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Tips For Uploading To Instagram Without Losing Quality [2022]

Written by, Sandeep Kumar

Updated May, 19, 2022

Instagram is the absolute favorite platform for creative content creators.

And having a vast palette of reels, videos, short Boomerang animation clips, images, and even collages to choose from – this doesn’t come as a surprise.

At the same time, there’s Instagram compression – and it’s what’s making your content lose quality.

So, if you were wondering ‘why does Instagram make my picture blurry’ or ‘why are my reels blurry’ – that’s the answer.

Find out how to fix Instagram quality and upload high-quality content.

Why Does Instagram Compress Images And Videos?

Instagram is a great way to share photos and videos with friends, but many users have noticed and complained that the app tends to compress the content published on its platform.

This can be frustrating, especially if you’ve taken the time to edit and improve the quality and looks of our images and overall content – and reduce it instead.

So, why does Instagram lower picture quality?

There are a few understandable reasons:

This is especially important considering that users are offered the possibility of sharing multiple photos and videos.

Large and high-quality content, especially high-resolution videos, will suck up dry storage of one’s device, minding the fact that we tend to memorize every meal and walk we take.

Would you rather not have Instagram for some hours or enjoy its content continuously, putting up with this slight downside?

While it’s not ideal for professional photographers, image compression is simply a necessary part of using the widely popular Instagram app for the average user.

How To Upload To Instagram Without Losing Quality?

Nothing is more frustrating than uploading a beautiful photo or video to Instagram only to find that it’s become pixilated and low-quality.

If you want a high-quality upload on Instagram, understanding the ideal size for images and videos on Instagram is crucial.

Thus, images with a.jpg or .png for Instagram uploads would be automatically changed to JPEG, resulting in changes in quality.

The recommended resolution is 1.080 pixels in width, with an aspect ratio between 9.1:1 and 4:5.

Or, to be more specific, check out the table below:

Photo Type Ideal Aspect Ratio Preferred Resolution
Regular Instagram Feed Photos 1 : 1 1080 pixels x 1080 pixels
Landscape Photos 1.91 : 1 1080 pixels x 608 pixels
Portrait Photos 4 : 5 1080 pixels x 1350 pixels
Instagram Photo Stories 9 : 16 (entire screen) 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels
IGTV Cover Photos 1 : 1.155 420 pixels x 654 pixels
Instagram Profile Pictures 1 : 1 360 pixels x 360 pixels

 

However, for a regular Instagram feed video, the supported format should be MP4, with a resolution of 1.080 pixels x 1920 pixels, a maximum duration of 1 minute (60 seconds), and an aspect ratio of anything between 1.91: 1 and 4:5.

Here are the Instagram video specifications to achieve the best quality:

Video Type Ideal Aspect Ratio Preferred Resolution
Regular Instagram Feed Videos 1 : 1 1080 pixels x 1080 pixels
Landscape Videos 1.91 : 1 1080 pixels x 608 pixels
Portrait Videos 4 : 5 1080 pixels x 1350 pixels
Instagram Story Videos 9 : 16 (whole screen) 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels
IGTV Videos 9 : 16 (whole screen) 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels
Reels 9 : 16 (whole screen) 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels

 

And if you are curious about the difference between the last three types of videos, stories don’t show up on your News Feed, while the Reels and IGTV videos can appear on the news feed or the IGTV – and can switch from a box ratio (1: 1) – to full screen.

Ways To Upload Photos and Videos Without Compression or Losing Quality On Instagram

Here are some handy tips for an undoubted high-quality upload on Instagram:

Instagram is a data-draining app, and because of this, the app has its own data saver, which is usually scaled to fit the user’s monthly plan. Or toggled on to save data for users with a limited data plan.

To change this, go to your Instagram App > Settings > Account > tap on the Cellular Data Usage > toggle the Data Saver off (or choose an option that works better with your mobile data and is high-resolution uploads).

You can then choose how to upload high-resolution content (Wi-Fi only or cellular data + Wi-Fi combined).

There are so many android phones and companies making them that we’ve lost count. However, iPhones are proven to have better and original cameras, unlike some less popular androids.

