An Instagram post maker is a design tool with canvases already sized for Instagram, so you start from the right shape instead of cropping later. This guide covers the three kinds of post most accounts make (single images, carousels and reel covers), the size each one needs, and which tool fits which job.
What sizes should Instagram posts be?
Pick the size before you design. Changing it later means moving every element.
| Post type | Ratio | Pixels | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single image, portrait | 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | The usual choice: tall in the feed |
| Single image, grid-shaped | 3:4 | 1080 × 1440 | Matches the profile grid thumbnail |
| Single image, square | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | Product tiles, quotes |
| Carousel cards | 4:5 (all cards the same) | 1080 × 1350 | Up to 20 cards |
| Reel cover | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Shown as a crop in the grid |
| Story | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Keep text off the top and bottom edges |
The profile grid now shows posts as 3:4 thumbnails, so a 4:5 post loses a little at the top and bottom on your profile. Keep headings and faces in the centre and both views work. For carousels specifically, Instagram carousel sizes has the margins and card counts.
How do you make an Instagram post step by step?
1. Decide what the post is for
One post, one job: announce something, teach one thing, show a product, or hold the grid together. A post that tries to do three gets read as none.
2. Start from the right canvas
Open a 1080 × 1350 canvas, or the Instagram post preset in your tool. If you're making a carousel, set every card to the same size now.
3. Set your brand defaults once
Two fonts at most, two or three colours, and the same logo position on every post. Save them as a brand kit or a template so you're not picking colours each time. Brand your reels covers the same idea for video.
4. Put the words in, then cut half
Text on an image is read in a second or two. Write a headline of a few words and push the detail to the caption.
5. Check it at phone size
Zoom out until the post is the size it'll be on a phone. If the headline isn't readable, make it bigger or shorter.
6. Export as PNG or JPG at full size
Export at the exact pixel size you designed. PNG keeps text sharper; JPG files are smaller.
Which Instagram post maker should you use?
| Tool | Best for | Templates | Video and reels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canva | Most single images, quotes, promos | Large library, brand kits | Yes, text-led reels |
| Adobe Express | Quick designs with Adobe fonts and stock | Large library | Short videos |
| Easy Reels | Single images and carousels alongside beat-cut reels from your own footage | Your own designs, saved and reused | Yes, cut to the beat, batched |
| Instagram's own editor | Posting a photo you already have | Filters and basic edits | Yes |
Canva is the default for good reason: a free plan, thousands of Instagram templates and brand kit features. If you mostly post designed graphics, start there. Canva reel maker covers where it stops for video.
Adobe Express is the closest alternative, also with a free plan and templates, and it fits if you already use Adobe tools.
[Easy Reels](/) is a reel editor first, so it fits the account whose feed is mostly video with posts between them. In the same editor you can make single images and carousels: layers for images and text, the same fonts (100+ bundled) and colour filters as your reels, and carousels of up to 20 still cards in 4:5, 1:1, 9:16 or 16:9. That keeps posts and reels in one look without exporting brand settings between two tools. It doesn't have a big template marketplace, and it doesn't generate images: you design with your own photos.
Every Easy Reels plan starts with a 14-day free trial with full access; after it, Pro is $19 a month and Ultra $39, and you're never charged if you cancel before it ends. There's no free plan. See the pricing section.
How do you make a reel cover that works as a post?
The cover is the frame your grid shows for each reel, so it does the job of a post. Make it at 1080 × 1920, put the title in the centre, and use the same treatment on every cover so the grid looks like one account. Easy Reels lets you download each video with its cover. Reel covers goes through picking the frame.
How do you keep posts looking like one account?
Reuse instead of redesigning. Make three or four layouts (a quote, a tip, a product shot, an announcement) and fill them in each week. Fixed text positions help most; reusable text overlays shows how that works for video, and it applies to posts too.
At the end you should have a small set of saved layouts at one size, and a post that takes minutes to make instead of starting from a blank canvas.
Common questions
What is the best free Instagram post maker?
Canva and Adobe Express both have free plans with Instagram templates, and either is enough for most accounts. Easy Reels has a 14-day free trial but no free plan.
What size is an Instagram post in 2026?
1080 × 1350 (4:5) is the usual portrait size, 1080 × 1440 (3:4) matches the profile grid, and 1080 × 1080 is square. Reel covers and stories are 1080 × 1920.
Can I make Instagram carousels in a post maker?
Yes. Canva, Adobe Express and Easy Reels all make multi-card designs. Keep every card the same size, or Instagram crops them to the first card's shape.
Should I use PNG or JPG for Instagram posts?
PNG for posts with text or graphics, since it keeps edges sharp. JPG for photos, where the smaller file makes no visible difference.