Although it's been a long time since Instagram limited users to just posting square images, Instagram still has a maximum aspect ratio of 4:5 for image and carousel posts. This limit makes it difficult to fit the whole picture on Instagram without cropping if you’re posting a very tall vertical image or any horizontal images.
So, how can you make a picture fit on Instagram?
To fit the whole picture on Instagram, you need to manually resize it. Otherwise, Instagram will automatically crop it. Use an image resizing tool, like Kapwing, to add a 4:5 canvas to the background of your photo and center the image. Set the canvas color to black or white so it’s less noticeable against Instagram’s user interface. Then export and upload to Instagram without cropping.
In this article, I’ll walk you through how to make photos fit on Instagram using Kapwing, step by step.
Open Kapwing's image resizing tool on your phone or computer. Select the 4:5 preset aspect ratio under "Start with a blank canvas."
Now that you have a blank canvas that fits Instagram’s size limits, you can upload the photo you want to turn into a 4:5 post.
Tap the Media tab on the menu bar at the bottom of your screen then tap the “Add Media” button.
Upload your image from your device or import it from a URL. Kapwing also integrates Google Photos and Drive, if your image is stored on the cloud.
The photo will be added to the Media tab.
Tap the blue plus icon over the image to add it to the canvas.
Kapwing will automatically center the photo in the middle of the canvas. This will add a white border to either side of the image.
Tap outside the image to select the background. The edit button at the top of the screen should change from “Edit image” to “Edit background. ” Tap it.
Scroll down until you see the canvas Background Color options.
You can choose any background color you want using the custom color picking tools, but if you want your Instagram post to look like it doesn’t have a border, set the background to black. More on why in the next section.
Tap the export button in the top right corner of your screen and export as a JPEG.
Once the image has been exported, scroll down to the “Download file” button and tap it and save the image to your phone’s camera roll.
Open Instagram and publish as normal.
Related: How to Post Multiple Images with Different Sizes to Instagram
Resizing an image to fit on Instagram can be frustrating, especially when it adds a background behind the image, which could distract from your photo.
Normally, you could turn the image into a PNG and remove the background, turning those pixels transparent. However, Instagram doesn’t currently support transparent background PNGs. It converts PNGs to JPEGs and converts any transparent pixels to black pixels.
You could resize your photo by using a cropping tool to make it fit the entire post size. Or, to make a resized Instagram photo look like it doesn’t have a border, adding a black border is actually best. Here’s why:
More than 80% of smartphone users have dark mode turned on and Instagram uses your phone’s settings by default. That means that most Instagram posts will be viewed in dark mode on a mobile device. Including yours, probably.
It’s an imperfect solution, but until Instagram supports transparent background PNGs, it’s the best way to fit the whole picture on Instagram without a super obvious border.
Related: How to Post a Portrait Image or Video to Instagram Without Cropping
Hopefully this article has helped you make your photos fit on Instagram. For more info and tutorials like this, visit our Resources Library or check out our YouTube channel.
And if you still have questions about how to fit the whole picture on Instagram, you can browse the frequently asked questions below.
Instagram imposes a maximum 4:5 aspect ratio limit on all image posts. That means if your image is between 1:1 (a square) or 4:5 (a vertical rectangle that is four pixels wide for every five pixels tall), you can post it. If it’s taller or wider than that, like portrait photos or landscape photos, Instagram will automatically resize the image by cropping it to fit those dimensions.
If Instagram is cropping your 4:5 images to square, tap the expand arrows in the left corner of the post preview. This will toggle the post size to 4:5. If your image is taller than 4:5, you can resize the photo with a third-party tool like Kapwing. Center your photo on a 4:5 canvas and save.
Instagram allows for several different aspect ratios. It has an aspect ratio limit of 4:5 for image posts, but also supports 1:1 images for users who still post square images. Instagram also has a 9:16 video size limit for Reels.
