Instagram has grown in popularity since its debut in 2010 and has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. Users tend to like Instagram's emphasis on communication through images and videos. Not to mention, the app is fully optimized for mobile devices, making it the perfect social media platform for today's technological age. It's never been easier to take and share high-quality photos.
Instagram has gradually added additional features as users demand more and more ways to communicate with their friends and followers. However, Instagram continues to place limits on these same functions, forcing users to take steps to achieve their goals.
The length of Instagram videos
With the advent of Instagram videos, users can take videos, share them on their account or via direct message, and post them to their Story. However, these videos come with time limits.
- Users can post videos between 3 seconds and one minute to their Instagram feed.
- Instagram Stories (the most permanent videos that appear on your profile) can last 15 seconds.
- Live videos and "IGTV" videos can last up to 60 minutes.
- Reels can last 15 or 30 seconds.
Of course, it can be annoying when you want to share something that doesn't fit within those time constraints.
So how do you get around Instagram's limited features to post longer videos? There are a few ways to post your longer videos on Instagram, where they belong!
Without wasting any more time, let's see how to post longer videos on Instagram.
First method: several clips
The easiest way around this problem is to simply publish your video in increments.
Suppose you have a one-minute video that you would like to add to your Instagram story, but you cannot because Instagram stories only allow you to post 15-second videos.
When you select this video for sharing, it will automatically be trimmed to the first 15 seconds. If you don't want to mess up your video, you'll want to do a little editing before uploading it to Stories.
Use your phone's video editing functions to trim the video in 15 second increments. Soon your one-minute video will be cut into four 15-second clips, which you can easily upload to Instagram.
Then it's time to share this series of clips on Instagram. Do it the old fashioned way rather than straight to the stories to make sure the clips are in the correct order. Here's how to post a clip on Instagram:
- Tap the "+" to add images and videos from your camera roll.
- Tap the option to add multiple content items together.
- Select the clips you want in order.
- Tap Next.
- Edit the clips according to your preferences.
- Tap Next.
- Add a caption and location.
- Tap Share.
This will share the video to your regular Instagram feed and from there it can be shared to your story. It might seem pointless because your feed can post the entire minute, but there's no way to edit and put together video clips if you bypass the feed and share directly to your story.
When someone visits your story, they'll see it happen in the order you posted it. It won't be perfectly seamless, but it will be close to the narrative you wanted. You can also rearrange the order of the clips if you want to get into some improvised Instagram video editing.
Second method: use an application
Does the above method seem a bit daunting and cumbersome? If so, there are several apps on the market that will effectively do the same thing, except they will make your job much easier.
Continuous for Instagram for iPhone
If you're an iPhone user, consider shelling out $7,99 for Continu for Instagram. This app automatically cuts your longer videos into 15 second increments to share with your story. You can then download the clips together or individually.
If you are looking for a way to easily cut and download long videos on Instagram, it couldn't be easier.
StorySplitter for iPhone
Maybe $7,99 is just a little too fair for you to share longer videos. If you can't justify the price of the previous app, StorySplitter is free for iOS users (.99 for the premium version). It effectively does the same thing, splitting videos into 15-second clips.
However, unlike Continual for Instagram, it doesn't allow you to post videos in landscape format, and unless you prefer the premium version, it will watermark your images. Still, for a free app, it should do the job.
CutStory for iPhone
Finally, there's CutStory for iOS. This is very similar to Story Splitter, except it's not just for Instagram. CutStory lets you prepare and publish videos to Facebook and WhatsApp. With CutStory, you can automatically trim your video to the right size clips for your application of choice or cut it to any length you want.
Story Cutter â Android
Not an iPhone user? No problem. There are many similar apps for Android that make it easier to trim your videos for Instagram.
Story Cutter is a popular app that lets you cut videos to any length clip you want. Basically, you determine the length of the segment and the app cuts the video for you. This makes it ideal for more social media platforms than Instagram, as they all have their own length restrictions.
Method Three: Go Live
The only major drawback of the two methods mentioned above is that your videos will not be transparent. Although Instagram Stories automatically plays them in order, they can seem slightly jerky when one clip ends and another begins. If you want your video to be complete, try making it live first.
Live videos on Instagram can last up to an hour. And with recent updates, they can be posted to your Story where they're visible for 24 hours. Of course, this won't allow you to post the video to your regular Instagram collection. It can only be shared with Stories when completed. However, it's better than nothing, and you can always save it to your phone or desktop for later editing.
If you have the IGTV app (available for free on the App Store and Google Play Store), you can create a great 60-minute video. Keep in mind that your News Feed will only show a brief preview of your IGTV videos.
Method Four: Instagram Reels
In August 2022, Instagram introduced a new video download option called Reels. Reels differ from regular videos in the following ways:
- Reels can be further edited in the Instagram app; it lets you use transitions and add music.
- They can be found on their own separate tab on both a user's page and the explore page.
- The reels automatically play the next video after the current video has finished playing.
Uploading your video as a reel is a great option if you're trying to post a video that's between 15 and 30 seconds long. Being a new feature, Instagram seems to be pushing users to use the Reels feature, which makes it easier for a video to gain traction as an actual post compared to a regular story/page.
Can I put a link to my video?
When you create a post, you can always say u0022*Link in Bio0022 and direct people to your YouTube channel, website, or wherever your video is shared. Instagram does not allow you to easily add u003c/au003e links due to their spam blocking protocol.
Latest Thoughts
Instagram is incredibly popular for a reason: it's a great platform for taking and sharing photos and videos with your followers. However, when you want to upload a video longer than a minute, Instagram's time restrictions can be frustrating to deal with.
If you really need to post your video to your Instagram feed, it's best to take the time and make it as impactful as possible. Packing an eye-catching, high-quality, and engaging video into 15 seconds isn't easy, but it's totally possible.
