Social Media Video Specs Cheat Sheet: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube & Facebook (2026)

Uploading a video with the wrong dimensions is a silent waste of effort. The platform crops it awkwardly, adds unwanted borders, or blurs your content — and you only notice after it has already underperformed. Video specs are not glamorous, but they are the difference between a video that looks professional and one that looks amateur.

The good news is that you do not need to memorise these numbers. This cheat sheet is designed to be saved and referred to whenever you create. It covers Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook — the platforms most Nigerian businesses use — with the 2026 dimensions that matter.

How to Read This Cheat Sheet

Two numbers matter most for every video: the aspect ratio (the shape of the frame) and the resolution (the size in pixels).

The ratios you will meet most often are:

• 9:16 — vertical, for phones. This is the full-screen look on Reels, TikTok, and Shorts.
• 1:1 — square, works everywhere but shines in feeds.
• 16:9 — landscape, the classic YouTube and Facebook standard.
• 4:5 — portrait, taller than square, used for feed videos that feel more natural than a square.

Whenever you are unsure, vertical 9:16 is the safest default in 2026, because every major platform now prioritises vertical short-form video.

Instagram Specs

Instagram is the most format-heavy platform, so get these right.

• Reels: 9:16 vertical, 1080 x 1920 pixels. Keep Reels to 90 seconds or less — that is the length Instagram recommends to new audiences (longer uploads are accepted but get far less distribution). Keep text within the safe area — the bottom is covered by the caption and icons.
• Feed videos: 4:5 portrait is the sweet spot, with 1080 x 1350 pixels. Square 1:1 at 1080 x 1080 also works.
• Stories: 9:16, 1080 x 1920. Leave space at the top and bottom for the interface elements.
• File format: MP4 with H.264 compression, up to 4GB.

Instagram also now surfaces Reels prominently in search, so treat every Reel as a discovery opportunity. Our guide to Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts covers how the format fits your wider strategy.

TikTok Specs

TikTok is the most demanding about vertical video because it is built entirely around it.

• Recommended: 9:16, 1080 x 1920 pixels.
• Length: Up to 10 minutes for most accounts, but the sweet spot for reach remains 20–35 seconds.
• Safe area: Keep essential content in the centre. TikTok overlays captions, usernames, and buttons on the sides and bottom.
• File size: Keep uploads under 500MB for smooth processing.

TikTok videos do not need to be perfect — raw, authentic content performs well. But the wrong aspect ratio will get you cropped, so always record and export vertical.

YouTube Specs

YouTube handles three main video types, each with its own spec.

• Standard videos: 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixels minimum. Anything below 720p hurts quality perception.
• Shorts: 9:16, 1080 x 1920, up to 3 minutes — the limit was raised from 60 seconds in October 2024.
• Thumbnails: 1280 x 720, 16:9, under 2MB.

The thumbnail is often more important than the video itself — it is the first thing viewers see. Your video SEO also depends on clear titles and descriptions that match what people search for.

Facebook Specs

Facebook is more forgiving, but the specs still matter for clean playback.

• Feed videos: 4:5 or 1:1 work best in the feed; 9:16 for mobile-centric content.
• Stories and Reels: 9:16, 1080 x 1920.
• In-stream ads: 16:9 landscape or 9:16 vertical, with captions and clear first frames.
• File size: Up to 4GB, MP4 preferred.

Because Facebook auto-plays videos without sound, include captions and put your key message in the first few seconds. Our article on short-form versus long-form video helps you decide which length suits each goal.

Shooting Better on a Phone Without Buying a Camera

Most of the video you post will be shot on a phone, and that is perfectly fine — the platforms are designed for it. What matters is how you use the phone you already have.

Shoot in the right orientation from the start. Record vertical (9:16) for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts, and landscape (16:9) for YouTube and desktop. Cropping a horizontal video into a vertical frame destroys quality and composition. Decide the orientation before you press record.

Lock the exposure and focus. Tap and hold on your subject until the focus locks, then adjust brightness. This prevents the constant exposure flicker that makes phone video look amateur.

Give yourself room to crop. Keep your subject in the centre of the frame with margin around the edges. This protects you when a platform covers parts of the screen with its interface, and it gives you flexibility when you need to crop for a different format.

Use natural light where possible. The best upgrade for phone video is not a camera — it is light. Shoot facing a window or in a well-lit room. In low light, phone footage turns grainy and noisy quickly.

Steady the shot. A small phone tripod or even resting the phone on a stable surface eliminates the shaky footage that immediately reads as low quality. If you are moving, move slowly and smoothly.

Record in the highest quality setting. Most phones capture more than you need, and higher resolution footage gives you room to crop and still look sharp. Set your camera app to its best available quality.

You do not need a camera, lights, and a studio to produce video that looks professional. A phone, good light, a steady hand, and the right orientation cover most of what Nigerian businesses actually post.

General Best Practices

Whatever the platform, these rules apply across all of them:

• Export in MP4 with H.264. It is universally supported and keeps quality high at reasonable file sizes.
• Shoot in the highest resolution possible. You can always export smaller, but you cannot upscale a low-quality clip.
• Keep critical elements in the safe area. Assume the sides and bottom will be covered by platform overlays.
• Add captions. Most viewers watch with sound off, especially on mobile.
• Test before posting. Preview your video on the target platform once before going public.
• Check on a real phone. Export files can look different from the editor — open the actual upload in the app and look for cropped edges, hidden captions, or an awkward frame before you hit publish.

The difference between videos that look sharp and videos that look broken is usually just these specs. Once they become a habit, you stop thinking about them entirely.

Video specs change slowly, and the 2026 landscape is stable: vertical 9:16 for short-form everywhere, 16:9 for YouTube and desktop, and 4:5 as the feed-friendly middle ground.

Save this cheat sheet, export with the right dimensions, keep your captions on, and test before posting. Small technical discipline adds a professional polish to everything you publish.

The other habit worth building is a simple export preset. Most editing tools let you save a preset with the right resolution, aspect ratio, and format for each platform. Set these up once — vertical 9:16 for Reels and Shorts, 16:9 for YouTube, and your feed format of choice — and every future export becomes a single click instead of a set of decisions you have to remember each time. A few minutes of setup saves you from shipping another wrong-size video.

If producing consistent, well-crafted video content feels overwhelming, that is where professional help pays for itself. At Joetech, we produce and edit video content for Nigerian businesses — contact us to talk about your video plans.