You approve a superb horizontal video. The next day, it shows up on a customer’s phone with two big black bars, and your logo cut in half. Nothing serious: that’s the fate of most videos shot without thinking about the destination format. The good news is that it can be prepared before the shoot.
Here are the formats to know in October 2026, checked against the platforms and recent specialist sources, followed by our advice for framing once and publishing everywhere.
Instagram: the profile grid is no longer square
In early 2025, Instagram dropped the square thumbnail on profiles in favor of a 3:4 vertical thumbnail (1080 x 1440 pixels). The reason given by Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram: the vast majority of published content is already vertical, and cropping it to a square was “brutal.”
In practice, here is what it changes for you:
- A Reel (9:16) appears on the grid in 3:4: the top and bottom are cropped. Your face or your title must therefore stay in the center of the image.
- A 4:5 photo, the classic vertical feed format, is very slightly cropped on the sides in the grid. Nothing dramatic, but avoid elements stuck to the edges.
- The old checkerboard or mosaic grids no longer work. Instagram does, however, let you adjust the preview of each thumbnail.
Tip Always design your Reel covers with the subject in the central area: they will be seen both full screen and as a 3:4 thumbnail.
The table to keep handy
| Network and format | Recommended format | Length: the benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 vertical, 1080 x 1920 px | Up to 3 minutes (announced in January 2025) |
| Instagram, feed post | 4:5 vertical, 1080 x 1350 px | Carousel of up to 20 photos or videos (since August 2024) |
| Instagram Stories | 9:16, 1080 x 1920 px | Short, chained clips |
| TikTok | 9:16, 1080 x 1920 px | Several minutes possible, depending on accounts and updates |
| YouTube Shorts | Vertical or square | Up to 3 minutes (since October 15, 2024) |
| YouTube, standard video | 16:9 horizontal | No practical constraint |
| 16:9, square or 9:16 | Up to 10 minutes for a standard video | |
| 9:16 for Reels, horizontal accepted | Since 2025, all videos are Reels, with no announced length cap |
A point of method: a maximum length is not a recommended length. Just because a Reel or a Short can last three minutes doesn’t mean it should. For a first contact with a brand, aim short and sharp.
Safe zones: what the interface hides from you
On a vertical format, the app draws over your video: account name, caption, “like” and “share” buttons, progress bar. As a result, the bottom third and the right side are regularly covered. The rule of caution is simple:
- Faces and main subject: in the center, neither too high nor too low.
- Subtitles: in the middle or slightly below center, never at the very bottom.
- Logo and call to action: away from the edges and the bottom of the screen.
- Side margins: leave some room on the left and right.
The exact dimensions of these zones vary from one network to another and change with updates. Always test your file in the app before publishing it widely.
Shoot once, publish everywhere
A shoot costs time and energy. It might as well serve every format. The method:
- Shoot wide, in high definition. With a camera able to film in very high resolution, we can crop to vertical without losing sharpness.
- Frame in the center. The subject occupies the central part of the image, with room around it. 16:9 can then be derived from 9:16 without damage.
- Display guides on the monitor. 9:16, 4:5 and 1:1 frames overlaid on the image let us check the framing live.
- Plan for breathing room. A few extra seconds at the start and end of each shot make it easier to edit short versions.
- Think sound and subtitles from the shoot. A clear, clean voice makes automatic subtitles far more reliable.
The right reflex isn’t to shoot three times. It’s to frame once while thinking of three formats.
Your checklist before filming
- What is the main format, and which one is secondary?
- Where will the logo, subtitles and call to action be placed?
- Does the subject remain legible once cropped to 3:4 and 9:16?
- What length are we aiming for with each version?
At that dog, this thinking is part of the preparation for every shoot. We film with an 8K full-frame camera designed for reframing, we frame with multi-format guides, then we deliver ready-to-publish versions: vertical, square, horizontal. You know from the start what you’re getting, and where it gets published.
One shoot, every format
Let’s talk about your networks and your needs: we prepare the framing so that each video displays as intended.