# Instagram Reels

> Render a 9:16 film for Instagram Reels, with the Meta and Instagram limits, an estimated safe zone and the vawe commands.

Canonical: https://vawe.dev/docs/instagram-reels

At the end of this page you have a 1080 × 1920 film for a Reel. Instagram publishes more numbers for Reels ads than for Reels posts, and this page says which is which.

## The limits

The sourced table is in [Video specs by platform](https://vawe.dev/docs/platforms). Read on 2026-10-31 and 2026-11-01:

* Reels ad (Meta Ads Guide): 9:16, 1440 × 2560, up to 15 minutes, up to 4 GB, MP4 or MOV, stereo AAC at 128 kbps or more, a fixed frame rate.
* Reel post (Instagram): you can record up to 20 minutes, but Instagram does not recommend a Reel over 3 minutes to people who do not follow you.
* Instagram publishes no loudness target.
* The Instagram help page for Reel sizes did not load text. Its ratio, frame-rate and resolution numbers are not on this page.

## Safe zone

The Meta Ads Guide page for Reels video suggests a safe zone for ads: “Consider leaving at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% on each side of your asset free”. It is a design recommendation, not a rule. For a Reel post, Instagram publishes no values, so treat these numbers as an estimate for posts too.

| Edge      | Share | Pixels at 1080 × 1920 |
| --------- | ----- | --------------------- |
| Top       | 14%   | 269                   |
| Bottom    | 35%   | 672                   |
| Each side | 6%    | 65                    |

## Make the film

<Steps>
  <Step>
    ### Start a 9:16 page

    ```bash
    bin/vawe new my-reel --request "a 20 second teaser with captions" --aspect 9:16 --length 20
    ```

    The page gets `<meta name="aspect" content="9:16">` and `<meta name="duration" content="20">`.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Check the frame against the safe zone

    ```bash
    bin/vawe still films/my-reel/page.html --at 2 --aspect 9:16
    ```

    Open the PNG in `out/still/`. Text must sit between 269 px and 1248 px from the top (1920 minus 672), and 65 px from each side.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Add the music

    Add a music file with an `<audio>` tag:

    ```html
    <audio src="assets/music.mp3" loop data-at="0" data-fade-out="0.4"></audio>
    ```

    See [Audio](https://vawe.dev/docs/audio). To land the cuts on the beat, read [Cut to the beat](https://vawe.dev/docs/cut-to-the-beat).
  </Step>

  <Step>
    ### Draft, then ship

    ```bash
    bin/vawe dev films/my-reel/page.html --aspect 9:16
    bin/vawe ship films/my-reel/page.html --aspect 9:16
    bin/vawe ship --status --wait
    ```

    The final is H.264 with stereo AAC audio. Check the loudness with `bin/vawe sound films/my-reel/page.html --waveform`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Limits

* `ship` renders 60 fps and has no fps flag. The Meta ad page asks for a fixed frame rate and gives no number. A vawe final has a fixed rate.
* The ad guide lists 1440 × 2560. A vawe 9:16 final is 1080 × 1920, the same ratio at a smaller size. `ship` has no size flag.
* The vawe final audio is AAC at 192 kbps, 48 kHz: above the 128 kbps minimum on the ad page.

  <Card title="Video specs by platform" href="/docs/platforms">
    All six platforms, with sources.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cut to the beat" href="/docs/cut-to-the-beat">
    Land cuts on music.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Loudness and the mix" href="/docs/loudness-and-the-mix">
    Set and measure the level.
  </Card>

{/* sources (vawe 4d9a5acb4):
  ad row and safe zone: https://www.facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/video/instagram-reels?locale=en_US read 2026-11-01 in English (safe zone under "Design Recommendations"; values 9:16, 1440x2560, 0 s to 15 min, 4 GB, MP4/MOV, AAC stereo 128 kbps+, fixed frame rate, 14/35/6)
  3 minutes: https://creators.instagram.com/faq?locale=en_US ; 20 minutes: https://about.instagram.com/features/reels
  Reel size help page did not load: https://help.instagram.com/1038071743007909
  AAC 192k 48 kHz: harness/media/page-audio.mjs mixAndMux (-b:a 192k, RATE 48000)
  commands: bin/vawe new|still|dev|ship|sound --help
  1920-672 = 1248
  */}