How to Resize Photos for Instagram

Ever post a photo to Instagram only to have it awkwardly cropped, cutting off someone’s head or a key part of the image? You're not alone. Getting your photo dimensions just right is the secret to a professional-looking feed that stops the scroll. This guide will walk you through exactly why photo sizes matter and provide simple, step-by-step instructions for resizing your images perfectly for every type of Instagram post.

Why Does Instagram Photo Size Matter So Much?

Taking a few seconds to resize your photos before you post can make a massive difference in how your content is received. It’s not just about aesthetics, it's about performance and delivering the best experience for your audience. Here’s why it’s worth the tiny bit of extra effort:

• It Prevents Awkward Cropping: This is the biggest one. Instagram has specific aspect ratios it prefers. If your image doesn't fit, the platform will automatically crop it for you, and its choices are often… not great. This can lead to your subject being cut off or the composition of your shot being completely ruined.
• It Maximizes Your "Screen Real Estate": On a mobile-first platform, every pixel counts. A tall, portrait-oriented photo (with a 4:5 aspect ratio) fills more of the user’s screen as they scroll, making your content more prominent and visually arresting. A wide, landscape photo, on the other hand, appears much smaller.
• It Preserves Image Quality: When you upload a photo that's way too large, Instagram runs it through a heavy-handed compression algorithm. This can make your beautiful, high-resolution shot look blurry, pixelated, or soft. By resizing to Instagram’s recommended dimensions beforehand, you have more control over the final quality.
• It Creates a Professional and Cohesive Feed: Consistency is a hallmark of strong branding. When your images are sized correctly and intentionally, your entire grid looks more polished and professional. It shows you care about the details, which builds trust with your audience.

The Official Instagram Photo Dimensions Cheat Sheet

Instagram is more than just square photos now. The platform supports a variety of formats across its different features. Getting familiar with these dimensions will save you a lot of editing headaches. While Instagram stores various versions, focusing on the aspect ratio and an ideal width is the best approach.

Feed Posts (The Main Grid)

For your main feed, you have three primary options. Remember, no matter which option you choose, it will appear as a 1:1 square on your profile grid preview.

1. Portrait Photos (The Best Performer): 4:5 Aspect Ratio

• Recommended Dimensions: 1080 x 1350 pixels
• Why it's best: This format takes up the most vertical space in the mobile feed, making it the most impactful and engaging. When you want to grab attention, this is the size you should aim for.

2. Square Photos (The Classic): 1:1 Aspect Ratio

• Recommended Dimensions: 1080 x 1080 pixels
• Why it's useful: The original Instagram size. It's clean, simple, and works well for single-subject shots, quotes, or graphics where you want a symmetrical feel. It's also a safe bet because you know exactly how it will look on your main profile grid.

3. Landscape Photos (Use Sparingly): 1.91:1 Aspect Ratio

• Recommended Dimensions: 1080 x 566 pixels
• Why it's an option: Best for wide, scenic shots or group photos where you can't crop in without losing important context. Be aware that these appear much smaller in the feed and are generally less engaging than their taller counterparts.

Instagram Stories & Reels

For full-screen, immersive content, you need to go vertical.

Stories and Reels: 9:16 Aspect Ratio

• Recommended Dimensions: 1080 x 1920 pixels
• Why it's essential: This is the standard full-screen vertical format for all modern smartphones. Anything smaller will get weird, blurry borders. Always shoot or design your Stories and Reels with this dimension in mind to make the most of the screen.

Other Instagram Image Sizes

Profile Picture

• Recommended Dimensions: 320 x 320 pixels (minimum)
• What to know: Your profile picture is displayed as a circle, so make sure your main subject is centered and won't get cut off by the circular crop. Uploading a slightly larger image (like 1080 x 1080) can result in a sharper final look.

How to Resize Photos for Instagram: Step-by-Step Methods

You don't need to be a graphic designer with expensive software to perfectly resize your images. Here are a few simple methods, from free online tools to the features already on your phone.

Method 1: Using Canva (Super Easy and Free)

Canva is a free, web-based design tool that makes resizing photos incredibly straightforward. It's perfect for marketers, business owners, and anyone who wants a fast, reliable solution.

