If you're trying to nail the right TikTok carousel size — or you're posting to Reels and Shorts too and sick of guessing — here's the short version: 9:16 vertical, 1080 × 1920 pixels. That single spec covers almost everything you'll make. The rest of this guide is the exact dimensions, slide counts, and safe zones for each platform, in one place you can bookmark.
The one size that covers almost everything
TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are all full-screen vertical formats. Design at 9:16 (1080 × 1920 px) and your content fills the screen on all three with no black bars and no awkward cropping.
The only common exception is an Instagram feed carousel (the swipeable photo posts in the grid), which looks best at a slightly less tall 4:5 portrait. More on that below.
Quick reference: sizes for TikTok, Reels & Shorts
| Platform & format | Aspect ratio | Pixel size | Max count / length |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok — photo carousel | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | up to 35 photos (6–10 is the sweet spot) |
| TikTok — video | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | up to ~10 minutes |
| Instagram — Reel | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | up to 3 minutes |
| Instagram — feed carousel | 4:5 (or 1:1) | 1080 × 1350 (or 1080 × 1080) | up to 20 photos/videos |
| YouTube — Short | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | up to 3 minutes (video only) |
TikTok sizes
Photo carousel: 9:16, 1080 × 1920
A TikTok photo carousel (photo mode) is a set of still images viewers swipe through. Each slide should be 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 px — exactly the same frame as a TikTok video. Upload a square or landscape image and TikTok letterboxes or crops it, usually cutting off the part you cared about.
You can add up to 35 photos, but more isn't better: the strongest carousels run 6 to 10 slides — long enough to land a complete idea, short enough that people reach the end. (Full walkthrough: how to make a TikTok carousel.)
If TikTok is the only platform you're posting to, the dedicated breakdown goes further on the safe zone and what happens when you upload the wrong ratio: TikTok carousel size.
Video: 9:16, 1080 × 1920
Same frame, up to about 10 minutes. Shoot and export vertical; anything else gets pillar-boxed.
Instagram sizes
Reels: 9:16, 1080 × 1920
Instagram Reels use the identical vertical spec as TikTok — 9:16, 1080 × 1920 px, up to 3 minutes. So a Reel and a TikTok are the same file. One thing to watch: Instagram crops the Reel's thumbnail to a taller ratio in the profile grid, so keep any critical text or faces near the vertical center rather than the very top or bottom.
Feed carousel: 4:5 portrait, 1080 × 1350
This is the one that breaks the 9:16 rule. Instagram's swipeable feed carousels (not Reels) look best at 4:5 portrait — 1080 × 1350 px, which claims the most vertical space in the feed. Square (1:1, 1080 × 1080) is the other safe choice. A feed carousel holds up to 20 photos or videos, and every slide in one carousel should share the same ratio so they line up cleanly as people swipe.
YouTube Shorts sizes
A YouTube Short is 9:16, 1080 × 1920 px, up to 3 minutes. Shorts are single vertical videos — there's no photo-carousel format on YouTube, so a swipeable carousel you built for TikTok would be posted to YouTube as a Short only if you turn the slides into a short video.
The safe zone: keep text clear of the buttons
Every one of these apps stacks interface on top of your content — like, comment, share, and sound buttons down the right edge, and the username, caption, and progress bar across the bottom. Text or faces that drift into those areas get covered.
A simple rule that works on all three: keep anything essential inside the central ~80% of the frame, and out of the bottom ~15% and the right edge. Design at full 1080 × 1920, but treat the outer margins as decoration only.
Three sizing mistakes that ruin good content
- Posting a square or landscape image to TikTok. It gets letterboxed with black bars or cropped to fit 9:16 — either way it looks amateur next to native vertical content. Always export 1080 × 1920.
- Exporting too small. Anything under 1080 px wide looks soft and blocky once the app compresses it. 1080 × 1920 is the floor, not a suggestion.
- Putting text in the corners. Captions dragged to the bottom or right edge disappear under the app's buttons. Keep them in the central safe zone.
Design once, post (almost) everywhere
Because TikTok, Reels, and Shorts share the same 9:16 frame, the smart workflow is to design your slides once at 1080 × 1920 and reuse them. The same carousel exports straight to TikTok and can be posted as a Reel; the same clip works as a Short. Only an Instagram feed carousel needs a second, 4:5 crop.
That's exactly how PXT Creator Studio is built — every canvas is 9:16 native (1080 × 1920), so your slides are correctly sized from the first click. You can start from a 9:16 template, style your text overlays, then publish directly to TikTok or export the whole set as a ZIP of 1080 × 1920 images to upload anywhere else. Once your slides are made, how to post a photo carousel on TikTok covers the publishing steps.
The sizes, one more time
- TikTok carousel & video, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts: 9:16 — 1080 × 1920 px
- Instagram feed carousel: 4:5 — 1080 × 1350 px (or 1:1, 1080 × 1080)
- TikTok carousel slides: up to 35 (aim for 6–10)
- Instagram feed carousel slides: up to 20
Design to those and your content fills the screen, keeps its text where people can read it, and never gets chopped by the crop.
Want slides that are the right size before you even start? Design your carousel free in PXT Creator Studio — 9:16 native, TikTok-ready, no credit card.