When utilized, social media has a very wide coverage that may produce a positive communication with your targeted audience and an excellent way to share innovative ideas. With social media feeds getting packed, your brand’s winning chances also becomes ever more challenging. From the hundreds to thousands of posts, updates, and stories striving for consumer attention daily, you want to make your content stand out among competitions.

A fundamental element in this will be your visuals, which can attract people’s attention as they scroll and make them take notice. But to maximize the potential of enticing visuals, you need to be creating the right presentation formats for every platform. The most desirable header image in the world won’t value that much if it seems pixelated and unprofessional looking. Because of that, you need to ensure that you’re making visual content with the correct details and guidelines for each platform in terms of sizes and formats within a specific element.

There is an estimation of over 700 million engagement on Instagram as detailed recently, and around 1.28 billion people Facebook active users daily. It figures an opening for every brand to promote your products and services. At present, social media is not only restricted to private posts and images, but it has also driven to the next level. From live videos to winning video content, the journey is never-ending. Brands have recognized that video is an excellent idea to achieve the target audience’s social media attention. Multiple brands utilize video content over images to entice the audience and produce more leads.

How important social media video sizes and formats?

Video content usage has witnessed a definite increase all over the social media platforms for several years. Not only do people desire more video, but platforms now have the capacity and functionality to host considerably more of it. Designing relevant and appealing social media video has been a huge part of digital marketing. And to ensure return on your investment, you must ensure they adhere to the platform video guidelines. These cover size specs for the image, video, aspect ratios, file types and sizes, and even durations.

Now that brands depend on video content more than ever, it’s crucial to use the proper social media video guidelines and advertising video sizes. Staying consistent and catching your audience’s attention is a constant challenge for marketers.

Facebook Video

Facebook video is utilized at more excellent rates each year, so it’s no surprise that several marketers seek the exact Facebook video specs. According to WordStream, about 45% of users view at least an hour or longer of Facebook or YouTube videos in a week.

The challenge for every marketer is that there are so many kinds of videos you can share on Facebook. Every video format has varied dimensions and specs, making it complicated to understand whether you’re uploading the right format. Avoid any technical problem by following Facebook’s video specs.

Facebook Organic/Feed Video

Recommended size: 1280 by 720 pixels
Minimum width: 600 pixels
Aspect ratios supported: 16:9 (horizontal), 9:16 (full portrait), 2:3 (vertical), 4:5 (vertical), square (1:1)
Recommended specs: Videos should utilize H.264 compression, fixed frame rate, square pixels, progressive scan, and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps+. Video content can be as long as 240 minutes, which is as large as 4GB large with a maximum frame rate of 30fps.

Facebook 360 Video

Maximum Video Dimension: 4096 x 2048 pixels
Supported Aspect Ratio: 2:1, 4096 by 2048 pixels
Minimum size: 600 pixels wide
Maximum Length: ½ hour
Maximum File Size: 1.75 GB
File Type: MP4 format, maximum file size 1.75GB, maximum length 40 min, maximum frame rate 60fps.

Facebook In-Stream Video Ads

Dimensions: 1280 by 720 pixels
Minimum size for landscape video: 600 by 315 pixels (1.9:1 aspect ratio)
Minimum size for square video: 600 x 600 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Recommended specs: MP4 or MOV format, 4GB as the maximum size, maximum length 120 min, 30 fps as the maximum frame rate.

Facebook Messenger Stories Ads

Dimensions: 1280 x 720 pixels
Aspect ratios: 16:9 to 1.91:1
Suggested specs: video content can be up to 240 minutes in length with 4GB as the maximum size, and 30 fps have a maximum frame rate.

Dimensions: 1080 by 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Minimum size for landscape video: 600 x 315 pixels (1.9:1 aspect ratio)
Minimum size for square video: 600 bxy 600 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV formats

Facebook Collection Cover Video

Dimensions: 1200 by 628 pixels
Minimum size for landscape video: 600 x 315 pixels (1.9:1 aspect ratio)
Minimum size for square video: 600 x 600 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV format, 4GB as the maximum file size, maximum length 120 min, 30fps as the maximum frame rate.

