Instagram Tips

• Text Safety: Keep important text within the central 80% of your image or video to avoid cropping issues.
• Carousel Posts: All images in a carousel should use the same aspect ratio for a consistent viewing experience.
• Stories Highlights: Cover images for Stories Highlights use a 1:1 ratio but are displayed as circles.
• Video Length: Feed videos can be up to 60 seconds, Reels up to 90 seconds, and IGTV up to 60 minutes.
• File Size: Instagram compresses images, so start with high-quality files (but under 30MB).

Facebook Tips

• Text Overlay: Facebook recommends keeping text to less than 20% of the image area for better reach.
• Cover Photo Safe Zone: Keep important elements in the center of your cover photo, as the sides may be cropped on mobile.
• Video Captions: Adding captions to videos can increase engagement by up to 12%, as many users watch without sound.
• Image Quality: Facebook compresses images, so start with high-quality files (but under 30MB).
• Link Previews: When sharing links, Facebook generates previews with a 1.91:1 ratio. Ensure your website's Open Graph images use this ratio.

Twitter/X Tips

• Image Cropping: Twitter/X displays a preview of your image in the timeline, which may be cropped. Ensure key elements are centered.
• GIFs: Twitter/X supports GIFs up to 15MB, with the same aspect ratio requirements as static images.
• Video Length: Videos can be up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds for most accounts (longer for verified accounts).
• Alt Text: Adding alt text to images improves accessibility and may help with engagement.
• Card Previews: When sharing links, Twitter/X generates card previews. Ensure your website's Twitter Card meta tags use a 2:1 ratio image.

TikTok Tips

• Safe Zones: Keep important content within the central 70% of the frame to avoid being covered by UI elements.
• Video Quality: TikTok compresses videos heavily, so start with the highest quality possible.
• Sound: Unlike other platforms, TikTok is sound-on by default. Audio quality is crucial.
• Text Overlay: Keep text large and centered for better readability on small screens.
• Horizontal Content: While TikTok supports 1:1 and even 16:9 videos, they won't fill the screen and may have reduced engagement.

YouTube Tips

• Channel Art Safe Zone: Keep important content within the central 1546×423px area to ensure visibility across all devices.
• Thumbnail Design: Use high contrast, large text, and close-up faces for better click-through rates.
• Video Resolution: Upload in the highest resolution possible (up to 8K) for future-proofing your content.
• Non-Standard Ratios: YouTube will add black bars (letterboxing/pillarboxing) to videos that don't use 16:9 ratio.
• End Screens: Leave 20 seconds at the end of your video for end screens, which use a 16:9 format.

LinkedIn Tips

• Professional Quality: LinkedIn users expect higher quality, professional-looking content compared to other platforms.
• Cover Photo Safe Zone: Keep important elements centered in your cover photo, as the sides may be cropped on mobile.
• Document Sharing: LinkedIn allows PDF sharing with a 1:1.41 ratio (similar to A4 paper).
• Video Captions: Add captions to videos, as many LinkedIn users watch without sound in professional environments.
• Image Text: Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn doesn't penalize images with text, making it ideal for infographics and text-heavy visuals.

Important Note

Social media platforms frequently update their aspect ratio requirements. Always check the platform's official guidelines or use AspectRatioChecker's Platform Guides tab for the most current recommendations.

When creating content for multiple platforms, consider these approaches:

• Platform-Specific: Create separate versions optimized for each platform (ideal but time-consuming)
• Compromise Ratio: Use 1:1 (square) as it works reasonably well across most platforms
• Safe Zone Design: Create 9:16 content with important elements in the center 1:1 area, allowing cropping for different platforms