Instagram photo size has evolved over the years. Back when the application launched, in 2010, 612px by 612px was the standard size for photographs. In July of 2015, that changed to 640px by 640px. Currently, in 2018, 1080px by 1080px has become the standard size in order to keep up with high-resolution displays on laptops, phones, and tablets.

Here’s everything you need to know about Instagram photo size

To put it simply, Instagram alters the standard size of photographs based on what looks the most pleasing to the eye with the current technology available.

Although the traditional way of posting on Instagram works best if your photograph is in a box shape, if your photograph looks better in a vertical format, that is perfectly fine because Instagram has recently added a story feature where you can upload pictures that are 1080px in width by 1920px in height (which is a 9×16 proportion).

Even though stories will only last for a twenty-four hour period, you can add pictures from your story to your ‘highlights’ which will appear on your profile for as long as you would like. That way, anyone who stumbles across your page in the future still has access to those beloved photographs. They do not have to be temporary. They can be permanent too (and you can see who has viewed them!).

However, if you have your heart set on posting a ‘regular’ photograph on your Instagram feed, you can always use the application’s crop features. Just select a photo you want to upload and drag it into position. The app will automatically post it cropped the way you selected.

If you don’t want to do all of your work on Instagram itself, then there are dozens of photo editing apps you can download that will help you crop the picture, flip the picture, and even take out ‘flaws’ from the picture.  No matter what dimensions it was to begin with, there is a way for you to resize it to fit Instagram.

Or, if you are worried about cutting out a certain person or piece of scenery, you could press the arrows in the corner of the photograph you are uploading to Instagram and it will keep its original dimensions. It might look a little out of place on the app (and will still crop to a square when appearing in your gallery) but will allow you to upload your entire picture without chopping it shorter.

If you are uncomfortable cropping because you are afraid of taking away an important piece of the picture, but you don’t want to use the wrong sizes either, then you should use the right dimensions to begin with. When you open up your camera application on your phone, there should be a ‘square’ option you can use in place of the full-screen photo option. Any square photos you take will fit perfectly to Instagram without any editing necessary!

When it comes to videos, you should make sure to shoot in a vertical format if you are planning on uploading to your Instagram story. The aspect ratio should be 9:16. This is also true if you choose to post to IGTV, a new addition to Instagram that allows you to upload more than fifteen second clips like in your stories. Cover photos for IGTV should be 420px by 654px so make sure you snap accordingly.

Instagram is constantly shifting along with the times in order to give audiences the best experience possible. The sizes of photographs you are expected to upload may change in the future, but one thing always stays consistent about the platform — it gives you a place to share your memories with the people you love the most in the world.