# Launch video specs for every platform (2026 reference)

> Launch video specs for YouTube, Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, LinkedIn and X in 2026: aspect ratios, resolutions, length and file limits from each platform's docs.

By Alterra Studio. Updated 2026-10-08. Canonical: https://alterra.studio/insights/launch-video-specs

Export a launch video in three shapes and you cover almost every placement: 16:9 at 1920 × 1080 for YouTube, your website and LinkedIn, 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 for Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok, and 4:5 at 1080 × 1350 for the LinkedIn feed, where it's LinkedIn's recommended ratio for video ads. Then check length limits per platform: YouTube Shorts run up to 3 minutes, TikTok's non-Spark in-feed ads up to 10 minutes, and LinkedIn recommends 15 to 30 seconds for video ads. Keep text and logos inside each platform's safe zones and caption every cut.

All figures below come from each platform's own documentation, checked on October 2, 2026. Platforms change these often, so check the linked page before a big export.

## Specs by platform

| Platform | Aspect ratios | Resolution | Length | File size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 16:9 standard on desktop | 1920 × 1080 for 1080p | Not covered here | Not covered here | Upload at the frame rate you recorded. No baked-in black bars |
| YouTube Shorts | Vertical or square | Up to 1080p upload | Up to 3 minutes | Not stated | Views count every start or replay since March 31, 2025 |
| Instagram Reels | 1.91:1 to 9:16 | At least 720 px | Not covered here | Not stated | At least 30 fps. Cover image 420 × 654 (1:1.55) |
| TikTok in-feed ads (non-Spark) | 9:16 recommended, 16:9, 1:1 | 9:16 at least 540 × 960 | Up to 10 minutes | Up to 500 MB | Bitrate at least 516 kbps. MP4, MOV, MPEG, 3GP, AVI |
| LinkedIn (organic) | 1:2.4 to 2.4:1 | 256 × 144 to 4096 × 2304 | 3 seconds (2 on mobile) to 15 minutes | 75 KB to 5 GB | 10 to 60 fps. 192 kbps to 30 Mbps |
| LinkedIn video ads | 16:9, 1:1, 4:5 (recommended), 9:16 | Up to 1920 × 1080, 1920 × 1920, 1080 × 1350, 1080 × 1920 | 3 seconds to 30 minutes, 15–30 seconds recommended | 75 KB to 500 MB | Captions as SRT. Under 30 seconds loops until 30 seconds of playback |
| X | Not specified in the media docs | Not specified for video | 0.5 seconds to 20 minutes (125 minutes for Premium) | Up to 8 GB (16 GB for Premium) | One video per post, or up to four photos or one GIF |

"Not covered here" means we didn't find the figure in the page we cite. Don't fill the gap with guesses from old blog posts.

## The three masters to export

Want this as a checklist for your channels? The free [launch video size tool](/tools/launch-video-sizes) builds one.

| Master | Size | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| 16:9 landscape | 1920 × 1080 | Website hero, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, investor updates, press |
| 9:16 vertical | 1080 × 1920 | Reels, Shorts, TikTok, Stories |
| 4:5 vertical | 1080 × 1350 | LinkedIn feed and ads, other feed placements |

Add a 1:1 version at 1080 × 1080 only if a specific placement needs it. LinkedIn accepts square up to 1920 × 1920, and TikTok in-feed ads accept square at 640 × 640 or larger.

> Figure: The masters to export: 16:9 16:9 landscape: 1920 × 1080. Website hero, YouTube, LinkedIn, X; 1:1 1:1 square: 1080 × 1080. Only if a placement needs it; 4:5 4:5 vertical: 1080 × 1350. LinkedIn feed and ads; 9:16 9:16 vertical: 1080 × 1920. Reels, Shorts, TikTok, Stories. Sizes from the masters table above. Safe zone: the guide says keep headlines and logos in the middle 70 to 80 percent on vertical cuts; shown at 70%. Check each platform's own template before export.

## Encoding settings that travel well

YouTube's recommended upload settings are a good baseline for every platform, since most accept the same files:

- **Container and codec:** MP4 with H.264, High Profile, progressive scan.
- **Frame rate:** the same rate the video was made at. YouTube lists 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 fps as common.
- **Chroma subsampling:** 4:2:0.
- **Bitrate for 1080p SDR:** about 8 Mbps at 24 to 30 fps, 12 Mbps at 48 to 60 fps.
- **Audio:** AAC, stereo, 48 kHz.
- **Fast start:** moov atom at the front of the file.

