Instagram Reels are predominantly designed for vertical viewing (9:16 aspect ratio), which is the standard format for the main Reels tab and how they typically appear in the feed. You cannot change the fundamental vertical orientation of the Reel container itself. However, you can easily include horizontal (landscape) photos and videos within your vertical Reel.
Here's how you can incorporate horizontal media into your Instagram Reel:
Understanding Instagram Reel Format
- Standard: Instagram Reels are optimized for a vertical, full-screen experience (9:16 aspect ratio) on mobile devices.
- Challenge: Adding horizontal (landscape) media (like a 16:9 photo or video) directly will result in it not filling the vertical screen.
Adding Horizontal Media to Your Vertical Reel
While the reel itself remains vertical, you can upload horizontal photos or videos. Instagram provides options for how this horizontal content is displayed within the vertical frame.
- Start Creating a Reel: Open the Instagram app and tap the "+" icon, then select "Reel."
- Access Your Media: Tap the camera roll icon, usually in the bottom left corner, to browse your phone's gallery.
- Select Your Horizontal Media: Navigate to find the horizontal photo or video you want to add.
- Based on Reference: The reference describes selecting a photo that "Comes up here on top" and then clicking that photo to select it. This indicates the process of choosing your desired media from your gallery within the Reel creation interface.
- Preview and Adjust: Once selected, Instagram will show you a preview of how the horizontal media fits into the vertical Reel frame.
- By default, horizontal media often appears with black bars added to the top and bottom to fill the vertical space without cropping the sides.
- You might see an option to adjust how the media fits. You can often pinch and zoom the media to fill the screen, which will crop the sides of your horizontal content. Tap the image in the preview to see if adjustment options appear.
- Add More Clips/Photos: Continue adding other media (vertical, square, or horizontal) to build your reel sequence.
- Edit and Share: Add audio, effects, text, and stickers as desired. Preview your reel to ensure the horizontal segments look the way you intended (with bars or cropped). Then, share your reel.
Key Takeaway: You incorporate horizontal content into the vertical Reel format. The horizontal media will either have black bars above and below it or be cropped to fit the 9:16 ratio, as the overall reel structure stays vertical.
For the best viewing experience on the main Reels feed, consider editing your horizontal content before uploading it to fit better into a vertical frame, perhaps by adding a blurred background or creative borders to the sides. However, directly adding horizontal media is simple and often results in the black bar effect.
