Your Reel doesn’t have to be 9:16📐

9:16 fills the screen, so every edit starts there. Some shots look better wide, and Instagram will play them wide, as long as the black bars aren’t in your file.

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Skip to the sizes All six, with a picture of each

Width first, then height. Same order Premiere asks for them.

Why change the frame

The frame changes how a shot feels before anyone looks at what’s in it. 9:16 puts you right up close. 4:3 is wider and almost nostalgic, and 16:9 goes wider again.

Instagram takes all six, but nearly everyone posts 9:16, so a wide one stands out in the feed.

01Pick the frame

The shot framed at 9:16 — 9:161080 × 1920Fills the screen

The shot framed at 3:4 — 3:41080 × 1440Tall portrait

The shot framed at 4:5 — 4:51080 × 1350Shorter portrait

The shot framed at 1:1 — 1:11080 × 1080Square

The shot framed at 4:3 — 4:31440 × 1080Wide, a bit nostalgic

The shot framed at 16:9 — 16:91920 × 1080Widescreen

Every one keeps 1080 on its short side, only the long side moves. My Reel is 4:3. Filming in 4K? There’s enough picture in one clip to cut all six.

02Set the sequence to that size

File › New › Sequence › Settings Frame Size: 1440 × 1080 Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square Pixels (1.0)

That’s Cmd+N in Premiere. Width goes in horizontal, height in vertical, and Premiere shows the ratio next to them so you know it took. Every other editor has the same setting, usually under canvas or timeline resolution.

03Export at that size, upload it as is

The 4:3 Reel sitting in the Instagram feed — The 4:3 Reel in the feed

Leave the export on Match Source and the file comes out at 1440 × 1080 too. Upload it without cropping or zooming in Instagram’s editor. Your profile grid still shows everything as 3:4, so pick a cover frame that survives the trim.

The short version

9:16 is only the default.
Every size keeps 1080 on the short side.
Set the sequence to the frame and export at the same size.
A wide shot in a 1080 × 1920 file means the bars came with it.

Bars belong to Instagram’s player. Keep them out of your file.

Find the widest shot in your last edit. Put it in a 1440 × 1080 sequence, post it, and watch how it sits between all the 9:16s.