Posting videos on the social network Instagram is sometimes accompanied by technical glitches. One of these is a decrease in the clarity of the image. Such an anomaly is not only unpleasant for the author, but is also unlikely to be liked by the page’s readers. However, it is quite possible to avoid this by following the rules.
Below we will explain how to upload videos to Instagram without losing quality. Stay with us and learn useful tips on how to easily share your favorite video with friends.
Technical requirements for uploading videos on Instagram
The first thing to pay attention to before uploading a video to your feed is the technical specifications of the file. Ideally, they should fully comply with what is set by the social network service. Namely:
- The video file format should be MP4 (common on Windows or Android) or MOV (common on Apple products).
- The clip size should be up to 128 megabytes.
- The aspect ratio for the feed should be square. These proportions are 4:5 or 1:1. For stories or IGTV, a vertical rectangle in a 9:16 ratio will work.
- The codec should be H.264 (the most common). The bitrate should be 3000 kbps or higher.
The duration of the film playback is of great importance:
- For the feed – up to 60 seconds;
- For stories – 15 seconds;
- For IGTV – up to 60 minutes.
The social network system is unlikely to allow video uploads in:
- AVI format;
- Other codecs.
Useful to know. You can attach widescreen clips with an aspect ratio of 16:9 to your post, but then white borders will appear at the top and bottom of the film, and the video itself will be reduced.
Why Instagram is deteriorating the quality of videos
So why does Instagram ruin the quality of videos? There could be several reasons:
- The technical parameters of the file do not match those set by the system. Therefore, the social network simply compresses or crops the “picture”.
- Poor quality internet connection.
- An error in the application.
- An outdated version of Instagram.
This is what can cause the “picture” of the clip to be ruined. What to do in this situation? It’s simple:
- Check the properties of the material being published and correct the format or resolution in special editors.
- Connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot or find a place where the network signal is strong.
- Restart the device or log into Instagram from a PC or tablet. If this doesn’t help, then write to customer support through the “Settings – Help” section.
- Go to the game store on your smartphone (AppStore, Windows Store, or Google Market) and update the program to the latest version.
How to maintain good quality when uploading videos from your phone
So, how to maintain good video quality when uploading to Instagram? Follow the standard algorithm of actions. And since it will be slightly different for iPhone and Android owners, let’s consider them separately.
On Android
To publish a video with the best resolution on an Android smartphone, you will need to:
- Unlock your device screen and launch the Instagram social network.
- Log in to your account using your username (nickname/email/phone number) and password.
- Tap on the “plus” icon located in the bottom menu.
- Select a suitable material from your device library or shoot a new one. To record a new video, click on the “Video” tab and hold down the round button.
- Edit the file: apply a filter, adjust the color balance, add saturation, etc.
- Add a caption, hashtags, and geolocation if desired.
- Click on “Share” and post it to your feed.
If the video is still uploading in poor quality on Instagram, install the auxiliary utility – FilmoraGo – on your smartphone. With its help, you can:
- Change the aspect ratio for social networks;
- Reduce the file duration;
- Add text, music, or thematic effects;
- Adjust the playback speed.
Note. FilmoraGo is a free Android application.
On iPhone
For owners of Apple devices, the step-by-step instructions are practically the same. The only difference may be the location of icons and options in the app. All you need to do is:
- Make sure the material fits the parameters for Instagram.
- Log in to your account.
- Click on the “plus” in the menu.
- Record a new clip or attach it from the gallery.
- Filter it and publish it.
If the resolution deteriorates, you need to upload such a video with pre-processing. To do this, install the InShot editor on your phone. It will help you:
- overlay text, music, filters, and stickers;
- adjust color, shades, shadows, and brightness;
- speed up or slow down playback;
- crop or split the file into fragments;
- adjust the proportions for a specific social network (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube).
Note: To improve quality, only install official and user-tested programs from the Market. Utilities from unknown sites in the browser can be harmful.
The universal way is to convert video through Convertio
Another way to avoid poor quality videos on Instagram is to convert them. After all, the wrong file format can result in the clip either not being added to the post or being heavily compressed.
To improve the quality or restore sharpness to a film, follow the step-by-step instructions below:
- Open your browser and go to the Convertio service.
- Scroll down and switch the page to Russian if it didn’t happen automatically.
- Click on the “folder” icon and select the material for conversion from your device’s library.
- Click on “v..(GIF)” and tap on the “Video” tab in the menu that appears.
- Click on MP4 and start the process using the “Convert” button.
- Wait a few minutes while the site processes the video.
- Download it back to your PC or smartphone.
Done. Now you can upload the resulting “short film” in the usual way.
Important. When processing a film in an editor, always choose the best quality for saving.
To upload a video to Instagram without losing quality, it is essential to know the requirements set by the social network. If the file is unsuitable, the system tries to adjust it automatically, resulting in a blurry and sometimes overly “pixelated” image.