Social Media Videos Specs Change Often. Video is becoming the most relevant media content to brands and marketers as we try to come up with new strategies to better reach new prospects while not losing touch of existing ones. But like most things happening in the social media realm, video specs tend to change quite frequently, which can make it hard for people who work with creating or distributing video to stay on top of these changes and know how they might affect their videos production (timewise) or distribution (throughout various social channels).
Take a look at our guide below and reach out so we can help you build the best promotional videos for you and your brand.
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1. Video Size Cheat Sheet For Facebook
Video posts get at least 59% more engagement than other post types.
There are numerous types of videos that can be shared on Facebook, but each has a different dimension.
Let’s dive straight into each video format available on Facebook and its required dimensions.
Shared Video Posts
Shared videos ‘autoplay’ in your News Feed. It is one of the most common forms of videos on Facebook. These are the videos shared by your friends and brands.
Shared videos have an orientation of either landscape or portrait.
Facebook Shared Video Specifications
- Video Dimension: 1280 x 720 (Landscape and Square)
- Aspect ratio for landscape: 16:9
- Aspect ratio for portrait: 9:16
- File Size: 4 GB (max)
- Video Length: 4 hours (max)
- For mobiles, the aspect ratio is 2:3 for both video orientations
360° Videos
Facebook also prioritizes 360° videos as they appear organically in the Facebook Feeds. Click the Advanced tab, set your default point of view, and click the 360 Controls tab to record any video in this format.
Users can get an elaborate 360° view of your videos by scrolling the cursor with a touch on their device.
Facebook 360° Videos Specifications
- Video dimension for Monoscopic videos: 5120 x 2560 maximum, aspect ratio 2:1
- Video dimension for Stereoscopic videos 5120 x 5120 maximum, aspect ratio 1:1
- Maximum Length: ½ hour
- Maximum File Size: 10 GB
- Video with 360 metadata embedded
- File Type: MP4 container
Facebook Video Ads
Facebook video ads have the lowest CPC, with an average CPC of $0.97.
Advertisers are using videos in a big way on Facebook to market their products and brands. There are different types of Facebook ads, and marketers have to be careful about getting the right specs of each one.
Desktop Newsfeed Link Video
The Facebook Desktop News Feed Link video is similar to the shared videos as they live in the user feeds and also appear in the right column of the Facebook timeline. These ads can either be square or in landscape dimensions.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimension: 1280 x 720 pixels
- Format: .MOV or. MP4 file
- Landscape Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Square Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Duration: 4 hours (max)
- Video Size: 4 GB (max)
Carousel Video Ads
Carousel ads are 10 times more likely to get clicked compared to the static ads on Facebook.
With carousel ads, brands can show multiple images before clicking a link. They are definitely a fun way of promotion that allows users to have more in-depth interaction with your service or product.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions: 1080 x 1080 (Landscape and Square)
- Square Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Max Video File Size: 4 GB
- File Type: .MP4 and.MOV.
- Video Length: 4 hours (max)
- Number of Cards: 2 to 10 (max)
Collection Video Ads (for mobile)
The Collections ads are ideal for marketing products that come in different colors, like clothes and retail products. This video ad is followed by 3 product images, giving viewers an immersive experience.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions: 1080 x 1080 (Landscape and Square)
- Landscape Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Square Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- File Size: 4 GB (max)
- Video Length: 2 hours (max)
Canvas Video Ads
This form of paid content gives users a great deal of information on swiping and scrolling on their mobile devices. These ads don’t have any character and text limit.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions:1200 x 628 (Landscape and Square)
- Landscape Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Square Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- File Size: 4 GB (max)
- Video Length: 2 hours (max)
Slideshow Video Ads
With slideshow video ads, ad makers, and businesses aim to reach their audience who have slow internet connections. Instead of a video, slideshows or photos are arranged.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions:1200 x 720 (Landscape and Square)
- Landscape Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Square Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Video Duration: 15 seconds (max)
2. Video Size Cheat Sheet For Instagram
Since the inception of Reels, Instagram videos have come a long way. The latest statistics showed that about 5.2 million people viewed brand-created Instagram videos.
Advertising on Instagram is definitely worth investing in. Let’s discuss the specifications of the various Instagram videos.
