Resolution reference
1080 × 1080 resolution (Square 1080)
Short answer
1080 × 1080 (square 1080, 1:1 Instagram) is a 1:1 square resolution with 1,166,400 pixels (1.17 megapixels). Square feed video and grid-safe posts.
Key takeaways
- 1080 × 1080 is 1:1, square, 1,166,400 pixels (1.17 MP).
- Square feed video and grid-safe posts.
- For video, YouTube's 1080p tier applies: 8 Mbps at 24-30 fps, about 60 MB a minute.
- Printed at 300 DPI it is 3.6 × 3.6 inches.
1080 × 1080 specifications
| Width × height | 1,080 × 1,080 pixels |
|---|---|
| Also called | 1080x1080, square 1080, 1:1 Instagram |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, decimal 1.0000 |
| Orientation | square |
| Total pixels | 1,166,400 (1.17 megapixels) |
| Compared with 1080p | 0.56× the pixels of 1920 × 1080 |
| Diagonal | 1,527 pixels |
| Rotated | 1080 × 1080 (see that page) |
| Encoder safe | Yes: both sides are even, as H.264 and HEVC with 4:2:0 color require |
1080 × 1080 compared with common resolutions
| Resolution | Pixels | 1080 × 1080 has |
|---|---|---|
| 720p (1280 × 720) | 921,600 | 1.27× as many |
| 1080p (1920 × 1080) | 2,073,600 | 56% as many |
| 1440p (2560 × 1440) | 3,686,400 | 32% as many |
| 4K UHD (3840 × 2160) | 8,294,400 | 14% as many |
1080 × 1080 vs 1366 × 768 and 1080 × 1080 vs 1600 × 900
1080 × 1080 has 11% more pixels than 1366 × 768 (1366 × 768). On a 15.6-inch screen that is 98 vs 100 pixels per inch, so text and fine detail look sharper at 1080 × 1080. A game or encoder has to process 1.11× as many pixels per frame, which costs frame rate on the same graphics card and, at equal quality, file size.
900p (1600 × 900) has 23% more pixels than 1080 × 1080. On a 15.6-inch screen that is 98 vs 118 pixels per inch, so text and fine detail look softer at 1080 × 1080. A game or encoder processes only 81% as many pixels per frame, which helps frame rates and keeps files smaller.
| 1080 × 1080 | 1366 × 768 (1366 × 768) | 900p (1600 × 900) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixels | 1,166,400 | 1,049,088 | 1,440,000 |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1 | 683:384 | 16:9 |
| YouTube bitrate, 24-30 fps | 8 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 5 Mbps |
| Desktop space (vs 1080p) | 56% | 51% | 69% |
Where 1080 × 1080 is used
Instagram launched in 2010 with square-only photos, a nod to Polaroid and Instamatic prints. Portrait and landscape posts arrived in 2015, but square remains the safest shape for the profile grid.
- Instagram square posts: Instagram shares square photos at 1080 × 1080.
- Square feed video on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and carousel slides that must line up.
- Profile pictures and podcast cover art scaled down from a square master.
Pixel density (PPI) by screen size
Pixel density is the diagonal in pixels (1,527) divided by the screen diagonal in inches. The last column is the distance at which a person with normal vision stops seeing individual pixels (one arcminute of visual acuity).
| Screen diagonal | PPI | Pixels blend at about |
|---|---|---|
| 11.6 inches | 132 | 26 in (66 cm) |
| 13.3 inches | 115 | 30 in (76 cm) |
| 14 inches | 109 | 32 in (80 cm) |
| 15.6 inches | 98 | 35 in (89 cm) |
Print sizes for a 1080 × 1080 image
| Print resolution | Inches | Centimeters | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | 3.6 × 3.6 | 9.1 × 9.1 | Photo prints, magazines |
| 240 DPI | 4.5 × 4.5 | 11.4 × 11.4 | Inkjet photo prints |
| 150 DPI | 7.2 × 7.2 | 18.3 × 18.3 | Posters seen from a meter or more |
| 72 DPI | 15.0 × 15.0 | 38.1 × 38.1 | Screen only; too coarse for print |
Free tool:DPI and print size calculator
Video at 1080 × 1080: bitrate and file size
| Frame rate | Bitrate | Per minute | Per 10 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24-30 fps | 8 Mbps | about 60 MB | about 600 MB |
| 48-60 fps | 12 Mbps | about 90 MB | about 900 MB |
Uncompressed, one 1080 × 1080 frame is 3.5 MB as 8-bit RGB, or 1.7 MB in the 8-bit 4:2:0 format video codecs work in. At 30 fps that is 420 Mbps of raw video, which is why every delivery format compresses it.
