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Launch Video Maker

Launch video sizes and lengths for YouTube, Shorts, Reels, TikTok and LinkedIn

Published 28 September 2026. Platform limits checked against each platform's own help pages on 28 September 2026; they change, so follow the links before you rely on a number.

Short answer: three shapes (widescreen 16:9, vertical 9:16 and portrait 4:5) and three lengths (15, 30 and 60 seconds) will get a launch video onto almost any platform. If you can only make one, make a 30-second vertical cut. The rest of this guide covers which goes where, what each platform actually allows, and where to keep your words so the app's buttons don't sit on top of them.

The three shapes

Make each shape as its own edit rather than cropping one master. Cropping a 16:9 layout to 9:16 throws away more than two thirds of the width, and the words at the edges go with it.

Platform by platform

PlatformShapeWhat the platform documentsOur suggested length
YouTube16:916:9 is the standard on a computer; the player adapts to other ratios.30 to 60 s
YouTube Shorts9:16Videos with a square or vertical aspect ratio, up to three minutes long, count as Shorts (uploads from 15 October 2024).15 to 30 s
Instagram Reels9:16Reels can be recorded up to 20 minutes, but reels over three minutes won't be recommended to new audiences. Meta's ads guide lists 9:16 for Reels ads.15 to 30 s
TikTok9:16TikTok's in-feed ad specs recommend vertical 9:16 at 540 × 960 or larger, and also accept 16:9 and 1:1.15 to 30 s
LinkedIn4:5 or 16:9For Page videos: 3 seconds to 10 minutes, aspect ratios from 1:2.4 to 2.4:1.30 to 60 s

The right-hand column is our advice, not a platform rule. So why not use the full three minutes? Because a maximum tells you what's allowed, not what gets watched, and a launch video should usually be far shorter than any of these limits. TikTok has changed its limits for regular posts several times, so check in the app rather than trusting a number from an article, this one included.

Which length for which job

Whatever the length, the opening seconds matter most on a feed. Put your most interesting true line first. Our guide on how to make a launch video covers the order of beats.

Safe areas for vertical video

On vertical platforms, the app draws over your video: the account name and caption along the bottom, like and share buttons down the right, sometimes a progress bar or search bar at the top. Anything important under them gets hidden, and it's usually your web address.

Meta publishes numbers for Instagram Reels ads: keep roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and other key elements. On a 1080 × 1920 frame that's about 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 on each side. TikTok says its safe zone depends on the shape, the caption length and any extra ad formats, and offers downloadable templates in its ads help centre.

Organic posts don't come with an official figure, but the same furniture appears on screen, so Meta's ad margins make a sensible default for Shorts, Reels and TikTok alike. In practice:

Export settings that travel well

MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio is the safe choice: it's what YouTube recommends for uploads, and LinkedIn and TikTok both list MP4 among the formats they accept. Export at the exact size for each shape (1920 × 1080, 1080 × 1920 or 1080 × 1350) so the platform doesn't rescale it for you. Instagram asks for at least 30 frames per second on Reels, and LinkedIn accepts 10 to 60.

Launch Video Maker produces reels in all three shapes, at 15, 30 or 60 seconds, with the key words kept clear of the edges. The Bundle package cuts one reel for 16:9, 9:16 and 4:5 for £49.

Sources

All checked on 28 September 2026.