Social Media Ad Sizes: Which Shape Goes Where

Think in shapes, not pixel sizes

An aspect ratio is the shape of the frame. 9:16 means 9 units wide for every 16 tall, so it's a tall rectangle. 1:1 is a square. 16:9 is the wide shape of a TV screen.

Exact pixel sizes vary by placement and change as apps update. A matching aspect ratio helps, but check the crop in the placement preview. Before uploading, review each platform's current specifications: TikTok In-Feed ads, Meta Reels ads, and Google's YouTube Shorts guidance.

Vertical 9:16 for full-screen phone ads

Use 9:16 for TikTok, Instagram Reels and Stories, Facebook Reels and Stories, and YouTube Shorts. These ads fill the whole phone screen, so they sit naturally between regular posts.

The app covers the top and bottom of the screen with its own layer: the account name, the caption, and buttons for likes and comments. Keep your product and any added text in the middle of the frame. A quick test: cover the top and bottom strips of your phone screen with your fingers. Can you still see the product and read the offer?

Square 1:1 for feeds

Square works in the Facebook and Instagram feeds and looks the same on a phone or a laptop. That makes it a safe single file when you aren't sure where an ad will appear.

Some feeds also accept slightly taller frames that take up more of the screen. Square is still a solid place to start. AIVideosUGC product photos are square by default, so they drop straight into feed ads and the photo gallery on your product pages. For the matching stills, use social ad photos at the same square size.

Square is also the usual pick for carousel ads, where shoppers swipe through several products or angles inside one ad. Keeping every card the same shape makes the swipe feel smooth.

Wide 16:9 for horizontal screens

16:9 is for places where people watch sideways: regular YouTube videos on a laptop or TV, video banners on your own website, and some video spots on desktop.

On a phone held upright, a 16:9 video fills only a thin band across the middle. Use it when you know the viewer is on a wide screen, not as a default for social apps.

A good fit for 16:9 is a short demo at the top of your homepage, such as a standing desk rising from sitting to standing height, or a wide shot of a patio set on a sunny deck.

Which shapes to make first

If you make just one video, make it 9:16. It covers TikTok, Reels, Stories, and Shorts. Add a 1:1 version for feed ads next. Make 16:9 only if you run YouTube ads or want a video on your homepage.

Here's how that might look for a small candle shop: a 10-second 9:16 video of a match lighting the wick for TikTok and Reels, a 1:1 version of the same scene for the Facebook feed, and square photos for the product page.

Already running ads? Your ad platform's placement report shows where past ads got the most views. Start with the shape that fits that spot.

In AIVideosUGC video ads, you choose the shape before the video is made: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9, plus 3:4 and 4:3. Each shape is its own video, so to get the same scene in another shape, run it again with the same photo and description and the new size selected. For a Story, place a square photo on a vertical canvas in Canva and add your text around it.

Mistakes that make ads look off

Black bars. A wide video dropped into a vertical spot shows up with big empty bands above and below. Make a vertical version instead.

Cropped products. When a platform trims an image to fit, a product placed near the edge can lose its top or side. Keep it centered with some space around it.

Tiny text. Words that look fine on a laptop are hard to read on a phone. Preview the ad on your own phone before it goes live.

Cutting one shape out of another. Trimming a vertical video down to a square in an editor often slices off the top of the product or the hand holding it. Making a separate square version keeps the whole scene in view.