Instagram Reels are all the rage these days. And it is for a good reason. Do you know everything about editing Instagram reels to perfection?
Creators on Instagram had been worried about decreasing organic reach and not being able to push their posts to their target audience.
As you might have already noticed, many creators who just began a few months ago, have gained a sufficient amount of following.
All thanks to Instagram reels and trends that come up each day. If you keep yourself updated with the trends, put your own twist on it that’s related to your niche, reels can do wonders for you.
But there are some basic things you need to learn first about editing and posting reels.
Table Of Contents
Here’s how you should be editing Instagram Reels
Dimensions of a reel
The exact dimensions for an Instagram Reel are 640 x 1136, keep these same dimensions when you are editing Instagram reels. Most people edit in 1080 x 1920 too, edges of your video will get cut slightly in this.
Don’t post horizontal/landscape videos.
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I wouldn’t recommend posting landscape videos on reels because they barely take up 1/3rd of the screen.
Instagram users are scrolling through reels holding their phones vertically, so why would they make an extra effort and turn their phones sideways to view your reel?
If the landscape video is a sit-down talking video of you, post it on IGTV or as a normal video post because they can be viewed on full screen by clicking on the full-screen button in the bottom-left corner.
On the other, if you’re a Travel Photographer, you can create a reel with 3 landscape videos like this one by Luke Stackpoole:
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How to design the perfect cover for Instagram Reels
Earlier reels were shown on the home feed in a 4:5 ratio but in a recent update, it is now shown in its full vertical dimensions.
To put it in simple words, the full cover (9:16) is visible in the reels tab, explore page, and the home feed. But on your profile, only a 1:1 area of it is visible.
Editing Instagram reels is important and so is the cover image because that is the first thing a person would see before the reel starts playing.
The cover should communicate what the reel video is about.
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Text-safe area
I’ve seen people make mistakes with the text they place on their videos very often.
The most common mistake is that the text doesn’t stay on the screen for long enough time on the screen. People use it as a clickbait while editing Instagram reels to get more views on their reels.
People naturally have to watch the reel at least twice to understand and read the text that appears in the video.
Although this trick might get you extra views, it is not a general good practice.
Your goal should be to inform/educate/entertain your audience in the easiest way possible and not make them work for it.
The tips are quite simple:
- Make sure the text is visible on the screen for a duration that is long enough for the viewer to read and understand.
- Use easy-to-read font and colors.
- Keep them away from the edges.
- You can use free apps like Inshot, VN, and Capcut to add text and animate it.
- Don’t place the text too low. On the bottom, you will have you profile name and description so your text will get hidden behind it.
Choosing the right music
If you downloaded a song and have been editing an Instagram reel on a third-party app, don’t upload it as it is.
When you’re posting the reel, always select the music/audio from the Instagram music library. Why?
Because if you use it from the music library, every time someone opens that song’s page, your reel will show up in it.
And if you just post the video as is, with the audio title coming as ‘original audio’, you will be robbed of the extra views you could have gotten if you used the original song from the music library Instagram offers.
But if the audio is actually your own original audio, rename it to something nice or name it after yourself.
Summary
Cover for Reels
Although the size for a cover is in the 9:16 ratio, it shows up on the feed of your profile in 1:1. So make sure that the most important part of the cover image is placed inside that 1:1 space. If the cover has text, it should ideally be placed in the square in the middle.
Sizing tips
Strongly suggest you shoot only vertical videos if they are shot specifically for Instagram reels. Don’t use borders on landscape/horizontal videos, Instagram doesn’t promote such content.
Beware of the edges
On medium-sized phones, the edges of the reel get cut off 35 pixels from the right and left edge. Plan out your content accordingly.
Choosing the music
Select the song from the Instagram music library instead of posting your reel video with ‘original audio’.
