What size and format should clips be for TikTok, Reels and Shorts?

The short answer: one master export

You do not need a separate file for each platform. One vertical master file works on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, and on X for clips within its length limit:

• Frame: 9:16 vertical, 1080×1920 pixels.
• Container and codecs: MP4, H.264 video, AAC audio. YouTube recommends AAC-LC at 48 kHz.
• Frame rate: keep the source frame rate, usually 30 or 60 fps, and export at a constant frame rate. TikTok's upload API accepts 23 to 60 fps.
• Bitrate: YouTube recommends about 8 Mbps for 1080p at 24–30 fps and 12 Mbps at 48–60 fps (SDR).
• Length: 3 minutes or less if you want the clip recommended on Instagram and classified as a Short on YouTube.

Two platform notes push toward full 1080p. TikTok tells Creator Rewards members to "ensure your videos are 1080p or higher" to qualify for its Additional Reward. Meta's current Reels ad guide lists 1440×2560 pixels, so 1080×1920 is a floor, not a ceiling. Upscaling a 720p source to 1080p adds pixels but not detail.

Platform specs side by side (September 2026)

The table shows what each platform publishes. "Not published" means we did not find the figure in the platform's own help or developer pages. Figures marked "ads" or "API" come from ad or developer documentation, which can differ from what the app allows.

Shorts length has a history. Since October 15, 2024, YouTube classifies square or vertical uploads of up to 3 minutes as Shorts. Uploads longer than 15 minutes also need a verified account on YouTube, which does not affect clips.

For Instagram, the 3-minute line is the one that matters. Instagram's help page says "reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences," and its creator guidance says "in order to be recommended, your content has to be 3 minutes or less."

Safe zones: where captions and faces go

Each app draws its own buttons, captions and profile details over the video. Text or faces under those overlays are hard to see.

Meta publishes the clearest numbers. Its Reels ad guide says to leave "at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% on each side" of the asset free from text, logos and other key elements. Applied to a 1080×1920 frame, that works out to:

TikTok's ad specs say the safe zone depends on the video's shape, the caption length and any extra ad formats, and TikTok offers downloadable safe zone templates. YouTube does not publish pixel values in the Shorts help pages we checked.

A practical rule, derived from Meta's figures and not an official TikTok or YouTube spec: keep burned-in captions and the speaker's face in the middle band of the frame, well above the bottom third. Test one export on each app before you post a batch.

Turning a horizontal source into a vertical clip

Most clipping sources are 16:9: streams, podcasts, interviews. You have three ways to fit them into 9:16, and each has a cost:

• Full-screen crop. Scale the video to fill the full height and cut the sides. A 9:16 window keeps only about 32% of the width of a 16:9 frame, so you must reframe on the speaker or action. It looks native, but anything outside the window is lost.
• Letterbox. Fit the full width and leave bars above and below. The video fills only about 32% of the screen height (608 of 1,920 px). Instagram's recommendation guidance asks for "no borders", so plain bars are the weakest choice.
• Designed layout. Place the 16:9 video inside a 9:16 frame with a title, captions or other context around it. You keep the whole shot, but it is smaller. Instagram has not said whether it treats such layouts as borders.

Split screens with unrelated filler footage carry a separate risk: TikTok's Creator Academy lists "split screens, meaningless reactions, low-quality images, or slide videos" as low-quality signals in its Creator Rewards account reviews.

Tool note: FastClip exports either a source-shaped video or a 9:16 card with the video framed under a title. It does not do a full-screen crop or face tracking, so use another editor if you need the first option.

Export settings that survive re-encoding

Every platform re-encodes your upload. You cannot stop that, but you can give it a clean input:

• Export at the final size. Render at 1080×1920 in your editor instead of letting the app scale a 4:5 or 16:9 file.
• Use a constant frame rate. Phone screen recordings are often variable frame rate. Convert them before you edit.
• Do not starve the bitrate. Use at least the YouTube guidance above. A small file is not an advantage when the upload limit is gigabytes.
• Burn in captions when the campaign asks for them. Burned-in captions are part of the picture, so they survive reposting and do not depend on each app's caption setting. Keep them inside the safe area.
• Keep the audio clean. AAC at 48 kHz, stereo, with speech louder than any music bed.

Common format mistakes

• Posting a 16:9 video with black bars on Instagram, where "no borders" is part of the recommendation guidance.
• Putting captions or the hook title in the bottom 35% of the frame, under the app's own text and buttons.
• Leaving another platform's watermark in the frame. TikTok and Instagram both name visible third-party watermarks as a reason to limit reach.
• Uploading a clip over 3 minutes and expecting Instagram to recommend it or YouTube to treat it as a Short.
• Posting a clip over 140 seconds on X from an account without Premium.
• Exporting 4:5 for Reels. Instagram's recommendation guidance asks for 9:16 vertical video.

Questions

Sources

We checked every claim on this page against these sources on the date above. Platform rules and rates change often. Found an error? Tell us and we will fix it.

1. TikTok Support: Camera tools (video length)
2. TikTok for Developers: Content Posting API media transfer guide (video restrictions)
3. TikTok Ads Help: In-Feed video ad specifications
4. TikTok Creator Academy: Is my content eligible for Creator Rewards Program?
5. TikTok Creator Academy: Who is eligible to participate in Creator Rewards Program?
6. Instagram Help: Record a reel on Instagram
7. Instagram for Creators: Recommendations on Instagram: what creators need to know
8. Meta Ads Guide: Video ad specs on Instagram Reels
9. YouTube Help: Upload YouTube Shorts
10. YouTube Help: Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts
11. YouTube Help: Upload videos longer than 15 minutes (maximum upload size)
12. YouTube Help: Recommended upload encoding settings
13. X Help Center: How to share and watch videos on X
14. X Developer Platform: Media best practices

Keep reading

• How long should a clip be?Paid clips must beat the campaign minimum (often 7–10 s) and stay under platform caps, often 3 minutes. Limits, payout rules and campaign data for 2026.
• TikTok rules and monetization for clippersTikTok's Creator Rewards Program needs 10,000 followers, age 18+, one of 8 countries and original 1-minute videos. Clips of other creators rarely qualify.
• Instagram Reels rules for clippersInstagram stops recommending accounts that mostly repost others' content, and captions or credits do not fix it. The 2026 rules for Reels clippers.
• Can clip channels make money on YouTube Shorts?YouTube pays Shorts creators 45% of their Creator Pool share, but its reused content policy blocks clip channels that add little, even with permission.
• Can clippers earn on X (Twitter)?X retired Creator Revenue Sharing on September 7, 2026. Its Original Content Rewards program excludes reuploaded clips. What X clippers can still earn.
• Is clipping legal? Copyright, permission and fair useClipping is legal with permission or a real fair use case. How DMCA takedowns, Content ID and strikes work, and why “no copyright intended” does nothing.