Instagram Story: 3 Steps to Get High-Quality Video – JRP Media

I have a few tips to try to help you get the high-quality video on the Instagram story that you can brag about. Have you been adding videos to your Instagram feed and Instagram story, and it just doesn’t look sharp and crisp and high-quality like you expected it to? So, here are the 3 steps to get a high-quality video on the Instagram story that you can show to your followers and friends.

1. How to get the higher quality video to file for your Instagram story

One of the best ways to get a high-quality video file is to use a DSLR or mirrorless camera like this one here, but you don’t need an expensive camera to get a high-quality video file for Instagram. 

What I did was I took this test image right here used for focus on a camera and recorded it on multiple different devices and different ways and tested how Instagram used each of those files and compressed them and which one came out with the highest quality image.

Recording a Video

When recording using the Instagram app, Instagram tells your camera to record in a lower resolution than it’s capable of. My camera on the iPhone 8 Plus was recording at 720p.

Tip #1: I have to record in the iPhone’s camera app or another camera app that lets you record in at least 1080p And then add that video to your Instagram feed or Instagram story. This will give Instagram a higher-quality video file to start with. 

Tip #2:  If you can record on a DSLR camera, all of the video files that I recorded on an external camera like that ended up looking better in the end after Instagram’s compression. A lot of the tips out there suggest exporting videos from a DSLR or mirrorless camera at an extremely low bit rate that Instagram says is the ideal video size.

Tip #3: They recommend 1080 by 1080 video at about 3.5 megabits per second. Through my testing, I uploaded multiple different versions from DSLR cameras, including 4K, all the way up to a 50 megabit per second, all the way down to the recommended 1080 by 1080 at 3.5 megabits per second. And from that testing, I was not able to visually see any difference in any of the videos. 

That lets me know that most likely Instagram compresses the video no matter what file size you give them. So what I would recommend is to find a medium in there somewhere that gives you a high resolution, a decent bit rate, and let Instagram have the most information to compress down to the video size, since they’re going to compress it anyway. 

2. Getting a high-quality video file without being compress on Instagram story

DSLR to PC

If you’re recording this on your iPhone, then it doesn’t really matter. The file is already on your phone, but if you’re recording on a DSLR, depending on the devices that you’re using will depend on how to get the file from your computer to your phone. It’s important to know that texting or emailing your video file will compress it before it ever makes it to your device. 

Mac to iPhone

If you’re going from a Mac to an iPhone, it’s best just to Airdrop the file. If you’re going from PC to iPhone, it’s best and easiest for me to use the VLC app. Once you have the VLC app open, go to the cone in the top left corner, press that. Turn on sharing via wifi and then go to your computer and type in the IP address that shows up on your phone. Once you have that open, just drag and drop the video file into the window and that video file will instantly show up on your phone.

And then you can press edit, select your video file, and press the arrow at the bottom and save the video to your phone. This takes the video from your computer to your iPhone without any compression. 

PC to Android

Now, if you’re going from a PC to an Android phone, I think it’s easiest just to plug your phone into the computer and transfer via USB. 

Mac to Android

Now, if you’re going from a Mac to an Android, you’re probably going to have to use something like Google Drive, or Dropbox, or another cloud storage service to transfer that video file. 

Uploading Video to Instagram Story

In my experience, the videos typically look less compressed when I upload them with a strong wifi signal versus a weak cell signal. Again, that is not proven at all, it may not even be true, but I try to upload all of the videos on a strong wifi signal.

3. One of the most common mistakes that I’ve seen in getting a high-quality video…

I’ve seen clients of mine make when uploading videos that I’ve made for them for Instagram stories or Instagram feed is not using the full resolution or size of the video on the post.

Instagram defaults to a one by one ratio on an Instagram feed post, but they will accept up to a four to five ratio video post on the post, which will make your video take up more of the screen when somebody is watching it. 

But you have to press the little two arrows in the bottom left corner to make that video on its full resolution. And then once you add it, it will fill up the whole screen. With Instagram stories, I suggest cutting up the video into 15-second segments or less before adding to Instagram stories.

Instagram will cut up smaller videos, but you have a little more control of the timing if you do it in another app or in your editing program before you upload the videos to your phone.

Conclusion

There are certain factors that you cannot control. Number one, I found Instagram’s compression is inconsistent. Depending on the environment, uploading over the cell network, or over wifi, or many other factors that we probably don’t even know. 

Instagram does not compress every video equally. Throughout my testing, I uploaded the same video to Instagram multiple times. This is not something that you will be able to control. 

One tip is Instagram compression does take some time, so often you need to wait 10 minutes or so to go back and view your video once it’s been through compression. Immediately, it may look super low quality as Instagram is processing that file. 

The second thing you cannot control is how the end-user is viewing your video on Instagram. If they are in a low connection quality environment, Instagram is going to deliver a lot lower resolution of the video than you originally upload and the Instagram compress to start with. Also, Instagram delivers different quality files to different devices. So purely depending on the device that the end-user is using to watch your video can change the resolution and quality that they see. 

I hope you were able to get a few tips to upload higher-quality videos on your Instagram Stories.