What's the right aspect ratio for Instagram vs. YouTube thumbnails?
Why the ratio matters
Every platform has a fixed aspect ratio for a given placement — the feed, the Story tray, the thumbnail grid — and if your image doesn't match it, the platform will either letterbox it (add bars) or crop it automatically to fit, which can cut off exactly the part of the photo you wanted visible. Cropping to the right ratio yourself means you choose what's in frame, not an algorithm.
The exact sizes, by platform
- Instagram feed post — 1080×1080px, square (1:1)
- Instagram Story / Reels — 1080×1920px, vertical (9:16)
- Instagram landscape post — 1080×566px
- YouTube thumbnail — 1280×720px, widescreen (16:9)
- YouTube channel art/banner — 2560×1440px
- Facebook cover photo — 820×312px
- Facebook / LinkedIn shared post — 1200×628px
- X (Twitter) header — 1500×500px
How to crop to these in ZURAPIC
The Crop tool has one-click presets for exactly these sizes — Instagram Post, IG Story, IG Landscape, Facebook Cover, Facebook/LinkedIn Post, X Header, YouTube Thumbnail, and YouTube Banner — so you don't need to type dimensions in by hand or do the ratio math yourself. Pick the preset for where the image is going, drag the crop box to frame what matters, and apply.
Uploading somewhere today? Open Crop in ZURAPIC and pick the platform preset — the exact pixel size is set for you automatically.
Last updated: August 9, 2026