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Instagram crops all vertical posts to a 4:5 aspect ratio, with the exception of Reels. Regular Instagram photo posts and carousels (photo or video carousels), must fit either the 1:1 or 4:5 aspect ratios. That means if you take a screenshot, film a video clip on your phone, want to share an Instagram Story to your feed, or want to reshare a TikTok or Snap video as part of a carousel, you’ll have to resize it first.
To post a full vertical video or image on Instagram without cropping to 4:5, add a background to make it into either a square or 4:5 rectangle. Then, you can post the whole photo or video without cropping out or changing the size. This technique works for pictures, GIFs, and videos. In this article, we’ll break down how to do that with a step-by-step tutorial.
Let’s get started.
To post a tall, portrait image on Instagram, you have to add it to a 4:5 canvas using a resizing tool. Here’s how:
Now I’ll show you how to do that using an online video and image editing tool called Kapwing.
Head to Kapwing’s resizer tool and click the “Choose an image” button to get started.
Inside the editor, you’ll see the upload options.
You can upload the vertical or portrait photo you want to post directly from your device, import from the cloud (Kapwing supports Google Drive and Photos), or from a link if you’re storing the image elsewhere online.
With your photo uploaded, it’s time to add a background that meets Instagram’s size requirements.
First, select the canvas – just click on the dark background behind the image instead of on the image itself. You’ll see the edit menu on the right side change from Image menu to the Canvas menu. Click on the “Resize Canvas” button.
This will let you change the size of the background without changing or cropping the image on top. Select one of the Instagram presets, 1:1 if you want square, or 4:5 if you want rectangular. I chose 4:5 for this example because I wanted as little blank space to either side of my photo as possible.
Make sure to select “Fit to center” and turn background blur off. When you turn the background blur off, the default background color will be white.
I recommend changing it to black, since most Instagram users have their phones set to dark mode. The black background will blend into the background of the IG interface and make it look like your image has no background at all, just a vertical photo posted to Instagram without cropping or resizing.
To change the color of the background, use the background color presets or custom color options in the resize modal or on the right side canvas edit menu.
When you’re happy with your image and the background, click the “Export” button in the top right and choose your format and resolution settings.
Wait a few moments for Kapwing to process your export, then click the download button to save the image to your device. Your vertical photo is now within a 4:5 or 1:1 frame and it’s ready to publish to Instagram.
The easiest way to share a vertical video on Instagram is by creating a Reel. In fact, all videos published to Instagram are now shared as Reels.
That means you can post any 9:16 video as a Reel on Instagram as long as it’s under 90 seconds. If you have a video that's not 9:16 that you want to share on Instagram, you'll want to resize it first.
However, if you want to share a video as a slide in a carousel, the 9:16 ratio does not apply. Carousel slides are limited to the same aspect ratio as regular photo posts, which is to say either 1:1 or 4:5.
You can share multiple images and photos of different sizes in the same carousel, though. All you have to do is resize them first.
Use Kapwing’s video resizing tool to lay your 9:16 video over a 4:5 or 1:1 canvas to resize it without cropping. The steps are the same as the previous tutorial for resizing an image:
And that’s all there is to it.
The aspect ratio for Instagram photo and carousel posts must be between 1:1 and 4:5. Anything taller than 4:5 or wider than 1:1 will be cropped to fit within those dimensions. That means if you are trying to post a tall photo, you won’t be able to fit the whole photo on your Instagram feed.
To keep Instagram from automatically cropping your portrait photos, resize the photo first using a resizing tool like Kapwing. This will allow you to convert the taller photo to a 1:1 or 4:5 aspect ratio by adding a black or white background behind the image, instead of by cropping it.
All video posts under 90 seconds are now shared as Reels on Instagram, so you can post 9:16 videos to your Instagram feed without cropping them. If you want to share them as part of a carousel, though, you’ll have to stick with the 4:5 ratio and resize the video before sharing.
To make a full vertical picture fit on Instagram, try resizing it with a tool like Kapwing. You can convert your vertical image to a 4:5 or 1:1 aspect ratio by adding a background instead of cropping the image. You can also share a full vertical image on Instagram by sharing it either to your Stories or in a Reel.
