Where 1080 × 1080 is asked for
Meta's Ads Guide lists image ads in the Instagram feed with a minimum width of 500 pixels and shapes from 4:5 (400 × 500) to 1.91:1 (191 × 100), files up to 30 MB. A 1080 × 1080 square lies inside that range. For those ads the guide recommends 1440 × 1800 pixels at 4:5. Source: Meta Ads Guide: image ad specs for Instagram Feed.
A 1080 × 1080 image has 1,166,400 pixels, about 1.2 megapixels, less than a tenth of a 12-megapixel phone photo. Shrinking a photo that far keeps it sharp; enlarging a smaller one to 1080 × 1080 cannot add detail.
1080 × 1080 in numbers
| Aspect ratio | 1:1 |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Square |
| Pixels | 1,166,400 (1.17 megapixels) |
| Print size at 300 dpi | 3.6 × 3.6 in (9.1 × 9.1 cm) |
| Print size at 150 dpi | 7.2 × 7.2 in (18.3 × 18.3 cm) |
| Uncompressed, 24-bit color | 3.5 MB (3 bytes per pixel) |
Pixels have no physical size until you print them. The print sizes divide the pixels by the dots per inch, and 1 inch is 2.54 cm.
What happens to common photo sizes
Each row shows what the three shape options make of a typical picture at 1080 × 1080, worked out with the same math the tool uses. Crop to fill, the preset, always gives exactly 1080 × 1080. Trimmed pixels are counted on the original photo, before it is scaled.
| Photo | Fit insideKeeps the shape | Crop to fillExactly 1080 × 1080 | Fit and padExactly 1080 × 1080 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,032 × 3,02412 MP phone photo, 4:3 | 1,080 × 810 | 504 px trimmed from each side, 25% of the picture | 1,080 × 810 picture, bands of 135 px above and below |
| 1,920 × 1,080Full HD screenshot, 16:9 | 1,080 × 608 | 420 px trimmed from each side, 44% of the picture | 1,080 × 608 picture, bands of 236 px above and below |
| 3,000 × 2,000Camera photo, 3:2 | 1,080 × 720 | 500 px trimmed from each side, 33% of the picture | 1,080 × 720 picture, bands of 180 px above and below |
Crop to fill always keeps the middle of the picture. To choose which part stays, crop it first in the image cropper, which has a 1:1 square preset, and then resize it here.
File size of a 1080 × 1080 image
A JPEG of 1080 × 1080 spends its bytes on 1,166,400 pixels. Wallace's guide to the JPEG standard rates 0.25 bits per pixel as moderate to good, 0.5 as good to very good, 0.75 as excellent and 1.5 as usually hard to tell from the original, for color images of moderate detail. At 1080 × 1080 that makes about 36 KB, 73 KB, 109 KB and 219 KB, in that order.
| Bits per pixel | Expected quality | JPEG at 1080 × 1080 |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 | Moderate to good | 36 KB |
| 0.5 | Good to very good | 73 KB |
| 0.75 | Excellent | 109 KB |
| 1.5 | Usually hard to tell from the original | 219 KB |
These are estimates for JPEG, not a promise: a detailed photo needs more, a flat graphic less, and PNG stores every pixel without loss. The tool's quality slider sets JPG and WebP quality, and the list under the tool shows the real size of every file. If a form sets a limit in KB, resize first and then compress the image to 200 KB or any other size with compress to target size.
How to resize an image to 1080 × 1080
Drop one or more images above. Width 1080 and height 1080 are already filled in, with Crop to fill selected. Every image is resized right away; change the shape option, the format or the quality and they are all redone. Download each image or all of them as a ZIP. The file names end in -1080x1080, so you can tell them apart from the originals.
Need a different size? One size down is 1280 × 720, one size up 1080 × 1350. The same 1:1 shape in other sizes: 500 × 500 and 600 × 600. Type any width and height into the fields, or use the image resizer with percent and max size modes. For a round profile picture, crop the image to a circle. To make the file smaller without changing the pixels, use the image compressor.
Sources
- Meta Ads Guide: image ad specs for Instagram Feed
- Gregory K. Wallace: The JPEG Still Picture Compression Standard, section 4.5 (copy hosted by the National University of Singapore)
Frequently asked questions
What happens to a 12-megapixel photo resized to 1080x1080?
A 12-megapixel phone photo of 4,032 × 3,024 pixels is 4:3. With Crop to fill, the preset, it becomes exactly 1080 × 1080, and 504 pixels are trimmed from each side of the original first, 25% of the picture. Fit and pad gives 1080 × 1080 with the whole photo scaled to 1,080 × 810 and bands of 135 pixels above and below. Fit inside keeps the shape and returns 1,080 × 810. All three shrink the photo, which keeps it sharp.
Can I post a landscape photo as 1080 × 1080 without cutting it?
Yes, with Fit and pad. The whole photo is scaled to 1,080 pixels wide and centered, and the space above and below gets a color you pick. A 3,000 × 2,000 camera photo becomes a 1,080 × 720 picture with bands of 180 pixels above and below.
Does 1080 × 1080 work for an image ad in the Instagram feed?
By shape and width, yes: Meta's Ads Guide accepts shapes from 4:5 to 1.91:1 and a minimum width of 500 pixels for feed image ads, and a square lies between those. The guide recommends 1440 × 1800 pixels at 4:5 and allows files up to 30 MB.
What aspect ratio is 1080x1080?
1080 × 1080 has an aspect ratio of 1:1: the width equals the height. 500 × 500 and 600 × 600 have the same shape, so they scale to 1080 × 1080 without trimming.
Are my images uploaded to resize them to 1080 × 1080?
No. Your browser opens each image, draws it at the new size and saves it on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server.