Going Vertical for Instagram’s New Video App

Q. What is the difference between posting a video to Instagram and to IGTV?

A. Instagram, originally an app for posting square smartphone photos, added support for 15-second video clips in 2013. The platform now allows videos up to 60 seconds, and the clips can be in the horizontal format.

This summer, Instagram announced its new stand-alone IGTV app for sharing longer video. (People using the main Instagram app can also watch IGTV videos by tapping the TV icon in the top-right corner of the screen.) However, IGTV has its own specific requirements for videos.

Basic IGTV videos can be between 15 seconds and 10 minutes long, with a maximum file size of 650 megabytes. Users with verified or professional accounts can post videos up to 60 minutes in length, with a maximum file size of 3.6 gigabytes. The clips should be in the MP4 format, and longer videos — with their heftier file sizes — must be uploaded from a computer instead of a smartphone or tablet.

More notably, videos for IGTV must be in the vertical, also known as portrait, format, meaning you hold the phone upright to capture and view them. The aspect ratio of the vertical video should be 9:16. The clips need a minimum resolution of 720p and a frame rate of at least 30 frames per second. You can adjust these preferences in the settings for a phone’s camera app.

You can upload your vertical video with the regular Instagram app or the separate IGTV app for Android and iOS, but you first need to create your own IGTV channel. To do that, tap the IGTV icon at the top of the Instagram app (or open the IGTV app), tap the gear-shaped settings icon and select Create Channel. You can also create a channel and upload videos from your profile page on the Instagram desktop website.

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