What are the actual best video, sequence & export settings for Instagram?

Question

I've seen a lot of articles discussing the best video, sequence & export settings to get that crystal clear resolution on Instagram, but none of them are consistent with each other lol. If I'm shooting video on an iPhone 13 or newer, is 4k at 30fps best? 4k at 60fps? or 1080 at 30fps? Should I be shooting HDR? It gives that weird bright look that also dims the screen which I don't like at all.

What about the format? Most compatible? And then in terms of the sequence settings in premiere....I'm assuming 1080x1920? Do the sequence settings have to match the settings of the video I recorded? Or can they be slightly different?

In terms of the export I get totally lost, I need to learn more about bit-rate anyway, but for codec I've heard adaptive medium bitrate at H.264 is best, but I'm not sure. What about CBR/VBR? Are the aspect ratios for stories and posts different? Do I need to shoot with a specific camera to get that better-than-eyesight look? What about using slow motion?

TIA for reading all of my questions I know it's a lot...just want to make sure I get this right.

Averdahl · Accepted Answer

This document should answer some of your questions: The best Instagram video format (adobe.com)

For export it says "Change the format to MPEG4 at the top of the panel." but set the Format to H.264 instaed. Its basically the very same thing but MPEG4 has a ton more parameters to change, so its easy to get lost there. I would use 1080x1920 for the sequence settings. But it seems that you can use many different video sizes so maybe more than one setting is the way to go. The video size can be different but then you have to scale the footage to fit. If you dont like the look of HDR, skip it.

Regarding VBR/CBR i always choose CBR since VBR tend to look a tad worse and sometimes very much more worse.

For the rest, you have to decide if you need a specific camera, depending on the look you want. The same goes for slow motion. If you want it, use it. If you dont want it, skip it. Nothing is right or wrong.

With all different video sizes it seems that one has to decide beforehand what one want to upload and do many tests until one find what suits best.

More links:

Reel size & aspect ratios on Instagram | Instagram Help Center

The Complete Instagram Video Size Guide for 2024 ( +6 Tools ) (influencermarketinghub.com)

The Complete Guide to Social Media Video Specs in 2024 (hootsuite.com)

Guide to Instagram Video Size for 2024 (socialpilot.co)

nicksinghdigital · Answer

If you're shooting on an iPhone 13 or newer, a safe and high-quality workflow is:

• Shoot in 4K at 30fps (SDR, not HDR)
• Edit in a 1080x1920 (9:16) sequence for Reels/Stories
• Export using H.264, High Profile, and around 10–16 Mbps bitrate (VBR 1-pass works well)

Shooting in 4K and exporting in 1080 actually helps preserve clarity after Instagram compression. HDR is optional, but many creators skip it because Instagram doesn’t always handle it consistently.

For aspect ratios:

Reels & Stories - 9:16 (1080x1920)
Feed posts - 4:5 (1080x1350) or 1:1

Most importantly, lighting and stabilization matter more than camera specs.

Helpful Resources:

These go beyond specs and help you optimize content for reach, engagement, and performance.

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded