We deliver Reels, Shorts and TikTok content in vertical 9:16, feed posts in square 1:1 and YouTube videos in widescreen 16:9. On length, Instagram Reels can run to 20 minutes, but reels over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences. YouTube Shorts can be up to three minutes. The platform details below come from each platform’s own help pages, checked in October 2026. Platforms change these limits, so check the linked pages again before you plan a campaign.
The formats we deliver
Our help centre sets out the aspect ratios Aligned Vision delivers for each platform:
- 9:16 vertical for TikTok, Reels and Shorts
- 1:1 for feed posts
- 16:9 for YouTube
Content arrives through a private Google Drive or WeTransfer link, organised by platform and format. The files are high resolution and ready to upload, with no resizing or re-exporting needed. Tell us where you plan to post and we’ll format for it.
Instagram Reels
Instagram’s help page on reel length says you can record and edit reels of up to 20 minutes, made from one clip or several. It adds that reels over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences.
So you can still post a longer reel for your followers. If you want people who don’t follow you to find it, keep it to 3 minutes or less. Our reels packs deliver clips of up to 60 seconds each, in 9:16.
YouTube Shorts
YouTube’s Shorts length page says videos uploaded on or after 15 October 2024 count as Shorts if they have a square or vertical aspect ratio and are up to three minutes long.
The same page covers music:
- Claimed Shorts over one minute. YouTube used to block any Short over one minute with an active Content ID claim. The UK English version of the page says that from 24 September 2026, new Shorts between one and three minutes with a claim are no longer blocked automatically and may stay playable. When we checked, the US English version still showed the older rule.
- Blocked Shorts. A Short can still be blocked over a claim, and a Short that is blocked worldwide isn’t eligible for monetisation.
- The Shorts Audio Library. Most songs in it can be used for up to 90 seconds in a Short of up to 3 minutes. Some are limited to 60 or 30 seconds.
- The YouTube Audio Library. Its royalty-free music won’t receive a copyright claim.
If a clip contains music you don’t control, such as a worship song from a service, it may pick up a claim. Use cleared music where you can. Our post on turning a sermon into clips covers this for churches.
TikTok
We deliver TikTok content in vertical 9:16, the same as Reels and Shorts. TikTok’s help page on making a post has you select a maximum length in the app before you record, or upload a video from your device. The page doesn’t give a fixed limit, so check the length options in your app before you plan a long video.
YouTube videos
YouTube’s recommended upload settings are:
- Container: MP4
- Video codec: H.264
- Aspect ratio: 16:9, the standard for YouTube on a computer
- Audio codec: AAC-LC, Opus or Eclipsa Audio
The page recommends these bitrates for standard dynamic range (SDR) uploads:
- 1080p at 24, 25 or 30 frames per second: 8 Mbps
- 1080p at 48, 50 or 60 frames per second: 12 Mbps
- 4K (2160p) at 24, 25 or 30 frames per second: 35 to 45 Mbps
- 4K (2160p) at 48, 50 or 60 frames per second: 53 to 68 Mbps
Our music videos are delivered as H.264 MP4 files at 1080p or 4K, which matches YouTube’s recommended container and codec. Whether to upload in 4K or 1080p is a bigger question, which our post on YouTube upload settings for music videos covers.
Thumbnails
YouTube’s thumbnail page recommends these sizes:
- Videos: 3840 x 2160 pixels at 16:9, with a minimum width of 640 pixels
- Shorts: 2160 x 3840 pixels at 9:16, with a minimum height of 640 pixels
Both should be JPG or PNG files. Your account must be verified before you can upload a custom thumbnail, and custom thumbnails for Shorts can currently only be added in YouTube Studio on a computer. If you make thumbnails from title templates, our post on YouTube thumbnails from title templates shows how.
Planning one shoot for several platforms
Most projects need more than one format. A music video might go to YouTube in 16:9 and to Reels and Shorts as vertical cut-downs. A church conference might need a widescreen film and short clips for social media.
A few habits make this easier:
- Decide the formats before the shoot. If the crew knows a vertical version is needed, they can frame shots so the main action survives a 9:16 crop.
- Keep text away from the edges. Titles placed near the sides of a 16:9 frame get cut off in a vertical crop.
- Plan lengths per platform. A 3 minute widescreen edit might become a 60 second vertical cut and a 15 second teaser.
- Name files by platform. It saves mistakes when several people are posting.
Quick reference
- Our format for Reels, Shorts and TikTok: 9:16 vertical
- Our format for feed posts: 1:1
- YouTube videos: 16:9, MP4, H.264
- Instagram Reels: up to 20 minutes, but over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences
- YouTube Shorts: square or vertical, up to three minutes
- YouTube thumbnails: 3840 x 2160 for videos, 2160 x 3840 for Shorts
The platform figures come from each platform’s help pages at the time of writing. Check the linked pages again before a big release or campaign.
Getting content made for each platform
Our content creation page lists reels packs of 5 vertical reels for £150 and 10 vertical reels for £350. Each reel is up to 60 seconds long and includes captions. For a mix of formats from one project, contact us and tell us where the content will go.