Check the bitrate against each platform's limits. LinkedIn's organic upload accepts up to 30 Mbps, and TikTok's in-feed ads need at least 516 kbps.

## Safe zones and framing

Every platform lays its interface over the video: captions, buttons, profile names, the progress bar. LinkedIn's help page says to keep the top, bottom and sides free of key elements, text and logos. TikTok publishes downloadable safe-zone templates for in-feed ads, and the zone changes with the caption length and any extra formats.

In practice:

- Keep headlines and logos in the middle 70 to 80 percent of the frame on vertical cuts.
- Design the 16:9 master with the vertical crop in mind. If the product UI sits on the left third, the 9:16 cut will lose it.
- Avoid adding padding or black bars yourself. YouTube says they interfere with how the player resizes the video.
- Use the platform's own templates for a final check before export.

## Captions and sound-off viewing

Plan for people watching without sound. Platforms handle captions differently:

- **LinkedIn ads:** caption files in SRT format, text only, no custom styling.
- **TikTok ads:** captions display in white in a uniform font you can't customize, and don't support clickable links, @ symbols or hashtags.
- **Everywhere else:** burned-in captions give you full control over type and placement, at the cost of editing later.

Put the core message in on-screen text that's part of the design. TikTok's [creative best practices](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/creative-best-practices?lang=en) recommend displaying 5 to 10 words per second when you use text, and introducing your content proposition in the first 3 seconds. Captions should support the story, and the story should still make sense without them.

## Length by placement

The limits above are maximums. What works is shorter. [Wistia's 2026 State of Video Report](https://wistia.com/learn/marketing/optimal-video-length), based on more than 13 million videos, found that videos under a minute average a 52% engagement rate, meaning viewers typically watch half. Typical lengths by placement:

- **Website hero film:** 45 seconds to 2 minutes, for people who chose to watch.
- **Feed posts:** 30 to 60 seconds for the main cut. LinkedIn recommends 15 to 30 seconds for ads, and loops anything under 30 seconds until it reaches 30 seconds of playback.
- **Teasers:** 6 to 15 seconds, posted before launch.
- **Shorts, Reels and TikTok:** 15 to 45 seconds for a launch cut, even though Shorts allow up to 3 minutes.

## How we deliver cutdowns

Every launch film we make ships with the cutdowns planned from the storyboard, so framing and text work in each shape. The OMNI Agency film was built so the explanation worked without sound in the feed, and it helped drive over 260,000 wallet connections. The [OMNI case study](/projects/watt2trade) and the [iAgent launch video](/projects/iagent-launch-video), which its CEO says generated over 1.9M views across their socials, show the results.

See our [motion and 3D service](/services/motion-3d), how we work with [Web3 teams](/industries/web3), or look up [cutdown](/glossary#cutdown) and [launch film](/glossary#launch-film) in our glossary. For budgets, read [how much a launch video costs](/insights/how-much-does-a-launch-video-cost), and for the full asset list, the [product launch checklist](/insights/startup-launch-checklist).

## The short version

- Export three masters: 16:9 at 1920 × 1080, 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 and 4:5 at 1080 × 1350.
- Encode H.264 MP4 at the original frame rate, 4:2:0, about 8 Mbps for 1080p, with 48 kHz stereo audio.
- Respect length limits: Shorts up to 3 minutes, TikTok in-feed ads up to 10, LinkedIn ads ideally 15 to 30 seconds.
- Keep text and logos inside safe zones and design the master for the vertical crop.
- Caption every cut, and put the core message in on-screen text.

## Sources

Checked October 2 and 3, 2026. Rechecked October 8, 2026. Each row in the tables comes from one of these pages.

- YouTube Help, [Recommended upload encoding settings](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171) and [Video resolution and aspect ratios](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6375112).
- YouTube Help, [Get started creating YouTube Shorts](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10059070).
- Instagram Help Center, [Reel size and aspect ratios](https://help.instagram.com/1038071743007909).
- TikTok Ads Manager, [Auction In-Feed Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/tiktok-auction-in-feed-ads) (last updated June 2026).
- LinkedIn Help, [Video sharing troubleshooting](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a548372), and LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Help, [Video ads advertising specifications](https://www.linkedin.com/help/lms/answer/a424737).
- X Developer Platform, [Media best practices](https://docs.x.com/x-api/media/quickstart/best-practices).
- TikTok Ads Manager, [Creative best practices for performance ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/creative-best-practices?lang=en) (last updated June 2025).
- Wistia, [How to Choose the Right Marketing Video Length for Any Goal](https://wistia.com/learn/marketing/optimal-video-length), from its 2026 State of Video Report.