YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels Specs: Export Settings and Upload Checklist

Overview

The most reliable starting point for short-form video is a vertical 9:16 canvas at 1080 × 1920 pixels. This format fills a modern phone screen and gives you a practical master file for Shorts, TikTok, and Reels. Platform requirements and app features can change, so treat the settings below as a workflow baseline rather than a substitute for checking the upload screen before publishing.

For most creator workflows, export a high-quality MP4 using H.264 video and AAC audio. Keep the original project file and a clean master without platform-specific stickers, captions, or watermarks. Then create platform versions only when you need different cover images, captions, descriptions, music, or calls to action.

Do not increase a small source video to 1080 × 1920 expecting it to become sharper. Upscaling can make a file fit the canvas, but it cannot restore detail that was never recorded. If you are recording from scratch, set the camera or screen recorder to vertical 9:16 when possible. For landscape footage, reframe each shot rather than allowing automatic cropping to remove faces, products, or on-screen text.

Checklist by scenario

Scenario 1: Recording a new vertical video

• Set the project and camera to 9:16 before recording.
• Use 1080 × 1920 pixels as the working resolution when your device supports it.
• Choose a frame rate that matches the intended motion and your recording source. Keep the same rate through editing and export when practical.
• Leave visual breathing room around the top, bottom, and sides. Platform interface elements may cover parts of the frame.
• Record a short test clip and inspect focus, exposure, skin tones, background noise, and microphone levels before the full take.
• Keep important words, faces, logos, and product details near the center of the frame rather than at the extreme edges.

Scenario 2: Repurposing a landscape video

• Create a separate vertical sequence instead of simply changing the original project dimensions.
• Reframe each shot around the speaker or main action.
• Use keyframes or automatic subject tracking carefully; check every cut for awkward movement.
• Rewrite captions so they fit a narrow screen. A sentence that works across a landscape frame may create tall, distracting text in a vertical edit.
• Replace wide graphics with vertical layouts and enlarge small interface demonstrations.
• Watch the complete export on a phone before uploading. Desktop previews can hide readability and cropping problems.

If repurposing is part of your regular process, see the guide to video content repurposing tools and the creator video workflow guide for ways to organize source files, edits, and platform versions.

Scenario 3: Exporting a clean master

• Set the sequence to 1080 × 1920 pixels and 9:16.
• Export MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio unless your editor or platform workflow requires another format.
• Use a high-quality export preset, but stay within the destination platform's current file-size and duration limits.
• Keep the source frame rate. Avoid exporting 30 fps footage at 60 fps simply to select a larger number.
• Export progressive video and inspect the final file for blockiness, dropped frames, flicker, clipped audio, and lip-sync errors.
• Use a descriptive filename, such as topic_hook_platform_version_date.mp4, so you can identify the correct file during batch publishing.

Scenario 4: Preparing captions, covers, and audio

• Burn in captions only when you want the text permanently visible in the video. Otherwise, use the platform's caption tools when they offer the control you need.
• Correct names, technical terms, numbers, and punctuation manually. Automatic captions are a draft, not a final quality check.
• Keep captions large enough to read on a phone, use strong contrast, and avoid placing them behind interface controls.
• Choose a cover frame that communicates the topic without relying on a tiny line of text.
• Check whether music, stock audio, or voice clips are cleared for the specific platform and publishing context. Availability can differ between apps, regions, accounts, and formats.
• Listen with headphones and without them. Dialogue should remain understandable over music and sound effects.

For a deeper caption process, use the video caption and subtitle workflow. If you use generated scripts, voices, or captions, the AI tools workflow for video creators can help you add review steps before publication.

What to double-check before uploading

1. Dimensions: Confirm the file is vertical and that the editor did not export a square or landscape sequence by mistake.
2. Crop: Check the opening frame, every major cut, and the final frame for faces, text, and products that are cut off.
3. Safe zones: Keep key information away from the top and bottom edges, where profile details, captions, buttons, descriptions, or navigation may appear.
4. Captions: Review spelling, timing, line breaks, contrast, and readability at phone size.
5. Cover: Confirm that the selected cover displays correctly in both the feed and the profile grid where applicable.
6. Audio: Check dialogue levels, silence at the beginning, harsh peaks, background hum, and music balance.
7. Quality: Watch the downloaded export, not just the editor preview. Look for compression, softness, banding, and unexpected color shifts.
8. Metadata: Add a concise title or caption, relevant context, and a clear next step. Platform-specific search and discovery details belong in the publishing screen, not necessarily inside the video.
9. Rights: Verify that footage, fonts, music, images, and voice assets are permitted for your intended use.
10. Upload test: If the video is important, upload privately or use a draft workflow first to inspect the platform's processed preview.

Export settings are only one part of distribution. For topic selection, titles, descriptions, and retention checks, use the video SEO checklist for YouTube and short-form platforms.

Common mistakes

• Designing for the wrong crop: A video can be technically vertical but still feel broken if the subject sits outside the visible crop.
• Putting text at the edges: Edge-to-edge layouts often lose information beneath platform controls or device cropping.
• Changing frame rates repeatedly: Multiple conversions can create uneven motion. Select a sensible rate and keep it consistent.
• Over-compressing the master: A small file may upload quickly but can show visible artifacts after platform processing. Start with a clean, high-quality export.
• Using one caption file everywhere: Caption placement and length that work on one platform may conflict with another platform's interface.
• Adding a third-party watermark: A watermark can distract from the content and may make a repurposed video look less native. Keep a clean master and apply branding deliberately.
• Ignoring the first seconds: Export checks cannot fix a slow opening. Make the premise, result, or useful tension clear early in the edit.
• Assuming app rules are permanent: Duration limits, file-size rules, music availability, cover controls, and publishing features can change. Confirm them when the upload screen matters.

When to revisit

Return to this checklist before each batch export, especially when you are preparing seasonal content, moving to a new editing app, changing cameras, or repurposing a long-form series. Recheck platform details before a major launch rather than relying on an old preset saved months ago.

A practical quarterly review should cover the current duration and file-size limits, supported formats, audio and music options, cover behavior, caption tools, safe-zone assumptions, and scheduling or cross-posting features. Also test your actual workflow: export one file, upload it as a draft, view it on a phone, and record any changes in a shared preset or production checklist.

For the next batch, use this short routine: duplicate the clean master, select the 9:16 sequence, verify 1080 × 1920 output, match the source frame rate, export an H.264/AAC MP4, inspect it on a phone, then adapt the cover, caption, audio, and description for each platform. That process takes less time than correcting a cropped subject or unreadable caption after publication.