Correction, 2026-10-02: this page gave Meta's recommendation for Instagram feed video as 4:5 at 1440 x 1800. That figure is still on the German-language version of Meta's page, which Meta served us when no language was set, but the English version (locale en_US), checked 2026-10-02, recommends 9:16 at 1080 x 1920. The page now quotes the English version and treats 4:5 as an optional feed cut. We also added details the same pages list: up to 30 hashtags on feed, the Stories video settings, and that Stories may split ads of 16 seconds or longer into separate cards. We also listed Wan 3.0 among the models that make 3:4; from text the Wan tool offers 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 only.
Meta's ads guide (English version, checked 2026-10-02) recommends 9:16 for both Instagram feed and Stories video ads: 1080 x 1920 pixels for feed and 1440 x 2560 for Stories. Both accept MP4, MOV or GIF, up to 4 GB, from 1 second to 60 minutes. Stories carries the same safe zone as Reels: keep about 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side clear. If you also want a 4:5 feed cut, none of the video models on 8frame generates 4:5, so it comes from cropping.
TL;DR
| Spec | Instagram feed video | Instagram Stories video |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 | 9:16 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 | 1440 x 2560 |
| Formats | MP4, MOV, GIF | MP4, MOV, GIF |
| File size | up to 4 GB | up to 4 GB |
| Length | 1 s to 60 min | 1 s to 60 min |
| Minimum width | 250 px | 250 px |
| Aspect ratio tolerance | 1% | 1% |
| Primary text | 125 characters | 125 characters |
| Hashtags | up to 30 | not listed |
| Safe zone | not listed | 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side |
The Stories page adds video settings: H.264 compression, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan and stereo AAC audio at 128 kbps or more. Stories plays video ads shorter than 16 seconds in full; ads of 16 seconds or longer may be split into separate Stories cards, one, two or three, chosen automatically for each viewer. Both pages say videos should not contain edit lists or special boxes in file containers. From Meta's Facebook Ads Guide, Instagram feed and Stories video specs (English, locale en_US), checked 2026-10-02.
Where 4:5 still fits
Two of Meta's pages still use 4:5. The feed image ad spec recommends 4:5 at 1440 x 1800, and the German-language version of the feed video page still shows 4:5 at 1,440 x 1,800 (both checked 2026-10-02). If you want a 4:5 feed cut, for example to run next to 4:5 image ads, the frame has to come from cropping or from a still.
Getting a 4:5 cut from AI models
The video models on 8frame offer shapes such as 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3 and 3:4 (Veo 3.1 and Gemini Omni Flash offer only 16:9 and 9:16). None generates 4:5. Three routes work:
- Generate 3:4 and crop the top and bottom slightly. 3:4 (0.75) is the closest shape to 4:5 (0.8), so the crop is small. Seedance, Hailuo H3, Grok Imagine and Runway Gen-4 Turbo offer 3:4, and so does Happy Horse when you start without a start image.
- Generate 9:16 and crop to 4:5. You lose more of the frame (1080 x 1920 crops to 1080 x 1350), but one generation serves feed and Stories at 9:16 and, cropped, the 4:5 cut. Keep the subject in the middle of the frame so both versions hold it.
- Generate a 4:5 still. If the placement can take an image ad, Nano Banana offers 4:5 directly; Nano Banana 2, the tool's default, is 11 credits an image.
Tell the model where the subject goes: "subject centred, headroom above" leaves room for both crops, where a subject near an edge may be cut off.
Resolution
Meta's figures are 1080 x 1920 (feed) and 1440 x 2560 (Stories). A 1080p vertical generation (Veo 3.1 or 3.1 Fast, Wan 3.0 or Happy Horse at 1080p) is 1080 x 1920: exactly the feed figure, and below the Stories figure, where Meta's technical requirement is only a 250-pixel minimum width. Seedance and Grok Imagine top out at 720p. Hailuo H3 renders at 2K; the vertical H3 files we measured are 1456 x 2544, about 1.7% wider than an exact 9:16, so check the shape against Meta's 1% aspect ratio tolerance and crop to 9:16 if needed. Details in AI video resolution by model, and Reels specs in Instagram Reels ad specs.
File settings and length
The video files 8frame's models return are H.264 in MP4 at 24 fps, and 8frame does not re-encode them, which matches the H.264 and fixed frame rate settings on the Stories page. Check the audio track against the stereo AAC, 128 kbps setting before upload, especially if you add sound in your editor. If a Stories ad should play as one card, keep it under 16 seconds.
FAQ
What size should an Instagram feed video ad be? Meta's English ads guide recommends 9:16 at 1080 x 1920 pixels (checked 2026-10-02). The German-language version of the same page still shows 4:5 at 1,440 x 1,800.
What size should an Instagram Stories video ad be? 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 pixels, with about 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side kept clear.
How long can an Instagram video ad be? From 1 second to 60 minutes for feed and Stories video ads. In Stories, ads shorter than 16 seconds play in full; longer ones may be split into up to three cards.
Can one 9:16 video serve feed and Stories? The shape matches both recommendations. Design to the Stories safe zone, since the feed page lists none, and note that the recommended resolutions differ: 1080 x 1920 for feed, 1440 x 2560 for Stories.
Can AI video models generate 4:5? Not the ones on 8frame. Generate 3:4 or 9:16 and crop to 4:5, or generate a 4:5 still for an image ad.
Sources
- Meta Facebook Ads Guide, Instagram feed video, English: 9:16, 1080 x 1920, MP4, MOV or GIF, up to 4 GB, 1 second to 60 minutes, 250-pixel minimum width, 1% aspect ratio tolerance, 125-character primary text, up to 30 hashtags: facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/video/instagram-feed?locale=en_US, checked 2026-10-02. The same page in German (served to us with no locale set) shows 4:5 at 1,440 x 1,800: facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/video/instagram-feed, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Facebook Ads Guide, Instagram Stories video, English: 9:16, 1440 x 2560, MP4, MOV or GIF, up to 4 GB, 1 second to 60 minutes, H.264, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan, stereo AAC at 128 kbps or more, safe zone 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side, ads of 16 seconds or longer may be split into cards: facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/video/instagram-story?locale=en_US, checked 2026-10-02
- Meta Facebook Ads Guide, Instagram feed image, English: 4:5, 1440 x 1800: facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/image/instagram-feed?locale=en_US, checked 2026-10-02
- 8frame aspect ratios, resolutions and the Nano Banana price: the 8frame tool registry and aspect ratio settings, read 2026-10-02. File format, frame rate and the measured Hailuo H3 2K size (1456 x 2544): 8frame content fact sheet, production files, 2026-09-30
Generate once in 9:16 for feed and Stories, and crop a 4:5 cut only if you need one.
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