Social media platforms are hostile to image and video quality. Every platform re-compresses uploads using their own internal codecs and quality settings, strips metadata (including ICC color profiles), and may resize images that don't match their preferred dimensions. You can't prevent this, but you can minimize the damage by uploading in the right format, at the right dimensions, and at maximum quality.
This guide provides the exact export specifications for every major platform in 2026, with the re-compression behavior you should expect.
Instagram is the most aggressive re-compressor. Every uploaded image is converted to JPEG (or WebP internally) at Instagram's chosen quality level, regardless of what you upload.
Instagram Image Specs
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | Format | Max Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feed (square) | 1080 x 1080px | 1:1 | JPG or PNG | 30MB |
| Feed (portrait) | 1080 x 1350px | 4:5 | JPG or PNG | 30MB |
| Feed (landscape) | 1080 x 566px | 1.91:1 | JPG or PNG | 30MB |
| Story / Reel cover | 1080 x 1920px | 9:16 | JPG or PNG | 30MB |
| Profile photo | 320 x 320px | 1:1 (circular crop) | JPG or PNG | 30MB |
| Carousel | 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350 | 1:1 or 4:5 | JPG or PNG | 30MB per image |
Re-compression behavior: Instagram converts all images to JPEG at approximately quality 70–80. Uploading a PNG doesn't preserve lossless quality — it gets re-encoded to JPEG. Uploading a larger-than-1080px image causes Instagram to downscale and then re-compress. Upload at exactly 1080px wide to avoid the additional downscaling step.
4:5 is king: Portrait 1080x1350 takes up the most feed real estate. It displays 33% taller than a square post, giving you more visual impact and more time in the viewport as users scroll.
Instagram Video Specs
| Placement | Dimensions | Duration | Format | Max Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reels | 1080 x 1920px | 15s – 15min | MP4 (H.264) | 4GB |
| Feed video | 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350 | 3s – 60min | MP4 (H.264) | 4GB |
| Story | 1080 x 1920px | Up to 60s | MP4 (H.264) | 4GB |
Export settings: H.264 MP4, 30fps (or 60fps for action content), bitrate 10–25Mbps for 1080p, AAC audio 128–256kbps. Instagram re-encodes everything, so higher upload bitrate = better post-compression quality. The relationship isn't linear — above 25Mbps there's no visible benefit.
YouTube
YouTube re-encodes all uploads to VP9 (and AV1 for popular videos). Upload quality directly affects the re-encoded quality, so uploading the best source material produces the best viewer experience.
YouTube Upload Specs
| Resolution | Dimensions | Recommended Bitrate (H.264) | Recommended Bitrate (H.265) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p (SDR) | 1920 x 1080 | 8 Mbps | N/A (use H.264) |
| 1440p (SDR) | 2560 x 1440 | 16 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
| 4K (SDR) | 3840 x 2160 | 35–45 Mbps | 20–30 Mbps |
| 4K (HDR) | 3840 x 2160 | 44–56 Mbps | 30–40 Mbps |
Pro tip: Upload at 4K even if your source is 1080p. YouTube allocates significantly more bitrate to 4K uploads than 1080p uploads, which means viewers watching at 1080p from a 4K-uploaded video see better quality than from a native 1080p upload. Upscale your 1080p source to 4K in your NLE before export.
Container: MP4 (MPEG-4 container) with H.264 video and AAC audio. Alternatively MOV with ProRes for maximum quality (YouTube accepts it). Frame rates: 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60fps. Match your source frame rate.
Thumbnails: 1280 x 720px, JPG/PNG, under 2MB. This is separate from the video file.
TikTok
TikTok aggressively re-compresses uploads. The quality difference between in-app recording and uploading a pre-made video is significant — external uploads generally look better because you control the source quality.
TikTok Specs
Dimensions: 1080 x 1920px (9:16 portrait). TikTok supports other ratios but pillar-boxes or letter-boxes them. Full-screen vertical is always preferred.
Duration: Up to 10 minutes (was 60 seconds, expanded repeatedly).
Format: MP4 (H.264) or MOV. Bitrate: 10–20Mbps for 1080p. Frame rate: 30fps standard, 60fps for fast action.
File size: Maximum 4GB from desktop upload, 287MB from mobile. Desktop upload is strongly recommended for quality-sensitive content.
Re-compression: TikTok compresses aggressively, especially on mobile upload. High-contrast text, fine details, and dark scenes suffer most. Upload from desktop at maximum quality. Some creators upload via the desktop web interface and report better compression than the desktop app.
Twitter / X
Twitter/X has the strictest image size limits and the most noticeable compression artifacts of major platforms.
Twitter/X Image Specs
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | Format | Max Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single image tweet | 1200 x 675px | 16:9 | JPG or PNG | 5MB (JPG), 5MB (PNG) |
| Two-image tweet | 700 x 800px each | 7:8 | JPG or PNG | 5MB each |
| Profile photo | 400 x 400px | 1:1 (circular crop) | JPG, PNG, GIF | 2MB |
| Header image | 1500 x 500px | 3:1 | JPG, PNG | 5MB |
PNG trick: Twitter/X re-compresses JPG uploads aggressively, producing visible artifacts in gradients and dark areas. PNG files under 900px on the longest side are not re-compressed — they're served as-is. For graphics, screenshots, and illustrations with text, upload as PNG under 900px to preserve quality. For photographs larger than 900px, JPG at quality 95+ produces the best results after re-compression.
Twitter/X Video Specs
Dimensions: 1280 x 720px minimum, 1920 x 1080px recommended. Aspect ratios: 1:1, 16:9, or 9:16.