Both Stories and Reels support the 9:16 aspect ratio, perfect for taller photos. Photo dump Reels are particularly trendy. Keep an eye out for different templates and trending sounds that accompany these photo sharing videos that many photographers and influencers on the app have started using to showcase their photos in video format.
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Uploading a whole photo on Instagram can be quite difficult for an inexperienced user of the social network. The edges of the photo are automatically cropped so that people and other objects are not fully displayed. To solve this problem, you need to use special programs.
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There are many reasons why a social network crops photos. This includes saving space on servers, and the desire to fully adapt images to vertical phone displays, and maintaining proportions for non-standardly placed photos with an unusual aspect ratio. The main goal is to create conditions for all people when pages scroll in the same way on any device.
The photo is cropped if the photo does not meet the requirements of Instagram. The resolution must be no greater than 1920×1080 , format - either PNG or JPG . If the restrictions are violated, the image will be automatically resized.
There are 2 methods of posting a photo without cropping on Instagram: through a social network program on a mobile device or through a special software.
The Instagram app can be installed on both phones and tablets. There is also a PC version of the program, but it has reduced functionality. To upload a photo without cropping, follow the algorithm below:
There are apps for people who need to upload full size photos to Instagram. Using them, you can post images to social networks with saved edges. Consider the most popular programs.
This Android app has paid features, but free features are enough to upload a full size photo. Run the program, select the required picture. A light frame will be displayed - you can either leave it as it is, or set the Instagram dimensions for the photo. In any case, all parts of the photo will remain in place.
Software for Android and iOS devices. In addition to the usual options, there are functions for changing the color of the edges, sizes, and other characteristics of the photo. There is also an option to zoom photos.
This application is suitable for those who do not need additional functionality. The only thing Whitagram can be used for is uploading a full size photo to Instagram. However, this application does a great job.
To avoid cropping your Instagram photos, you can use the No Crop app. You can download it from the Play Market. It allows you to publish images without cropping.
The application is open source, includes many collages. It has the following functionality:
Consider other ways to improve the quality of a photo or change its format when uploading.
To quickly send the uploaded photo to the server, Instagram automatically compresses it (small pixels are transferred faster). But you can upload photos to Instagram without losing quality. To forget about muddy pixels, users of gadgets with the Android operating system have the opportunity to change the settings. To do this, you need:
The latest version of Instagram allows you to upload a vertical photo to the social network. Using the option is easy - when you upload a snapshot, an icon with 2 arrows will be displayed (at the bottom left of the upload frame). Click on it and set the photo options.
To upload a disappearing photo (a picture that cannot be viewed before sending - it is immediately sent to other people), follow these steps:
In Instagram, you can post not only ordinary, but also moving photos. These can be created on iPhones. The file is not saved as a video or GIF, but as a photo. Once added to a social network, the live photo will be displayed as a regular static image. To transfer the entire effect, you will need to download third-party programs for turning pictures into gifs, for example:
Although the programs differ in their names and interfaces, they operate on the same principle - they convert an image into a gif. The resulting file can be uploaded to Instagram.
If you want to post a live photo to stories, you can do without third-party programs. To do this:
If you want to post a picture of nature, a beautiful city, the best option is to post a rectangular photo on Instagram. To make a photo horizontal, click on the icon with 2 arrows located at the bottom left of the picture. Then click "Next", make additional adjustments to the photo (if necessary) and post it.
Instagram often uses hashtags. This is a label that allows you to assign content to a topic so that it can be easily found on a social network. To upload a photo with a hashtag, follow these steps after editing the photo:
Instagram has an option that allows you to upload up to 10 photos and videos in one post. This feature is called a "carousel" or a selection. To create an Instagram carousel without cropping, select multiple photos or videos when posting and make the settings you want. It is possible to apply one filter to all materials and edit individual images. It is possible to change the sequence of photos and videos in the carousel by moving files around the screen. In the feed, such posts are marked with 3 dots at the bottom. To switch between the materials included in the carousel, swipe to the left / right side.
