Reels, Stories, and IGTV, which are now the dominant formats on the platform. Following these will deliver a file that is lightweight yet high quality.

• Container/Format: MP4. This is the universal standard for web video. If you see format options, MP4 is always the recommended choice.
• Codec: H.264 (sometimes called AVC). Think of the container (MP4) as the box and the codec (H.264) as the way the video is packed inside the box. H.264 is the most efficient and widely supported codec for web use.
• Resolution: 1080p on the shorter side.
  • For vertical video (Reels/Stories): 1080 x 1920
  • For square feed posts: 1080 x 1080
  • For 4:5 vertical feed posts: 1080 x 1350
  Don't bother with 4K. While your camera might shoot in 4K, Instagram will immediately downscale it to its preferred resolution, and its downscaling process can introduce artifacts. You'll get much cleaner results by resizing to 1080p yourself during export.
• Frame Rate: 30 fps (frames per second). Instagram's player runs at 30 fps, so providing a file that already matches this frame rate is best practice. If you filmed at 60 or 120 fps for slow-motion effects, ensure your project timeline is set to 30 fps and your final export is 30 fps. The editor will handle the slow-motion playback correctly within that container.
• Bitrate Mode: VBR, 2-pass. VBR stands for Variable Bit Rate. This is a smart way to allocate data. Unlike a Constant Bit Rate (CBR), which uses the same amount of data for every second of video, VBR assigns more data to complex, high-motion scenes and less to simple, static scenes. "2-pass" means the software analyzes your video twice - once to determinewhere to allocate data most effectively, and a second time to perform the actual export. It takes a little longer but results in significantly better quality for the same file size.
• Target & Maximum Bitrate: This is the secret ingredient. For a 1080p video at 30 fps, use a Target Bitrate of 10-12 Mbps (Megabits per second) and a Maximum Bitrate of 15-20 Mbps. Some editors refer to "Kbps" instead of "Mbps" - in that case, the values are 10,000-12,000 Kbps and 15,000-20,000 Kbps. Uploading a video with a bitrate of 30, 40, or 50+ Mbps is excessive. It’s like turning a fire hose on a garden pot - most of it is wasted, and Instagram will crank up compression to reduce it, degrading quality.

Audio Settings: Simple and Clean

While video gets all the attention, poor audio quality can instantly make your content feel unprofessional. Luckily, the settings are straightforward.

• Audio Codec: AAC (Advanced Audio Coding). This is the standard for web video and offers high quality at low file sizes.
• Audio Sample Rate: 48,000 Hz (or 44.1 kHz, both are acceptable).
• Audio Bitrate: 128 kbps. This provides clear sound through phone speakers or earbuds. Going higher doesn’t noticeably improve quality on social media and only increases file size.

Walkthroughs: Exporting from Top Editing Apps

Knowing the settings is half the battle. Here's a quick overview of where to find them in some of the most popular video editors.

Adobe Premiere Pro / Premiere Rush

Premiere offers full control over every setting, perfect for fine-tuning your exports.

1. Open the export window by navigating to File >, Export >, Media… or pressing CMD + M (Mac) / Ctrl + M (Windows).
2. In the "Export Settings" panel on the right, set the Format to "H.264".
3. Open the Video tab. Make sure "Match Source" is unchecked if your timeline is a different size. Set the Frame Size to 1080 width x 1920 height. Set the Frame Rate to 30.
4. Check the box for "Render at Maximum Depth" to improve gradient and color quality.
5. Scroll down to Bitrate Settings. Set the Bitrate Encoding to "VBR, 2 Pass". Drag the Target Bitrate slider to 12 Mbps and the Maximum Bitrate to 20 Mbps.
6. Navigate to the Audio tab. Set the Audio Format to "AAC", the Sample Rate to "48000 Hz", and the Bitrate to "128 kbps".
7. Check "Use Maximum Render Quality" at the bottom, then click Export.

Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro simplifies some settings but you can still achieve excellent results.

1. Go to File >, Share >, Export File... (or add a new export destination). Some versions label it "Master File."
2. In the Settings tab, ensure the Format is set to "Computer" (defaults to MP4).
3. For Video Codec, choose "H.264 Better Quality". This is FCP’s version of a well-optimized VBR setting, typically falling in the 10-20 Mbps range.
4. Set Resolution to the appropriate vertical size, such as "1920 x 1080". If necessary, ensure your project is set to a custom vertical resolution to access this option.

DaVinci Resolve

Resolve's "Deliver" page offers powerful options similar to Premiere, though it can seem intimidating.

1. Navigate to the Deliver page (the rocket icon at the bottom).
2. In the Render Settings on the top left, select "Custom Export".
3. Choose your filename and save location. Set the Format to "MP4" and the Codec to "H.264".
4. Under video settings, set Resolution to 1080x1920 and Frame Rate to 30.
5. In the Quality section, select "Restrict to" and enter 12,000 kb/s as your target bitrate.
6. Switch to the Audio tab. Keep the Codec as "AAC". Set the Data Rate to 128 kb/s. Add to Render Queue and start rendering.

What About Photos? Exporting Sharp Images Every Time

Good export settings aren't only for video. The same principles apply to photos, which Instagram compresses if you don't prepare your files properly.

• File Format: JPEG. The standard for web photos.
• Color Space: sRGB. This is crucial. If you edit in a wider color space like Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB and forget to convert before exporting, your colors will look washed out and dull when uploaded. Instagram’s platform works best with sRGB.
• Dimensions: Keep the shorter edge at 1080px.
  • For a portrait (4:5 ratio), use 1080px wide by 1350px tall.
  • For a square photo, use 1080px by 1080px.
  Instagram caps image width at 1080px. Resizing your image to this dimension before upload prevents Instagram from resizing it with lower quality.
• Quality & Sharpening: In Lightroom or Photoshop's "Export" dialog, set JPEG quality to around 76-80%. This balances file size and detail. Also, apply output sharpening for "Screen" with a "Standard" or "Low" setting to add a touch of sharpness that counters compression softness.

Pro Tip: Don't Ruin Your Export When Transferring to Your Phone

You've created a perfectly optimized file. Don't compromise it at the last step. Many common methods of transferring files to your phone will apply their own compression, wrecking your hard work before you even upload.

Methods to AVOID:

• WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger
• Standard MMS text messages
• The default "email to yourself" method on some providers

Methods you SHOULD use:

• AirDrop: The fastest, easiest way for Apple users. It’s a direct transfer with zero quality loss.
• Cloud Storage: Upload your file to Dropbox, Google Drive, or WeTransfer, then download the file onto your phone via their app. No compression involved.
• A trusted scheduling platform that handles media properly.

Final Thoughts

Mastering your export settings is about taking control away from Instagram's unpredictable compression algorithm. By providing a clean, optimized file that aligns with the platform’s preferred specifications, you can ensure your content looks sharp, professional, and exactly as intended each time you post.

Refining your export process is the final step in the creation workflow, but the job isn't finished yet. We built Postbase to solve the frustrations that come next. Designed for today's video-first world, our platform allows you to upload your perfectly exported Reels and schedule them without worrying about unexpected compression, format issues, or "failed to post" errors. Your hard work deserves to be seen, on time and in the best quality.