Instagram to test 9:16 vertical photographs, CEO Adam Mosseri confirms

Instagram is planning to release a new feature that will allow users to post tall images. Recently, Instagram's CEO Adam Mosseri mentioned that the platform is planning to treat both images and videos equally. "You can have tall videos, but you cannot have tall photos on Instagram. So, we thought maybe we should make sure that we treat both equally," says Mosseri. 

Instagram to test vertical photographs soon

It is now confirmed that the platform will be testing 9:16 photos this week. As and when the feature comes into place, it will allow Instagram users to upload full-size vertical images that fill the entire screen, as Reels and Stories do. Up until now, users have to post their 9:16 vertical photographs by either cropping them to a suitable aspect ratio or publishing them as a Story that disappears after 24 hours. 

As of now, the platform supports either 1:1 square or 4:5 long photographs. However, when it comes to Stories and Reels, the ideal aspect ratio is 9:16 vertical. Not just for Instagram but YouTube shorts are also optimized for vertical 9:16 form of content. When Instagram starts to support 9:16 vertical photographs, users will be able to post more images on the platform, providing a uniform experience across the different forms of content on the platform. 

In related news, Instagram has announced a couple of features and changes for all users. The platform has added new features to the Remix options available to both creators and users. Further, it has released two new features that will help users in creating content by providing templates. In addition, Instagram is also going to merge the Reels and Videos section shown in the profile.

Instagram Remix updates

On Instagram, Remix is a feature that allows users to create a new video using a video that has been created and published by another user. While the feature has helped both creators and regular users to share their ideas, it is getting three new additions. In the future, Instagram users will be able to Remix public photos. Further, the platform is adding more Remix layouts, including a green screen, horizontal or vertical split-screen, or picture-in-picture reaction view. In addition, users can add their clip in such a way that it will appear after the original video plays.