Instagram Feed Videos
Grab your audience’s attention with captivating videos while they scroll down their Instagram feeds. These videos are an interesting and fun way to keep the audience glued to your brand. The three different formats of Instagram videos are: Square, Vertical, and Landscape.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions: 1080 x 1080 pixels (max)
- Landscape Aspect Ratio: 1.9:1
- Square Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Vertical Aspect Ratio: 4:5
- File Size: 4 GB (max)
- Video Length: 60 seconds (max)
Carousel Video Ads
Carousel posts signify the presence of multiple content elements. The small dots below the post indicate more than one image, creating a step-by-step tutorial detailing the product features and usage.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions: 1080 x 1080 (max)
- Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Video Length: 60 seconds (max)
- File Type: .MP4 & .MOV
- File Size: 4 GB (max)
- Number of Cards: 2 to 10 (max)
Instagram Stories Ads
Engage your audience with compelling storytelling using the Instagram stories feature. Instagram stories contain up to 10 images, and they disappear after 24 hours from your Instagram feed. You can share the same story on your Facebook handle as well.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimension: 1080 x 1920
- Aspect ratio: 9:16
- File Size: 4 MB (max)
- Video Length: 2 minutes (max)
Instagram IGTV Videos
IGTV are popular Instagram video formats used by brands for videos of longer duration. They are also used to post live sessions and short series like interviews, DIY, tutorials, and more.
Video specifications
- Video Dimensions: 1080 x 1920 pixels (max)
- Horizontal Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Vertical Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- File Size: 3.6 GB (max)
- Video Length: 1 hour (max)
Instagram Reels Videos
Instagram reels are the trending video content format on Instagram. This TikTok rival has an amazing organic reach and allows users to take part in the latest trends for higher engagement.
Video specifications
- Video Dimensions: 1080 x 1920 pixels (max)
- Full Screen Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- Feed Aspect Ratio: 4:5
- File Size: 4 GB (max)
- Video Length: 30 seconds (max)
If you are further looking to schedule your Instagram posts, check out our curated list of the best Instagram marketing tools.
3. Video Size Cheat Sheet For Twitter
500 million tweets are sent each day on Twitter. The sports and the entertainment sector make extensive use of this platform for marketing their brand stories. Let’s check out their video specifications.
Twitter In-Feed Video
You can upload the in-feed video content in the landscape and portrait formats directly on Twitter. While these specific formats cannot be shared through YouTube and Vimeo links, Twitter provides easy ways of sharing organic content. For paid content videos ads too, you can use the same specs as follows.
Video Specification
- Video Dimensions: 1280 x 720 (landscape), 720 x 1280 (portrait), 720 x 720 (square)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (landscape or portrait), 1:1 (square)
- Video Length: 140 seconds (max)
- File Type: .MP4 (web) and .MOV (mobile)
- File Size: 512 MB(max)
4. Video Size Cheat Sheet For YouTube
More than 500 hours of videos are viewed on Youtube every day.
Youtube is a great channel for marketers to promote their brands through interesting videos. Let’s check out the basic requirements and technical specs for uploading video content to Youtube.
Standard YouTube Video
The best format which gives high-quality videos for uploading on Youtube is the MP4 format with H.264 codec and AAC codec, though numerous other formats are supported.
Video specifications
- Video Dimensions: 3840 x 2160 (max)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 or 4:3
- Video Length: 12 hours (max)
- File Type: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM
- File Size: 128 GB (max)
Note: All Youtube video ads have the same basic specifications. The only difference is the length of the specific videos.
Length of various Youtube video ads
- Skippable video ads: Max length is 12 hours( can be skipped after 5 seconds)
- Non-skippable video ads: Max length is 15-20 seconds( 30 seconds in some areas)
- Mid-roll video ads: Minimum length is 30 seconds
- Bumper video ads: Max length is 6 seconds
Display Ads
Display ads appear in the search results or in the right column when watching a Youtube video.
Video specifications
- Video Dimensions: 300 x 250 (max)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 or 4:3
- Video Length: 12 hours (max)
- File Type: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM
- File Size: 128 GB (max)
YouTube Shorts
YouTube shorts are similar to Facebook and Instagram stories. Most brands use this format to make a more dynamic presence on YouTube. They also serve as a quick reminder to check a new video upload.
Video specifications
- Video Dimensions: 1080 x 1920 (max)
- Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- Video Length: 60 seconds (max)
- File Size: 4 MB (max)
5. Video Size Cheat Sheet For LinkedIn
While LinkedIn has still not introduced many features for its video content campaigns, the number of executives who watch videos is growing rapidly. About 54% of senior work executives share video content with colleagues at least once a week.