Facebook Experience Video/Canvas

Dimensions: 1200 by 628 pixels
Minimum size for landscape video: 600 by 315 pixels (1.9:1 aspect ratio)
Minimum size for square video: 600 by 600 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV format, 4GB as the maximum file size, maximum length 120 min, 30fps as the maximum frame rate.

Facebook Slideshow Video Ads

Dimensions: 1200 by 720 pixels
Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV format, 4GB as the maximum file size, maximum length 120 min, 30fps as the maximum frame rate.

Facebook Slideshow Video Ads

Dimensions: 1200 by 720 pixels
Recommended specs: .MP4 or .MOV format, 4GB as the maximum file size, maximum length 120 min, 30fps as the maximum frame rate.

Instagram Video Specs

Instagram allows square, vertical, and horizontal video. Most Instagrammers usually use horizontal video, but it can be complicated to create. If you’re not sharp on the extra editing job, choose for square videos. They’re more uncomplicated to produce and work great for both desktop and mobile users.

Instagram In-Feed Video/Video Ads

For square video: 600 by 600 pixels, 1:1 aspect ratio
For horizontal video: 600 by 315 pixels, 1.9:1 aspect ratio
For vertical video: 600 by 750 pixels, 4:5 aspect ratio
Recommended specs: Highly suggested formats are .MP4 or .MOV. 4GB is the maximum file size, 60 sec as the maximum length, and 30fps as the maximum frame rate. Your video content should not pass 4GB in size and must be within ratio limits, should have H.264 compression, fixed frame rate, square pixels, progressive scan, and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps+.

Recommended size: 1080 x 1080 pixels
Minimum size: 600 x 600 pixels
Recommended specs: Highly suggested formats are .MP4 or .MOV. 4GB is the maximum file size, 60 sec as the maximum length, and 30fps as the maximum frame rate.

Instagram Stories Video Ads

Recommended size: 1080 x 1920 pixels
Minimum size: 600 x 1067 pixels
Aspect ratios: 16:9 to 4:5 and 9:16
Suggested specs: Highly suggested formats are .MP4 or .MOV. 4GB is the maximum file size, 60 sec as the maximum length, and 30fps as the maximum frame rate.

Twitter Video Specs

Twitter is at present valued at $16 billion and has total ad engagements at 91% year-over-year. The entertainment and sports industries have made great use of this platform for marketing their brand stories.

Twitter horizontal videos

Recommended size: 1280 x 1024 pixels
Minimum size: 32 x 32 pixels
Maximum size: 1920 x 1200 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: Should be between 1:2.39 and 2.39:1
Recommended sizes are as follow:

  • At 256K bitrate or 320 by 180 pixels
  • At 768K bitrate or 640 by 360 pixels
  • At 2048K bitrate or 1280 by 720 pixels

Recommended specs: Should be .MP4 for web, .MOV format for mobile, and video cannot exceed at 140 seconds in length.

Twitter Vertical Videos

Recommended size: 1200 x 1900 pixels
Minimum size: 32 x 32 pixels
Recommended sizes are as follow:

  • At 256K bitrate or 320 by 180 pixels
  • At 768K bitrate or 640 by 360 pixels
  • At 2048K bitrate or 1280 by 720 pixels

Recommended specs: Should be .MP4 for web, .MOV format for mobile, and video cannot exceed at 140 seconds in length.

Youtube Video Specs

Youtube is an excellent channel for marketers to advertise their brands through exciting videos. Below are the basic requirements and technical specifications for uploading video content to Youtube.

YouTube Video Player Specs

Recommended sizes:

  • 426 by 240 pixels or at 240p
  • 640 by 360 pixels or at 360p
  • 854 by 480 pixels or at 480p
  • 1280 by 720 pixels or at 720p
  • 1920 by 1080 pixels or at 1080p
  • 2560 by 1440 pixels or at 1440p
  • 3840 by 2160 pixels or at 2160p

Minimum size: 426 x 240 pixels
Maximum size: 3840 x 2160 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: 16:9, 4:3
Recommended specs: Should be MP4, .MOV, .MPEG4, .FLV, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, 3GPP, or WebM, with a maximum file size of 128GB, and maximum 12 hours long.