Thus, use an iPhone or flagship Android phone to upload to Instagram for the best quality photos. These devices have superior cameras to make your photos look fantastic on any social media platform.

Sending an image from one device to another and then trying to post it on Instagram or viewing it on the other device will certainly NOT result in the same quality!

Why is this? Well, because during the transfer, pixels are lost!

Using Viber, WhatsApp, or the best thing to try if you’re near – an ‘old school’ Bluetooth Transfer would be ‘painless.’ It won’t lose a single pixel of image/video quality while transferring images/videos from one smartphone/tablet to another.

For computer – smartphone transfer, here’s what to use to avoid losing quality:

PC Smartphone Transfer Tool
Mac iOS AirDrop
Mac Android DropBox / WeTransfer
Windows iOS VLC
Windows Android USB Cable

Uploading from a PC lets you control photos and videos’ resolution and file size, ensuring they look the way you want them to on your feed.

Additionally, PC-based photo and video editing software usually offers more options and features than mobile apps, giving you even greater control over the final product.

To get the best results, it’s essential to adjust your camera settings. Here are several tips for taking great Instagram photos:

– Use natural lighting whenever possible.

– Experiment with different angles and perspectives.

– Pay attention to detail (lighting, composition, etc.).

Instagram regularly updates its app, leading to some older versions losing quality when uploading images or videos. That’s why it’s always a good idea to use the latest version of Instagram — you can be sure that your photos and videos will look their best.

What To Do When Your Instagram Post Won’t Upload?

Are you having trouble with posting our content? There are many answers to why it is so.

However, the solution is similar to fixing Instagram issues, such as fixing your Instagram feed.

Here are a few handy tips to fix this issue in no time:

If it’s slow, or you’ve reached your mobile limit, find a better internet connection and try posting your Instagram content again.

Some recent actions you’ve done might have made the Instagram team permanently or momentarily block/ ban/ disable your account actions.

Usually, too many likes, adding too many people simultaneously, or some devious activity might violate the Instagram code. But it comes and goes from 24-48 hours. Be patient and try again after a day or two.

Did you know that the maximum allowed number of hashtags per post is thirty? Count them and if they’re passing this number, delete some.

It’s not rare to see users trying desperately to make and upload a file that Instagram doesn’t support. As mentioned previously, MP4 (for video) and JPEG (for photo) are the Instagram formats. The same goes for the file’s aspect ratio – check before uploading.

This is probably the first thing to do after checking your internet connection.

Find the Instagram app through the phone’s Settings > Apps > tap on Instagram. Here, you can see all the permissions you’ve given or, in this case, didn’t give to the app.

How Do You Stop Instagram From Ruining Your Photo Quality?

If you want to know how to prevent Instagram from lowering your picture quality and avoid Instagram’s downscaling algorithm, here are the basics:

Upload from a stable and fast connection

When the app takes a long time to upload an image, it will certainly upload the content with low quality.

In the background process, while you can’t see the content uploaded and while it’s being processed, the content (image/video) is being uploaded, pixel by pixel.

During an unstable connection, something might disrupt the process. Nevertheless, those pixels won’t end up on Instagram; instead, they’ll be wasted, i.e., empty information spent on an unstable connection.

Edit and compress your images in Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom before uploading

If the image and video’s aspect ratio and format require compression, it’s better to do it yourself rather than let Instagram’s algorithms do it for you. Professional editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, has far better and more precise compression algorithms.

Avoid using the Instagram camera.

Instagram’s camera seems quite handy and has intriguing settings. Still, your phone’s original camera is a better tool for taking pics and videos to prevent the downscaling algorithms. In a nutshell, the Instagram camera is the easiest way to ruin your pictures because you ALWAYS get worse quality than the one you’d get with your original camera.

Conclusion

There you have it, folks! Now you know why Instagram compresses images and videos.

But don’t worry; there are still ways to make sure your photos and videos look great on the app. Just be sure to size them properly before uploading them and use high-quality filters and editing tools.

You can ensure that your photos and videos always look their best on Instagram with a little effort.