For a social network, a small size of a photo is a significant plus, but for users it is not always good. Often, pictures lose clarity, dark pixels appear on them, and colors are distorted. To upload a photo without reducing quality, pay attention to the following recommendations:
If Instagram greatly degrades the quality of the photo, you need to check if the picture meets the required conditions:
Online communication, viewing content through Instagram is a great way to spend your leisure time. Using the social network will be even more comfortable if you understand its functionality. The order of uploading photos without cropping is something that anyone who plans to post their pictures on a social network frequently should know.
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Instagram is a social network that focuses on visual content. Apart from online stores, the lion's share of business accounts on this service belongs to bloggers and photographers. This activity involves the creation of high-quality and attractive content. But the site forces users to play by their own rules and fit into the framework. Let's talk about how to post a photo in full size on Instagram.
Users of social networks often notice that the quality of photos drops when uploaded to the Internet. Why is this happening? Is it really a conspiracy of the owners of communication services to worsen the quality of life of people? In fact, this is of course not the case. And in 2019, everything is much better in this regard - for posts, the maximum resolution is 1080 by 1920, and for stories 600 by 1067, which is often quite enough for most modern mobile devices. Modern users, moreover, can post images in any orientation, unlike the early days of the social network.
Of course, I can write that this is done in order to save space on the site's servers. Think for yourself, if there are no restrictions, people will also upload 4k photos, which weigh quite a lot. But this is just my speculation, there is no official information confirming this idea. Although, of course, lower quality = lighter weight = faster loading. This is the first reason. Let's move on to the second.
What is the feature of Insta? in publication format. They are displayed correctly and uniformly on devices of any year of manufacture and with any operating system. And this is achieved precisely by limiting the uploaded photos.
Formats, restrictions, resolution, yes, yes, yes. But you can somehow upload a large photo, it’s impossible that people don’t come up with some tricks for this. In fact, this section is here to warn you. There are many articles on the Internet about how to supposedly add an image without losing quality, without cropping it. They mention applications, and the same ones that promise to help you in this situation. But I don’t really understand why people write about these tools over and over again, because no matter how we process the image, or make a panorama, in the end everything will rest within the framework of the social network itself.
For example, the NoCrop application, which is often recommended in such articles, only helps to fit the photo to the required extension. Of course, when uploading an image processed in this application, its quality will not drop. But since it has fallen to this, it cannot be said that the photo will be uploaded in full size. But, again, why download third-party software for this if the service does it on its own? Therefore, alas, 1080 by 1920 is our limit.
As we have already understood, it is unrealistic to fully preserve the quality. But do you need something more than FullHD? Of course, 4k technology is already being introduced into phones, but there are only a few such devices, and it will take some time before a full transition to a new generation of screens. Therefore, under “How to upload a photo without losing quality on Instagram?” I mean, first of all, maintaining the original orientation, and not adapting to the standard square format.
Let's move on to the instructions:
So, as we understand, it will not be possible to bypass the restrictions of the social network. But what if you post the image as it is? Let's discuss a few ideas that might come in handy.
If you look at the situation soberly, then the answer to the question “How to post a photo in full size on Instagram?” one is nothing. There are, of course, many articles on the Internet on this topic. But most of them cite applications that only fit photos to the format of a social network. That is, Insta does not crop anything, because everything has already been compressed to a photoset.
#1. Why does Instagram cut photos?
The resolution limitation allows you not to stretch the image loading time. And it ensures the uniformity of publications, which allows them to be correctly displayed in the feed of users, regardless of what device they use.
#2. Hello! I tried to upload a small photo, it is stretched to a size of 1080 on the larger side. How to make sure that the original size of the photo does not change? For example, I have a photo of 600x700, how can I leave it the same?
Add a white frame to it, adjusting the photo in this way to the standard size of Insta.
#3. How to upload a photo in the correct orientation?
Now there are no problems with orientation.
