Facebook and Instagram reels are on trends nowadays. Both Insta and fb reels are the same thing except a small difference. Being powered by Meta both seems to be similar and it would not be wrong to say that we can call both of these as reels in general.
If you are a creator or viewer then you may have felt lack of quality in the video at some point.
Talking about the quality of the videos, it does matter a lot. A clear high quality 4k reel attracts more likes and interactions when compared to a low quality 144p.
If you also want to fix this issue then this blog post is for you. You may also like: how to add follow button on reels?
What we will discuss is how to upload high quality reels on Facebook and Instagram + how to watch reels on Facebook or Instagram in high quality.
To upload high quality reels you need to: Record in high quality, use lighting and exposure, Edit using editors, optimize, export using optimal format, select 9:16 aspect ratio for reels, upload on 1080 resolution, upload using Facebook or Instagram mobile apps.
To watch reels in high quality: Use strong connection of internet, use high quality screen, update apps often, enable enhanced HD playback, Adjust quality settings for reels, enable full screen display.
How to upload high quality reels [Facebook + Instagram]
There are several things you can check out to make sure that the reels you are uploading are high quality in resolution and sound. Let’s talk about all of these one by one.
Making of a reel for Instagram or Facebook:
First of all you will have to capture the scenes which you want to keep in your reel. There are two ways for this.
Using camera: you can take shots for the reel using camera and then you can use these clips in your reel after editing
Using others content: you can take small clips from other’s videos or you can use copyright free videos to make a new video for reel. This method will work if you don’t want to use a camera.
Editing of the reel video:
Once you have completed the first step then you will have to merge the clips or short captures to form a full reel. You can edit it according to your need and the type of content.
Aspect ratio for reels:
You need to choose a proper aspect ratio if you want to prevent cutting of the sidebars. For proper full view and high resolution it is important to consider the proper aspect ratio. For both Instagram and Facebook it is 9:16. You can either make your video according to this aspect ratio either by using editor or while uploading. But the best option is to choose it while editing.
“Upload settings” on Facebook and Instagram:
In this step you will have to set your reels upload quality preference on high resolution. Some tips for people in hurry are: use format .mp4, aspect ratio 9:16, resolution 1080p, FPS 30 and bitrate at 10MBPS.
For facebook:
- Open your Facebook app and tap on profile icon to open Main Menu page
- Here you need to scroll down and tap on “Settings” option under “Settings and privacy” tab
- Here under the “Preferences” option click on “Media”
- Now under the “Video and photos” option click on “video upload HD” option
Now for Instagram:
- Open Instagram account
- Tap on the three lines icon in the upper right corner
- Click on settings and privacy and then click on “Data usage and media quality” after scrolling down
- Make sure that data saver mode is off. Then check the box in front of “Upload at highest quality”
Aspect ratio 9:16, Resolution 1080p, bitrate 10mbps and FPS 30
All these factors are important and you will not get any option to set these while uploading reels either on Instagram or Facebook. These options will have to be set on the editor which you are using for editing reels.
How to watch reels in high quality on [Facebook + Instagram]
This is the most common problem which is faced by viewers of reels. Reels appear to be blurry due to some reasons and you can fix this problem easily by:
Use of stable connection of internet:
You need to have a stable internet connection whether it is cellular or Wifi connection because high quality reels require significant amount of bandwidth to load properly. Strong internet ensures that you have enough bandwidth to receive video data without having any interruption.
Along with it, a strong internet connection will provide you good data transfer speed. However, decompression of reels and maintaining high resolution while watching reels is not possible without good internet connection.
Adjusting settings for watching high quality reels:
If you have fine connection then reels must appear in high quality but if you are still encountering blurry reels then you will have to make changes in playback settings. It is because your settings may be set to low quality video resolution or data saving mode.
Changing playback settings for fb reels
Open settings on Facebook >> tap on “Media” option which is under the “Preferences” tab >> under the “Video quality” tab you will see “Optimized” option. Uncheck the box before this option as shown in the image below. >> Also untick the box with “Data saver” option.
Playback settings for Instagram reels
Open Instagram settings >> “settings and privacy” >> “Data usage and media quality” >> “Cellular data and connection settings” >> toggle on the option “Upload at highest quality”.
It is all done. Now you have optimised preferences and settings along with strong data connection. You will be able to watch 1080p reels if you have applied all settings.
Why do the quality of reels drop while uploading?
There can be multiple reasons for this including slow network connection, limitation on the resolution and bitrate, non-supported format of reel or codec and compression of the reels.
For this you should make a reel properly in any editing platform. Then download the video in the camera roll on your mobile at above discussed FPS, bitrate and aspect ratio. After that, upload the reel using mobile app.
Why are the reels I am watching are blurry on Facebook or Instagram?
It can be due to unstable internet connection, low resolution of the video or your data saver mode on video playback settings on Facebook or Instagram.
Can cache cause blurry reels on Facebook or Insta?
No, I think it does not, especially when you are watching reels on mobile app. However, if you are watching reels on a browser then this can cause the cache problem. However, it is good practice to clear cache of the app or browser you are using and to update app on a monthly basis.