Best instagram photo settings 2021

Yes it is here. Another year which means new pictures, new videos, new content and stories to be told. But it also comes with some updated Instagram Photo Settings for 2021 to maximize your posts to all audiences.

Now days there are so many different ways to engage with your followers. Sometimes it can get a little tricky so we decided to write a post that can help navigate some of that.

If you want to skip through all the reading and go straight to the  FREE INSTAGRAM PHOTO SETTINGS TEMPLATE in PHOTOSHOP PSD format CLICK HERE, and you can get right to it.

Blurry / Distorted Instagram Photos?

Have you ever spent time setting up jus the right IG pic, uploaded a picture to Instagram and it ended up blurry or distorted? Talk about frustration! It’s not just you, it’s a real thing. 

If you’re wondering how to fix blurry Instagram photos, join the club. Tens of thousands of users upload their photo to Instagram only to find it to not look as great as when they first edited it. 

There are two reasons that your photos look blurry on Instagram:

• If your aspect ratio isn’t correct, then Instagram will crop it and compress your image.
• If your file size is over 1MB, then again, Instagram will compress it.

Luckily there are easy fixes to avoid image compression and make sure your image quality looks excellent when posting to Instagram. Here’s how to navigate this social media and upload quality photos all the time.

No matter what you heard, size maters!

At the end of the day, the higher the resolution you start with, the more flexibility you have in the type of post you create. Most people hold their phones vertically  when they take pics, which means if you are posting straight through with no editing, you’re posting a 4:5. If you try and take a picture holding the phone horizontally and squeeze it in to a 4:5, things are going to get cut off the edges. S0 if you shoot horizontal, then you should post in a 1:1 format and try to keep your subjects centered in the pictures. 

Again, if you want to skip through all the reading and go straight to the  FREE INSTAGRAM PHOTO SETTINGS TEMPLATE in PHOTOSHOP PSD format CLICK HERE, and you can get right to it.

Noticing that your photos are uploading fuzzy? Uploading files that are larger than 1080px may be the culprit.

If you upload an image that’s larger than these measurements, Instagram will automatically compress the image for display. Extreme photo compression can distort image details, majorly impacting quality. ☹️

The same is true when you upload an image that’s smaller than 320px by 320px.

Instagram will expand the image, causing pixelation and fuzziness. 👎 

To get the best possible photo in your feed, aim for square photo sizes of 1080px by 1080px.

The compressed version on that displays on Instagram will be around 600px by 600px, which will appear flawless on the Instagram mobile and desktop without affecting resolution!

If nothing seems to solve your compression woes, try uploading from your desktop.

Instagram’s web application preserves photo quality much more effectively than the mobile app!

What resolution does Instagram use?

According to Instagram, the app uploads your photos at the best resolution possible up to a width of 1080 pixels.

As long as your photo width is between 320 and 1080 pixels, the app will keep the original resolution (as long as the photo’s aspect ratio is also correct).

If the aspect ratio of your photo isn’t supported, it will be automatically cropped, which may affect your photo resolution.

If you want to get it right every time, make sure to resize your image to a maximum width of 1080 pixels before you upload your image to avoid automatic resizing or compression!

How do I resize photos for Instagram?

To avoid quality issues with your Instagram photo, you should always try to resize your photo to the appropriate size and aspect ratio before uploading your photo to Instagram.

You can resize your Instagram photo with a variety of desktop and web photo editors, like Adobe Photoshop, LightRoom, and more!

Instagram Portrait Size

Ideal Photo Size: 1080px by 1350px
Wondering how to fit a full picture on Instagram without cropping?

You can do that with portrait and landscape photos! Portrait photos are also fairly easy to get right on the first try, although you will have to crop oversize vertical photos to fit within the Instagram dimensions.

What size is Instagram portrait?

The ideal Instagram portrait aspect ratio is 4:5, and the ideal photo size is 1080px by 1350px.

If you upload a larger portrait, say a 4:6 or 9:16 (the size of a Snapchat photo), you’ll be prompted to crop a portion of the photo out to fit.

How do you fit a full picture on Instagram?

If you want to upload your full portrait creation to Instagram without cropping to a square, you can use the handy full-size button when uploading your photo to automatically adjust your portrait (or landscape photo) to the maximum aspect ratio available.

Just tap the expand arrows in the bottom left corner of your photo to fit the whole picture on Instagram!

Speaking of detail, the same rules about photo compression and enlarging apply here.

To get the best resolution for Instagram, size your portrait photo around 1080px by 1350px. That way, automatic compression won’t affect the quality of your vertical shot!