LinkedIn Shared Videos
Along with uploading the video, LinkedIn gives you the option to share Youtube links in shared posts and LinkedIn Pulse articles. You can run video ads to increase your chances of lead generation and branding.
Video specifications
- Video Dimensions: 4096 x 2304 (max)
- Aspect Ratio: 1:2:4 or 2:4:1
- Video Length: 10 mins (max)
- File Type: .ASF, .AVI, .FLV, .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-4, .MKV, and .WebM
- File Size: 5 GB(max)
LinkedIn Stories
LinkedIn stories are used to leverage the power of ephemeral content on LinkedIn. You can add stickers to your videos, ask questions, and add informative text to interact with your followers.
Video specifications
- Video Dimensions: 1080×1920 (max)
- Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- Video Length: 20 seconds (max)
- File Size: 4 MB
If you are further looking to schedule your LinkedIn posts, check out our curated list of LinkedIn marketing tools.
6. Video Size Cheat Sheet For Snapchat
Are you one of the billion viewers seeing videos on Snapchat?
Snapchat has grown bigger than Twitter and Pinterest, a favorite among the younger generation, though it is a much younger platform.
55% of Snapchat users report that they follow one or more brands or businesses on the platform.
So if you want to leverage the power of Snapchat for your video marketing campaigns, you should also be aware of the video specifications.
Single Video
This video format is the basic way in which users communicate on the platform. Yet, as a marketer, you can post videos to showcase products and latest events in your business.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions: 1080 x 1920
- Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- File Size: 32 MB (max)
- Video Length: 3-10 seconds (max)
Long-Form Video Ads
Long-form videos are the only format that Snapchat offers for paid ad formats. But, there are opportunities galore to add a video to Snapchat’s discovery option. You have to explore this social media network to ascertain how it can be best suited for your video ad campaigns.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions:1080 x 1920
- Aspect Ratio: 9:16 / 16:9
- File Size: 1 GB (max)
- Video Length : 180 seconds (max)
- File Type: .MP4 or .MOV
7. Video Size Cheat Sheet For Pinterest
On Pinterest, users cannot upload their own videos, but they can share Youtube and Vimeo links. Pinterest offers two ad formats for a single video ad format.
Long-Form Video Ads
The two formats for Pinterest Promoted videos are: square and vertical. While they are almost the same, they have some unique dimensions.
Video Specifications
- Square Video Dimensions:600 x 600
- Vertical Video Dimensions: 600 x 900
- Square Aspect Ratio: 1:1
- Vertical Aspect Ration: 9:16
- File Size: 2 GB Max
- Video Length: 15 mins (max)
- File Type: .MP4 and .MOV
Story Pins
Pinners use story pins to share short-form content with their followers. This can be accessed the same way as Instagram and Facebook stories.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimension: 1080 x 1920
- Aspect ratio: 9:16
- File Size: 100 MB (max)
- Video Length: 1 minute (max)
- File Type: .MP4 and .MOV
TikTok brought a revolution in the video marketing aspects, showcasing the true potential of short videos. You can participate in challenges and give your brand a personalized touch.
However, you need to abide by video specifications to elevate the experience of your viewers.
Organic Videos
These are the usual TikTok videos that viewers might come across in their feeds if they are following you. Brands use them for duet challenges and daily posting.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions:1080 x 1920
- Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- File Size: 287.6 MB (max)
- Video Length : 60 seconds
- File Type: .MP4 and .MOV
Feed Ads
If you have found your niche audience on TikTok, utilize feed ads and resort to paid ads. They will boost your reach to a wider range of audiences and increase your engagement metrics considerably.
Video Specifications
- Video Dimensions:1080 x 1920
- Aspect Ratio: 9:16
- File Size: 500 MB (max)
- Video Length : 60 seconds
- File Type: .MP4 and .MOV
SocialPilot’s Native Video Publishing Suite
Facebook boasts of having 8 billion video views on their platform every day, while Instagram stories getting 500 million views. Marketers know that videos are the most engaging piece of content these days.
Native videos ensure better reach, grab more eyeballs, and of course, higher engagement compared to posting Youtube or Vimeo links in your post…
Wrapping up
Your video content specifications cheat sheet is ready. Start designing your video content campaigns using the best video tools to leverage the power of social media network marketing.
- courtesy of Manisha Sukhyani, SocialPilot