Duration: Up to 140 seconds (free), longer for premium subscribers.
Format: MP4 (H.264), under 512MB. Bitrate: 5–15Mbps for 1080p. AAC audio mono or stereo.
LinkedIn's image and video handling is middling — not as aggressive as Instagram or Twitter, but not as generous as YouTube.
LinkedIn Specs
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed image | 1200 x 627px | 1.91:1 | JPG or PNG |
| Feed image (square) | 1200 x 1200px | 1:1 | JPG or PNG |
| Article header | 1200 x 644px | 1.86:1 | JPG or PNG |
| Profile photo | 400 x 400px | 1:1 (circular crop) | JPG or PNG |
| Background image | 1584 x 396px | 4:1 | JPG or PNG |
| Company logo | 300 x 300px | 1:1 | JPG or PNG |
Video: 256 x 144 to 4096 x 2304px. MP4 (H.264), under 5GB, 3 seconds to 10 minutes. Bitrate: 10–20Mbps for 1080p. AAC audio.
Document posts: LinkedIn supports PDF, PPTX, and DOCX as carousel-style document posts. Upload a PDF with multiple pages and it displays as a swipeable carousel. Maximum 100MB, 300 pages.
Facebook has the most varied set of image placements, each with different optimal dimensions.
Facebook Specs
| Placement | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed image | 1200 x 630px | 1.91:1 | JPG or PNG |
| Feed image (square) | 1200 x 1200px | 1:1 | JPG or PNG |
| Story | 1080 x 1920px | 9:16 | JPG or PNG |
| Cover photo | 851 x 315px | 2.7:1 | JPG or PNG |
| Profile photo | 170 x 170px (displays at) | 1:1 (circular) | JPG or PNG |
| Event cover | 1200 x 628px | 1.91:1 | JPG or PNG |
| OG share image | 1200 x 630px | 1.91:1 | JPG or PNG |
Video: 1080p or 4K, MP4 (H.264), AAC audio, under 10GB, up to 240 minutes. Facebook re-encodes to their internal format (VP9 for web). Like YouTube, higher upload quality produces better post-compression output. Reels: 1080 x 1920px, up to 90 seconds.
PNG vs JPG: Facebook re-compresses JPG uploads visibly. PNG uploads are re-compressed too, but the starting quality is higher, so the result is slightly better for graphics with text and sharp edges. For photographs, the difference is negligible.
Threads
Meta's Threads uses dimensions similar to Instagram, consistent with the shared infrastructure.
Threads Specs
Images: Up to 10 images per post. Square (1:1) or portrait (4:5) recommended. Maximum width 1440px (downscaled if larger). JPG or PNG.
Video: Up to 5 minutes. 1080 x 1920px (9:16) for full-screen, 1080 x 1080 (1:1) for feed. MP4 (H.264).
Carousel: Mix of images and video in a single post (up to 10 items). Each item can have different dimensions.
Pinterest is unique because tall vertical images dominate the feed layout and drive the most engagement.
Pinterest Specs
Standard Pin: 1000 x 1500px (2:3 ratio). This is the sweet spot — tall enough to stand out in the feed without being truncated in search results.
Square Pin: 1000 x 1000px (1:1). Less feed presence than 2:3 but displays fully in all views.
Long Pin: 1000 x 2100px (1:2.1) maximum. Taller pins get truncated in the feed with a "Click to expand." Use for infographics.
Format: PNG recommended for graphics and text-heavy pins (sharper after compression). JPG for photographs. Maximum 20MB.
Video Pins: 1000 x 1500px (2:3), MP4 (H.264/H.265), 4 seconds to 15 minutes, maximum 2GB.
Re-Compression: What Every Platform Does
Understanding re-compression behavior is more important than memorizing dimension specs.
How Platforms Process Your Uploads
Every platform re-encodes. You cannot upload a pixel-perfect JPEG and have it served as-is. The platform decodes your upload, applies its own processing (resizing, quality adjustment, format conversion), and re-encodes to their internal format (usually JPEG for images, VP9 or AV1 for video).
Generation loss: Each re-encoding cycle introduces additional compression artifacts. If you export a JPEG at quality 85 from Photoshop and Instagram re-encodes it at their internal quality ~75, the artifacts compound. Uploading at the highest possible quality (quality 95–100 or PNG) gives the platform the best source material, minimizing visible degradation in the re-encoded output.
Color profiles are stripped. All major platforms strip ICC color profiles and assume sRGB. An Adobe RGB or P3 image uploaded to Instagram gets interpreted as sRGB, making colors appear desaturated. Always convert to sRGB before uploading to social media.
EXIF stripping: Most platforms strip EXIF metadata (GPS, camera info) for privacy. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all remove EXIF on upload. Your image's orientation tag is applied before stripping, so the image displays correctly.
Convert PNG to JPG | Convert JPG to PNG | Convert MOV to MP4
Social media export is a game of damage control. You can't prevent re-compression, but you can minimize its impact by uploading at the right dimensions (avoiding platform-side resizing), at maximum quality (giving the re-encoder the best source), and in sRGB (preventing color space misinterpretation).
The dimensions in this guide are current as of 2026 but platforms change requirements regularly. The principles remain constant: match the platform's preferred aspect ratio, export at the highest quality within their size limits, and accept that the output will be a compressed version of your upload. When you need to convert between formats for social media, ChangeThisFile handles the common paths: PNG to JPG, MOV to MP4, and MKV to MP4.