You’ve probably noticed (or maybe you haven’t) that Instagram has changed their format of the square 1:1 ratio, 1080 x 1080 pixel photo grid to 4:5 ratio, 1080 x 1350 pixel rectangles. The change can be seen on your main feed and your profile on the app so far, but on desktop, my profile still shows squares, for now. The format is taller and better aligned for mobile devices, and matches the sizing of reels and stories. Many people are very angry that their carefully cropped and perfected square grid doesn’t fit the new dimensions. It also messes with my OCD to now have a blank space to the top and bottom of some of my posts to make them conform to the new grid. But to be honest, I was never crazy about the mandatory chopping of my posts into squares, and posts were one size, stories another, just one of many things about Instagram that bugged me.
Whether you’re happy or mad about the change, you can fix some of your images by clicking on the 3 dots to the right of the post and then going to “Adjust Preview.” You can choose to have the image FILL the space (which is what they’re already doing by default, even if that means a bit is cropped off of each side.) The other option is to have the image FIT the space, which shows the entire image, but then that leaves that blank space to the top and bottom. You can then choose to have either a white or black background color fill the excess. The bad news is that this doesn’t work for video posts and you have to change each and every post manually because there’s not a way to change the settings on all of them at once.
According to the head of Instagram, a few more changes are planned down the road that may help to make it up to you. Apparently users will be able to take more control of their profile grid and be able to customize their thumbnail images and re-arrange the order of posts on their profiles. They’ll also be able to make posts directly to the profile without having them automatically go through the public feed. Highlighted stories will be moved onto a separate tab on the profile rather than having that awkward row of circles at the top of the page.
Most of us are old enough to remember the dilemma when we started going from boxier TVs to the wider format that we use today. You’d put the DVD in and say “Letterbox or full screen?” We all lived through it. Overall, I personally think that the change will be positive, and a better design and functionality for using Instagram. Now if only they would let us post links!
