Social Video Sizes Cheat Sheet (2025): Stop Posting Blurry Videos
Let's be honest. There is nothing more frustrating than spending hours editing a video, posting it to TikTok, and realizing the captions are cut off by the description. Or posting a beautiful 16:9 video to Instagram, only to have it look like a tiny, unwatchable rectangle.
If you're posting the same file everywhere, you're doing it wrong.
To win in 2025, you need to master social video sizes. But memorizing pixels is boring. Instead, think of this as your Digital Canvas Guide. We’ll break down the exact aspect ratios, safe zones, and resolutions you need for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn—so your content always looks professional.
The Big Three Ratios You Need to Know
Forget the 10 different numbers. You really only need these three.
The "TikTok" Vertical (9:16)
What it is: Tall and skinny. Fills the whole phone screen.
Where to use it: TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Stories.
Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels.
Why it matters: This is the 9:16 video on social media standard. If you want engagement on mobile, this is your default.
Official Spec: TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads confirm 9:16 is the gold standard.
The "Feed" Portrait (4:5)
What it is: Taller than a square, shorter than a Reel.
Where to use it: Instagram Feed posts, Facebook Feed, LinkedIn Feed.
Resolution: 1080 x 1350 pixels.
Why it matters: It takes up more vertical screen space than a square video, stopping the scroll more effectively. This is a key social video sizes for instagram hack.
The "Classic" Landscape (16:9)
What it is: Wide, cinematic, TV-style.
Where to use it: YouTube long-form, LinkedIn Desktop, TV apps.
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Why it matters: Essential for long-form content and ads on desktop.
The "Safe Zone" Survival Guide
Having the right size is step one. Not covering your face with a "Like" button is step two.
Safe Zones are the areas of your video where you can put text and logos without them getting covered by the app's interface (buttons, captions, search bars).
The 90% Rule
Keep all crucial text and action within the inner 90% of the screen. Broadcasters like PBS explicitly use this standard to ensure nothing gets cut off.
Platform-Specific Safe Zones (The "Danger Areas")
TikTok & Reels: The bottom 20% is a "no-fly zone" for text. This is where your caption and username live. The top 10% is also risky due to the search bar.
YouTube Shorts: Similar to TikTok, but the "Like/Comment" buttons on the right side can obscure content. Keep text centered or to the left.
LinkedIn & Facebook: Safer, but Facebook video size 2025 trends suggest keeping text centered to avoid cropping on different mobile devices.
Pro Tip: Most editing software allows you to toggle "Safe Margins." In Premiere Pro, Adobe explains how to view safe zones to keep your text safe.
Platform-by-Platform Quick Reference (2025)
Here is your cheat sheet for social media video size ratio across the web.
Reels: 9:16 (1080 x 1920).
Feed: 4:5 (1080 x 1350) or 1:1 (1080 x 1080).
Stories: 9:16 (1080 x 1920).
Common Question: "Is Instagram video 720 or 1080?" Always 1080.
Feed: 4:5 (1080 x 1350) or 1:1 (1080 x 1080).
Stories/Reels: 9:16 (1080 x 1920).
Spec Check: Facebook video format size favors mp4 files under 4GB.
TikTok
Feed: 9:16 (1080 x 1920).
Note: You can upload landscape, but it looks amateur. Stick to vertical.
Mobile Feed: 4:5 (1080 x 1350) performs best.
Desktop Feed: 16:9 (1920 x 1080) or 1:1 (1080 x 1080).
Strategy: LinkedIn video size ratio is flexible, but vertical (4:5) dominates mobile attention.
YouTube
Long-form: 16:9 (1920 x 1080) or 4K (3840 x 2160).
Shorts: 9:16 (1080 x 1920).
The "Lazy" Workflow: How to Resize Instantly
You don't need to edit five different videos from scratch. Use a Master & Resize workflow.
Edit the Master: Create your main video in the format of your primary channel (e.g., 16:9 for YouTube).
Center the Action: Keep your subject and key text in the middle of the frame.
Auto-Reframe: Use an AI tool to automatically crop the video for other platforms.
Tool Spotlight: This is where NemoVideo shines. Our AI video editor tool can take your landscape video and instantly generate a 9:16 vertical version and a 1:1 square version, automatically keeping your subject centered. It saves you hours of manual reframing.
Final Checklist Before You Export
[ ] Ratio: Is it the right shape for the platform? (9:16 for Reels, 16:9 for YouTube).
[ ] Resolution: Is it at least 1080p? (No 720p allowed in 2025!).
[ ] Safe Zones: Is your text legible and not covered by buttons?
[ ] Length: Does it meet the platform limits? (e.g., Shorts < 60s).
Stop guessing. Use the right canvas, respect the safe zones, and watch your engagement rise.
Try NemoVideo for free and resize your videos for every platform in seconds.
Mandatory Metadata
URL Slug: social-video-sizes
SEO Title Tag: Social Video Sizes 2025: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet (TikTok, IG, YT)
Meta Description: Stop posting blurry videos. Get the 2025 guide to social video sizes, aspect ratios, and safe zones for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook.
Image SEO Metadata
Image Description | Keyword-Optimized File Name | Descriptive Alt Text |
A visual diagram showing common video aspect ratios (16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:5) with green overlays indicating "Action Safe" and "Title Safe" zones. | social-video-sizes-aspect-ratios-safe-zones.jpg | A diagram of social video sizes showing aspect ratios like 9:16 and 16:9 with safe zones to ensure text isn't cut off on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. |