Posting 1080 × 1080 to social platforms
How the frame lands in each common shape, either fitted whole with bars or scaled up to fill and cropped:
| Target frame | Fit with bars | Fill and crop |
|---|---|---|
| 9:16 (TikTok, Reels, Shorts), 1080 × 1920 | 1080 × 1080 picture, 44% of the frame is bars | Keeps 56% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 16:9 (YouTube), 1920 × 1080 | 1080 × 1080 picture, 44% of the frame is bars | Keeps 56% of the picture (crops the height) |
| 4:5 (feed portrait), 1080 × 1350 | 1080 × 1080 picture, 20% of the frame is bars | Keeps 80% of the picture (crops the width) |
| 1:1 (square), 1080 × 1080 | Fills exactly | No crop needed |
Free tools:Crop video to 9:16Crop video to 16:9Crop an image to 4:5
How to resize to 1080 × 1080
- In an editor, set the sequence or export frame size to 1080 × 1080; if the source has a different shape, choose scale to fill (crop) or scale to fit (bars) rather than stretch.
- With FFmpeg, exact size:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf scale=1080:1080 -c:a copy out.mp4 - With FFmpeg, keep the whole picture and add bars:
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "scale=1080:1080:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1080:1080:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2" -c:a copy out.mp4 - Upscaling a smaller source to 1080 × 1080 makes the file bigger without adding detail; scale down from a larger master when you can.
| Scale | Size | Pixels |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | 270 × 270 | 72,900 |
| 50% | 540 × 540 | 291,600 |
| 75% | 810 × 810 | 656,100 |
| 150% | 1620 × 1620 | 2,624,400 |
| 200% | 2160 × 2160 | 4,665,600 |
Check a file against 1080 × 1080
Extension and MIME type are labels, not proof of the container. Dimensions and duration come from this browser's media reader. The frame rate is measured by playing the first frames muted; a file faster than your screen's refresh rate reads low. This does not detect codecs, bitrate, corruption or platform upload compatibility. Files and measurements are not sent anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1080×1080 4K?
No. 4K UHD is 3840×2160 (8,294,400 pixels); 1080×1080 has 1,166,400, 14% of that. By its 1080-pixel short side it falls in YouTube's 1080p quality tier.
What aspect ratio is 1080×1080?
1:1, a width-to-height ratio of 1.
What bitrate should a 1080×1080 video use for YouTube?
YouTube recommends 8 Mbps at 24-30 fps and 12 Mbps at 48-60 fps for its 1080p tier (SDR). That is about 60 MB per minute at standard frame rates, before audio.
How does 1080×1080 compare with 1080p?
It has 56% of the pixels of 1920×1080 (1,166,400 vs 2,073,600). Encoding time and file size at equal quality scale roughly with pixel count.
What is 1080×1080 resolution called?
1080 × 1080 is also called square 1080, 1:1 Instagram. Square feed video and grid-safe posts.
How many megapixels is 1080×1080?
1,166,400 pixels, which is 1.17 megapixels. A 12-megapixel phone photo (4032 × 3024) has 10.5× as many.
How big can I print a 1080×1080 image?
At 300 DPI, the usual photo-print target, 3.6 × 3.6 inches (9.1 × 9.1 cm). At 150 DPI, fine for posters viewed from a distance, twice that: 7.2 × 7.2 inches.
Sources and how we checked
- YouTube Help: Recommended upload encoding settings (checked 2026-10-05)
- Instagram Help: Image resolution of photos you share (checked 2026-10-05)
Pixel counts, ratios, PPI, print sizes, data rates and platform fits are computed from the width and height. Device figures are the makers' own; bitrates are YouTube's recommendations. Reviewed October 6, 2026 by the Koldflux team.