Clear CortexSocial media specs: every size, length and safe zone in one table
this is the one-page version: the shape, the resolution, the longest it can run and the part of the frame the app covers, for every placement a brand is likely to post or buy on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. each row links to a guide that shows where the number came from and what the platform's own pages disagree about.
every figure is from the platforms' own spec pages and help centres, as checked in November 2026. safe zone numbers are in pixels on a 1080×1920 frame unless the row says otherwise.
the short answer
- vertical video everywhere is 9:16 at 1080×1920. Meta now recommends 1440×2560 for ads, which is the same shape.
- feed is 4:5 at 1080×1350. Instagram also takes 3:4 (1080×1440) for organic photos, but not for ads.
- keep words and logos inside x 120–780, y 288–1,248 on a 9:16 frame and they clear the TikTok, Reels and Shorts ad interfaces at once.
- under 90 seconds fits every vertical placement: boostable on Instagram, recommendable on Reels, a Short on YouTube.
every placement in one table
| platform | placement | ratio | resolution | max length | safe zone | detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reels (organic) | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 20 min; 3 min to be recommended | no official organic zone; use the ad zone | Reels length | |
| Reels ad | 9:16 | 1440×2560 rec. | 15 min (boost: 90 sec) | 269 top, 672 bottom, 65 sides | Instagram safe zones | |
| Stories | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 60 sec a clip; live 24 hours | 269 top, 672 bottom, 65 sides (ads) | Instagram Stories | |
| Feed post and carousel | 4:5 or 3:4 (1.91:1 to 3:4 allowed) | 1080×1350 or 1080×1440 | up to 20 items a carousel | profile grid shows a 3:4 crop | Instagram post size | |
| Facebook and Instagram | Feed ad | 4:5 | 1440×1800 rec. | Facebook 241 min, Instagram 60 min | none published | Meta ad specs |
| Stories ad | 9:16 | 1440×2560 rec. | 3 min; 15 sec plays in full | 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% sides | Meta ad specs | |
| Marketplace ad | 1:1 | 1080×1080 min. | image only | none published | Meta ad specs | |
| TikTok | In-Feed ad | 9:16 (1:1, 16:9 accepted) | 540×960 min.; 1080×1920 usual | 10 min; Spark Ads no limit | 240 top, 660 bottom, 120 sides, 300 right from 840 down | TikTok safe zones |
| YouTube | Shorts | 9:16 or 1:1 | 1080×1920 usual (not stated by YouTube) | 3 min | 288 top, 672 bottom, 48 left, 192 right (ads) | YouTube Shorts size |
two things the table cannot show. first, none of the four platforms publishes a safe zone for organic posts; every safe zone above is an ad safe zone, and the guides explain why it is still the right one to design to. second, the platforms disagree with themselves in places: Meta's two Feed video pages give different ratios, and Instagram's own pages give three different maximums for a reel. the linked guides set those out rather than picking one silently.
the guides, by platform
- Instagram safe zones — Reels, Stories and Feed in pixels at 1080×1920 and 1080×1350, with a diagram.
- Instagram post size — feed posts, carousels and stories, organic against ads, and the 3:4 grid.
- how long an Instagram Reel can be — 20 minutes, 3 to be recommended, 15 for ads, 90 seconds to boost.
- Instagram Stories — how long they last, clip length, scheduling and Highlights.
Facebook and Meta ads
- Meta ad specs — every Facebook and Instagram placement, with file limits and text lengths.
- what Facebook advertising costs — CPM, CPC and cost per lead from Meta's own auction rules and a named benchmark report.
TikTok and YouTube
- TikTok safe zones — TikTok's own files scaled to 1080×1920, and the box that clears all three platforms.
- YouTube Shorts size — dimensions, the 3-minute limit and the Shorts ad safe zone.
planning the campaign
- social media campaign examples — the campaign structures brands reuse, and why each one works.
why a checklist beats memory
the specs themselves are not hard. the trouble is that there are a lot of them, they change without notice, and the cost of a wrong one is a rejected upload or a headline under a button. from an agency thread about keeping creative compliant across networks:
"Right now our process is basically: designer exports everything, someone eyeballs it against a checklist in Notion, we upload, half get rejected, we redo, repeat. Feels very 2015."
this page is meant to be that checklist, with the sources attached. the habit that saves the most rework is cheap: export three shapes from one concept (9:16, 4:5 and 1:1), keep the words in the shared safe box, and overlay the platform's own safe zone file before anything goes out.
if you make the creative in Clear Cortex, the image studio exports 9:16, 4:5 and 1:1. the video studio makes 9:16 and 1:1 but not 4:5, so for a 4:5 feed video, frame the 9:16 master with the feed crop in mind.
the summary
- 9:16 at 1080×1920 for every vertical placement, 4:5 at 1080×1350 for feed, 1:1 for Marketplace.
- all published safe zones are for ads. design organic posts to them anyway, because a boosted post picks up the ad interface.
- one box clears TikTok, Reels and Shorts ads: x 120–780, y 288–1,248.
- under 90 seconds fits every vertical length limit.
- the platforms change these quietly. every guide here dates its check; re-check before a big launch.