How to trim a video on Instagram yourself: cutting successful frames

In the popular photo-sharing app Instagram, it is possible to share not only pictures but also videos with your followers. Unfortunately, there is a limit on the duration of the videos, which varies for the feed, stories, and IGTV. To avoid having your video split into multiple parts, try trimming it yourself using special tools. This is a simple process, and you can find a detailed guide on how to cut media files in the article.

Why trim videos for Instagram – requirements for format and size

As mentioned above, the social network requires users to comply with time restrictions for playback. The sizes should be as follows:

1. In stories – 15 seconds. Videos longer than 15 seconds are split into parts of a quarter of a minute each, with a total duration of up to 60 seconds.
2. In the feed – up to 1 minute. If using a carousel, it is possible to publish up to 10 clips at once, each with a duration of 1 minute.
3. In IGTV – up to 15 minutes (from a phone) and up to 1 hour (from a personal computer).

The video file format is standard for Insta – square (4:5 or 1:1). It can also be adjusted using special utilities.

How to crop a video for Instagram on Windows

Now let’s move on to the main topic – video editing on a computer. For the Windows Vista/7/8/10 operating system, there is a fairly popular program called Filmora Video Editor. It is a more advanced alternative to the well-known Movie Maker, which is included in the basic package of Microsoft utilities.

Filmora Video Editor allows you to:

• apply filters, insert effects;
• adjust color, shades, etc.;
• process the audio track;
• convert from one format to another;
• change the quality.

So let’s figure out how to work with it.

Through the Filmora Video Editor program

To cut a video clip into fragments, follow the step-by-step instructions below:

1. Go to the official website of Filmora Video Editor.
2. Click on “Download” and wait for the program to download to your PC.
3. Install the file and run it.
4. Click on the “New Project” button.
5. Click on “Import” and select a suitable video from your device’s file system. Drag it to the track at the bottom of the editor.
6. Move the slider to the red bar to the part of the video that needs to be divided.
7. Click on the “scissors” icon in the toolbar.
8. Delete unnecessary fragments using the Delete key.
9. Right-click on the media file in the “Crop and Scale” row and change the “picture” format.
10. Edit as desired and save the result using the “Export” button.

Don’t forget to specify the format and quality of the saved movie.

Useful to know. Filmora Video Editor is a free utility, but to access most of the (non-essential) features, you will need to purchase the Pro version.

How to crop a video for Instagram on phones

If you are used to working on your smartphone, don’t worry. There are similar tools for editing videos available for you as well. Of course, they will be different depending on which operating system your gadget is based on. Let’s consider two popular applications as an example:

• For Android – FilmoraGo;
• For iOS – InShot.

Through Android applications

To edit video using the Android app FilmoraGo, you will need:

1. To unlock your phone screen and launch Google Play.
2. To enter “FilmoraGo” in the search bar and install the appropriate editor.
3. To open the utility and allow access to the device library.
4. To tap on the “+” and select the desired file from the gallery.
5. To move the slider to reduce the duration of the clip, click the “Add” and “Next” buttons.
6. To apply effects, music, transitions, or thematic styles.
7. To change the “Picture” format in the “Format” tab.
8. To save the result back to the gallery.

Interesting. A big plus of FilmoraGo is that it does not impose a watermark on the finished film.

Through applications on iPhone

To split a long Instagram video on iPhone using InShot, follow these steps:

1. Go to the AppStore and search for the InShot utility.
2. Download and launch the app on your smartphone.
3. Click on the “Video” button and select a suitable media file from your device’s library.
4. Click on the “Scissors” icon and select the parts you want to remove.
5. Rotate the video by 90 or 180 degrees and change the format for Instagram or Facebook.
6. Edit the video with additional tools and save the result.

Note: InShot adds a watermark in the bottom right corner of the screen. To remove it, you will need to pay 149 rubles for the extended version.

Standard online services for cutting video into frames for Instagram

You can also cut videos for Instagram using online services. For example, such as:

• Video Cutter;
• MP3 Care Video Editor.

They are free and do not require additional downloading to your PC.

Video Cutter

You can split a video for your story or feed using Video Cutter in the following way:

1. Go to the official website of Online Video Cutter.
2. Click on the white button “Choose file”.
3. Select the video clip you want to process and attach it to the editor.
4. Set the boundaries of the future clip by moving the edges to the desired position.
5. Click on “Quality” and set it to high (720p).
6. Save the movie to your PC.

You can upload the result to Google Drive or Dropbox.

Note. If the Video Cutter website displays only in English, tap the icon in the upper right corner of the screen and select “Russian”.

MP3 Care Video Editor” – “MP3 Care Video Editor

The second online editor on the list is Mp3 Care. Working with it will be a bit more difficult, as the website interface is entirely in English, but nevertheless, to accomplish your goal you will need to:

1. Go to the Mp3Care.com webpage.
2. Scroll down and click on the “Crop Video” option.
3. Select the file from your PC in the “Step 1” column.
4. Wait for the service to upload the video.
5. Select the area to change the clip’s scale in the “Step 2” column.
6. Confirm the operation by clicking the “Crop Video Online” button in the “Step 3” column.
7. Download the finished result by tapping the corresponding button.

It is better to crop a video on Instagram yourself rather than having the social network system do it for you. Then it will definitely turn out the way you want it to be. So follow the step-by-step instructions from our article and format your content correctly.