Vertical Image Size Guide (9:16)

Vertical Stories Format Guide

The 9:16 aspect ratio (1080 × 1920 pixels) is the shared standard across nearly every vertical, full-screen mobile format — Stories, Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts all use the same dimensions, so one correctly sized image works everywhere.

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories use 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16). This full-screen format allows for immersive, edge-to-edge content.

TikTok and Instagram Reels

TikTok and Reels also use 9:16 (1080 × 1920). Both apps overlay their own UI — captions, usernames, and action buttons — along the top and bottom edges and the right side of the frame. Roughly the top and bottom 250px, plus a strip on the right, can be covered. Keep faces, text, and logos closer to the center of the frame.

YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts use the same 1080 × 1920 canvas as Stories and Reels, but the Shorts thumbnail is cropped separately for the feed view — if a thumbnail matters for your Short, keep the key subject roughly centered so it survives that secondary crop.

Pinterest Story Pins

Pinterest Story Pins also use a 9:16 canvas, so the same 1080 × 1920 export works without changes.

Mobile-First Design

With most social media consumption happening on mobile devices, the 9:16 format ensures your content fills the screen on phones and tablets without letterboxing.

Common Vertical Format Mistakes

• Uploading a horizontal (landscape) photo directly, which gets heavily cropped or stretched to fit 9:16
• Placing text or logos near the top, bottom, or right edge, where app UI elements cover them
• Ignoring the Shorts thumbnail crop, which can cut off an off-center subject

This tool adds a white board background around the original image instead of cropping it, so a landscape photo can become a clean 9:16 canvas without losing any part of the picture.