How to resize your videos for social media
To ensure your videos look great and perform well on social media, it’s important to upload them with the correct aspect ratios and resolutions for the platform you're posting to.
Each platform has its own preferred dimensions, and resizing your videos accordingly helps avoid issues like cropping, black bars, or low-quality playback.
Here’s how you can easily resize your videos to match the aspect ratios and resolutions for Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram.
Preferred Aspect Ratios and Resolutions by Platform
Facebook:
Feed & Stories: 1:1 (Square), 9:16 (Vertical), 16:9 (Widescreen), 4:5 (Portrait)
Instagram (Reels Only):
Reels: 9:16 (Vertical) or 4:5 (Portrait)
Instagram only supports resolutions up to 1080x1920.
X (formerly Twitter):
Feed: 1:1 (Square), 9:16 (Vertical), 16:9 (Widescreen)
LinkedIn:
Feed: 1:1 (Square), 9:16 (Vertical), 16:9 (Widescreen)
How to Resize Your Video
If you're familiar with tools like Canva, iMovie, or Adobe Premiere Pro, these are great options for resizing videos, giving you more control over aspect ratio and resolution settings.
If you don't have one of these tools however and don't wish to pay, you can use a free tool like VideoCandy.
VideoCandy is a user-friendly online tool that allows you to quickly resize videos for any social media platform.
Follow these steps to resize your video:
- Visit VideoCandy:
- Go to VideoCandy and select Resize Video from the homepage.
- Upload Your Video:
- Click Choose File to upload the video you want to resize.
- Choose Your Aspect Ratio:
- VideoCandy offers pre-configured options for various social media platforms.
- The tool will automatically set the correct aspect ratio based on your choice.
- For Instagram Reels, select 9:16 or 4:5 to ensure compatibility, and remember the maximum resolution is 1080x1920.
- Adjust Cropping (if necessary):
- If the video doesn’t fit perfectly within the new aspect ratio, you can adjust the cropping manually to ensure that important parts of the video remain visible.
- Preview and Export:
- Once you’ve made all necessary adjustments, click Export.
- VideoCandy will process the video, and you can preview it before downloading.
- Download Your Resized Video:
- After processing, click Download to save the resized video to your device.
General Tips for Resizing Videos
- Maintain Video Quality: When resizing videos, make sure to export at the highest resolution allowed by the platform to avoid pixelation or blurriness. For Instagram, the resolution must not exceed 1080x1920.
- Check File Size: Larger videos may need compression to meet the platform’s file size limits. VideoCandy can also help reduce file size if needed during the export process.
By following these steps, or using the tools you’re familiar with, you’ll ensure that your videos are properly formatted and optimized for the platform you’re posting to, delivering a professional appearance every time.