1. Create an Account: Head to Canva.com and sign up for a free account.
2. Start a Custom Design: On the main dashboard, click the "Create a design" button in the top right corner. From the dropdown menu, select "Custom size."
3. Enter Your Dimensions: A little box will pop up asking for width and height in pixels (px). Enter the dimensions you need. For a portrait post, you'd type in 1080 for the width and 1350 for the height.
4. Upload Your Photo: A blank canvas will open. On the left-hand menu, click on "Uploads" and upload the photo you want to resize from your computer.
5. Position Your Photo: Once uploaded, just drag your photo onto the canvas. You can drag the corners to resize it and position it perfectly within the frame. Pro tip: if you right-click the photo and select "Set Image as Background," it will automatically fill the entire canvas.
6. Download Your Image: Once you're happy, click the "Share" button in the top right, then select "Download." Choose JPG or PNG as the file type and hit the final "Download" button. Your perfectly resized image is ready for Instagram!

Method 2: Using Your Phone's Built-in Photo Editor

For a quick fix right on your phone, you don't even need a separate app. Both iPhone and Android have powerful cropping tools built directly into their native photo apps.

For iPhone (Photos App):

1. Open the Photos app and select the image you want to edit.
2. Tap "Edit" in the top right corner.
3. Tap the "Crop" icon at the bottom (it looks like a square with rotating arrows).
4. Now, tap the "Aspect Ratio" icon in the top right (it looks like stacked rectangles).
5. A menu will appear at the bottom with different presets. Scroll through to find the one you need, like "4:5" for a portrait post or "Square" for a 1:1 post.
6. Adjust the photo within the cropping frame to get the perfect composition, then tap "Done."

For Android (Google Photos App):

1. Open the Google Photos app and select your image.
2. Tap "Edit" at the bottom of the screen.
3. Scroll the bottom toolbar over and tap on "Crop."
4. Tap the "Aspect Ratio" icon (it looks like a rectangle with diagonals).
5. Select your desired ratio, such as "4:5" or "1:1."
6. Reposition your image within the frame and tap "Save copy" to save the resized version.

Method 3: Using Adobe Lightroom (For Photographers and Pro Users)

If you already use Lightroom to edit your photos, creating a custom export preset is the most efficient way to resize your images consistently.

1. Finish Your Edits: Once your photo is edited how you like, go to File >, Export.
2. Set Your Export Location: Choose where you want to save the final file.
3. Choose File Settings: Under "File Settings", select "JPEG" as the image format, keep the color space as "sRGB", and set the Quality slider to somewhere between 76-85. This gives you a great balance between quality and file size, preventing excessive compression from Instagram.
4. Set Image Sizing: This is the important part. Check the "Resize to Fit" box. In the dropdown, you can select "Width & Height," but a better method is often "Long Edge."
   • For a portrait (4:5) photo, set the Long Edge to 1350 pixels. The shorter edge will automatically adjust.
   • For a square (1:1) photo, set the Long Edge to 1080 pixels.
   Keep the resolution at 72 pixels per inch, as this is standard for web use.
5. Sharpening and Exporting: Under "Output Sharpening," check the box to "Sharpen For" and select "Screen" with the "Standard" amount. This adds a nice touch of crispness for web viewing. Finally, click "Export." You can also save these settings as a custom preset to use with one click in the future.

Quick Tips for Picture-Perfect Instagram Photos

• Prioritize the 4:5 Format: Whenever your composition allows, default to the 4:5 portrait aspect ratio. That extra vertical space really does lead to more visibility and engagement in the feed.
• Plan Your Grid Preview: Remember that even portrait and landscape photos will be centrally cropped into a 1:1 square on your main profile grid. Make sure the most important part of your image sits near the center so your profile view looks clean and intentional.
• Start with a High-Quality Image: You can't add quality that isn't there. Always start with the highest resolution photo possible. This gives Instagram's compression algorithm more data to work with, resulting in a cleaner final image, even after it’s been resized and compressed.
• Check on Mobile Before Posting: A quick final check can save you from a major mistake. If you use a scheduling tool that offers a mobile preview, take advantage of it to see exactly how your post will appear in the feed before it goes live.

Final Thoughts

Mastering Instagram's photo dimensions isn't about following arbitrary rules, it's about taking control of your brand's narrative and ensuring your hard work looks as stunning on your feed as it did on your camera. By cropping to recommended aspect ratios like 4:5 or 9:16, you present your content professionally and maximize your impact.

Once you have a collection of perfectly sized photos, the next challenge is getting them on your calendar. This is where we found ourselves struggling, juggling different content formats across multiple platforms. We built Postbase to streamline that entire process. It has a beautiful visual calendar that lets you plan your content at a glance, and because it’s built for modern social media, planning your images next to Reels, Stories, and TikToks feels completely natural. You upload everything once and trust it’ll post reliably, wherever and whenever you schedule it.