YouTube Video Ads

Skippable video ads: Should have a maximum length of 12 hours, skippable after 5 seconds.
Unskippable video ads: The maximum length should be of 15, 20, or 30 seconds
Mid-roll video ads: Maximum length of at least 30 seconds
Bumper video ads: Maximum length of at least 6 seconds

Snapchat Video Specs

A favorite choice of the younger generation, Snapchat has become more prominent compared to Twitter and Pinterest, even if it is a newer platform. So if you want to advance the power of Snapchat for your video marketing drives, you should also be knowledgeable of the video specifications.

Snapchat 10-second video ads:

Recommended size: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 9:16 aspect ratio
Recommended specs: Should be .MP4 or MOV, H.264 encoded, the length between 3 and 10 seconds long, with maximum file size 32MB
Audio specs: Has two channels, PCM or AAC codec, 192 minimum kbps, 16 or 24 bit only, 48 kHz sample rate

Snapchat Long-Form Video Ads

Recommended size: 1080 x 1920 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: 9:16 x 16:9
Recommended specs: Should be .MP4 or MOV, minimum 15 seconds long with no maximum length, 1GB as the maximum file size
Audio specs: At 2 channels, PCM or AAC codec, at 192 minimum kbps, 16 or 24 bit only, 48 kHz sample rate.

LinkedIn Video Specs

LinkedIn has still not presented many features for its video content campaigns; the number of businesspeople who watch videos increases. There are about 54 % of senior work executives share video content with associates at least once a week.

Linkedin Shared Videos

Maximum size: 4,096 x 2,304 pixels
Minimum size: 256 x 144 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: 1:2:4 - 2:4:1
Recommended specs: Should be .AVI, .FLV, .ASF, .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-4, .MKV, and .WebM, with a maximum file size 5GB, and a maximum length of 10 minutes long, maximum frame rate 60fps

LinkedIn Video Ads

Maximum size: 1080p or 1440 x 1080; wide 1920 x 1080
Minimum size: 360p or 480 x 360; wide 640 x 360
Audio format: Should be AAC or MPEG4
Audio size: Not exceeding 64KHz
Aspect ratios: Video ads should have a 1:1 aspect ratio should have a minimum resolution of 600 by 600px, and a maximum resolution of 1080 by 1080px.

Pinterest Video Specs

Pinterest continues developing the type of content options its users can search and publish. As was anticipated, videos are now part of the list too. There are several video types you can post on Pinterest. That’s why it is essential to learn more about the correct sizes and specs.

Pinterest Video Ads

Minimum size: 240p
Recommended size:

  • Square videos: 600 x 600 pixels or 1:1 by aspect ratio
  • Vertical videos: 600 x 900 pixels or 9:16 by aspect ratio

Recommended specs: Should be .MP4 or .MOV, 2 GB as the maximum file size, 30 minutes as the maximum length, 25fps as the maximum frame rate.

TikTok Video Specs

TikTok is the most recent and trendiest social media platform today. It is a mix of entertaining video and social media. Videos are engaging, fun, original, and, more importantly, a brand new idea of informing and telling stories.

Video dimensions and resolution: 1080×1920.
Canvas size (width and height): 1080×1920.
Maximum File size: 287.6 MB. For video ads, the maximum is 500 MB. Vertical videos work best on this platform, but horizontal ones are also acceptable.
Supported aspect ratio: 9:16 for a regular smartphone screen. However, you can also utilize a 1:1 aspect ratio, but it will not be full-screen.
File format: .MP4 and .MOV.
File format for ads: .AVI and .GIF. Video length maximum limit is up to 60 seconds.

Summary

The long list of social media video specs comprises all you need to create videos that can be appreciated by your audience across various devices. By adjusting with each platform requirements for video, you’ll guarantee that you’re giving your audience with an optimal viewing experience while making it wrong can point to frustrations with playback display, pixelation, faulty screen orientation, and more. And it would help if you regarded video content.

Suppose you are having trouble resizing or cropping videos or are not technically knowledgeable enough to do these things. In that case, you might want using a social media video cropping tool to make your life easier. Remember, the most basic and important elements for successful video content are your story’s direction, right dimensions, and don’t forget your video subtitles!