Ahh, the old cropping insanity that Instagram still hasn’t fixed yet… You see, when posting photos on Instagram, you’re forced to use a certain aspect ratio and pixel count:
- Between 320px and 1080px
- One of the following aspect ratios: Square (1:1), Landscape (1.91:1), and Portrait (4:5)
Now, what do you think happens when you upload a photo with a higher pixel count or with an incompatible aspect ratio?
That’s right, Instagram will automatically crop it to fit one of the preset aspect ratios and pixel counts. That’s where the automatic cropping comes from.
However, one important thing you may not know is that you can’t upload multiple pictures at once and use different aspect ratios for each one.
You MUST use the same aspect ratio for all photos in an album. And…there’s no way to avoid that, I’m afraid (unless you hack Instagram’s servers).
Keep reading, though. I may have some solutions for you 😀
Crop Your Photos Beforehand
Yeah, there’s really nothing much you can do when posting on Instagram. Either you let the program crop your photos randomly or you do it beforehand.
I’d like to think that doing the cropping yourself is a better alternative since you can choose the best method that fits your needs.
Now, you can either do this on a specialized program like PhotoDirector or use an image resizer website on the internet.
Usually, image resizers should do a fine job but if you need more finesse and control, then use a specialized app.
Here’s how you should crop your images to fit Instagram’s three aspect ratios:
- 1:1 Square aspect ratio needs 1080px by 1080px
- 1.91:1 Landscape aspect ratio needs 1080px by 608px
- 4:5 Portrait aspect ratio needs 1080px by 1350px
All three aspect ratios are commonly used by all online image resizers, so you shouldn’t have issues cropping your photos before posting them on Instagram.
It might be more accessible to use a photo editing app (the free plan, of course).
Why Can’t You Use Different Aspect Ratios in an Album?
That’s because freedom of expression is Instagram’s nemesis and also they hate you. Just kidding but truth be told, I have no idea why they don’t let you use different aspect ratios for albums.
Many people want this feature because it brings stylistic value to posting multiple pictures with different aspect ratios in the same album.
Instagram already allows three aspect ratios for individual pictures but for some reason, you can’t use all three when posting multiple photos simultaneously.
Talk about indecisiveness…
Anyway, that’s pretty much everything I can say about Instagram’s automatic cropping. If you need help with photo editing apps or anything else, hit me up in the comments and I’ll help you!
