What this tool is for
Most Story sizing pages list the numbers — 1080×1920, 9:16 — and stop. The numbers are easy. The problems are: knowing whether your source is high-res enough, fitting any aspect ratio into 9:16 without weird letterboxing, and avoiding the three failure modes that produce blurry uploads. This tool drops any image, cover-fits it to exact spec, warns you if the source is too small, and gives you a 1080×1920 PNG ready to upload.
Instagram Story dimensions — exact specs
| Recommended size | 1080 × 1920 px |
| Aspect ratio | 9 : 16 |
| Minimum resolution | 720 × 1280 px |
| Maximum file size | 30 MB |
| Supported formats | JPG, PNG, HEIC |
| Safe area for design | 1080 × 1610 px |
| Top UI band | 155 px (username, close) |
| Bottom UI band | 155 px (reply bar) |
| Max video duration per Story | 60 s |
Story size vs Reels, feed posts and carousels
Instagram uses three canvases, not one. Stories and Reels share the tall 9:16 frame; everything in the feed — single images and carousels — uses the 4:5, 1:1 or 1.91:1 formats. Designing once at 1080×1920 and cropping down to 1080×1350 for the feed is the workflow that avoids re-doing the layout.
| Story | 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) |
| Reel | 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) |
| Feed post / carousel — portrait | 1080 × 1350 px (4:5) |
| Feed post / carousel — square | 1080 × 1080 px (1:1) |
| Feed post / carousel — landscape | 1080 × 566 px (1.91:1) |
| Profile photo | 320 × 320 px (displayed as circle) |
Posting a multi-slide feed post? The Instagram carousel size tool resizes up to 20 slides to 1080×1350 and shows the profile-grid crop.
Where Instagram's UI covers your Story
A 1080×1920 canvas is not 1080×1920 of usable space. The top ~155 px is covered by the progress bar, your profile picture and username; the bottom ~155 px sits under the “Send message” reply bar and reaction icons. That leaves a central 1080×1610 area where text, faces and CTAs are guaranteed to be visible. If your Story includes a link sticker or poll, budget another ~100 px wherever you place it.
The resizer above can overlay these bands on your after-preview. For a dedicated checker with drag-to-reposition and downloadable transparent overlays for Figma, Canva and Photoshop, use the Instagram Story safe zone checker.
How common source sizes fit into 9:16
- Phone photo (3:4, e.g. 3024×4032) — close to 9:16. Cover-fit trims a thin strip off the top and bottom; almost nothing is lost.
- Feed post (4:5, 1080×1350) — too short. Cover-fit crops ~10% off each side; letterboxing keeps everything but adds bars. Better: place it on a branded 1080×1920 background.
- Square (1:1, 1080×1080) — cover-fit would cut off 44% of the width. Always place squares on a background rather than filling the frame.
- Landscape (16:9, 1920×1080) — the wrong orientation entirely. Rotate the composition, or use it as a strip in the middle of the frame with headline text above and below.
- Phone screenshot (e.g. 1170×2532, 19.5:9) — taller than 9:16, so a little is trimmed top and bottom. Fine for “look at this” Stories; keep the important part centered.
Instagram Story video size
| Resolution | 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) |
| Length per Story segment | up to 60 s (longer clips are split) |
| Frame rate | 30 fps recommended |
| Container / codec | MP4 or MOV, H.264, AAC audio |
| Max file size | 30 MB (soft limit — compress above ~1080p) |
How to use it
- Drop in any image — any aspect ratio, any size up to 30MB.
- The tool cover-fits it to 1080×1920 with the focal point centered. You see a side-by-side before/after.
- If the source is below 720×1280, you get a low-res warning before you download.
- Toggle the safe-zone overlay on the after-preview to verify your design clears Instagram's UI.
- Download the resized PNG, ready to upload. Optionally download a transparent safe-zone overlay for use in Figma, Canva, or Photoshop.
Three reasons Stories upload blurry
- Source too low-res. Anything below 1080×1920 has to be upscaled, and upscaling always costs sharpness. The minimum that still looks acceptable is 720×1280.
- Double compression. Screenshots of already-compressed images compound JPEG artifacts. Save once, at high quality, from the original source.
- Wrong aspect ratio. Non-9:16 sources trigger Instagram's auto-crop or letterbox, which can look messy. Pre-fit to 9:16 (this tool does that).
Related tools & guides
- Instagram Story safe zone checker — drag your design under the real Story UI and export overlays.
- Instagram carousel size — 1080×1350 resizer with profile-grid crop preview.
- Social media quote maker — quick quote graphics for Stories and feed.
- Free carousel templates — turn one Story idea into a swipeable multi-slide post.
Resizing is step zero — design is the rest
This tool gets your image to spec. Carousel Maker designs Stories from a single prompt: AI layouts, on-brand templates, and 1080×1920 export ready for Instagram, no watermarks.