Creative Specs & Best Practices
You don't need to memorise fifteen sizes. In 2026 a handful of ratios cover almost everything — and getting them right isn't just cosmetic anymore. Meta's AI now treats creative quality as a ranking signal.
By the end of this lesson you'll know
- The three ratios that cover nearly all placements
- Key file and text limits
- Safe zones for Stories & Reels
- Why quality now affects delivery, not just looks
Three ratios cover almost everything
| Ratio | Pixels | Where it shines |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 (square) | 1080 × 1080 | Universal — works across most feeds |
| 4:5 (portrait) | 1080 × 1350 | Feed default — more mobile screen space |
| 9:16 (vertical) | 1080 × 1920 | Stories & Reels — full-screen |
Build every concept in all three ratios (1:1, 4:5, 9:16) from the start. The extra export takes minutes; forcing one ratio into the wrong slot causes ugly crops and lost auctions. Portrait 4:5 takes about a third more screen space than square on mobile — a free visibility boost.
File & text limits worth knowing
- Images: JPG or PNG, up to 30 MB. Aim for 1080px on the short edge minimum.
- Video: MP4 or MOV, H.264, up to 4 GB; 15–60 seconds tends to perform best; add captions.
- Text: primary text ~125 characters before “See more,” headline ~40, description ~30.
Safe zones (Stories & Reels)
On full-screen vertical placements, Meta's own buttons and captions sit on top of your creative. Keep anything important — text, logo, product, price — within the centre ~80% of the frame: roughly the top 14% and bottom 20% should stay clear. Otherwise the interface hides your message.
The text-on-image reality
Meta officially scrapped the old “20% text” rule — but its delivery system still quietly favours cleaner images. Keep on-image text to a short headline or value prop, and let the primary text and headline fields carry the detail. Heavy text overlays tend to get throttled.
Meta's Andromeda system reads creative quality as a ranking signal. A Reel that renders blurry because you uploaded a low-resolution file doesn't just look bad — it can lose the auction. Always export at full resolution; “good enough” costs you delivery.
Wrong file type (Meta wants JPG/PNG or MP4/MOV) or oversize files trigger rejection. Wrong aspect ratio doesn't get rejected — it gets silently cropped, which is worse. Preview every placement before publishing.
Key takeaways
- Three ratios cover nearly everything: 1:1, 4:5, 9:16 — build all three.
- Know the limits: 30 MB images, 4 GB video, 125/40/30-char text.
- Keep key content in the centre ~80% safe zone on Stories/Reels.
- Creative quality is a ranking signal now — export at full resolution.