Ad sizes for clothing ads: 1:1, 4:5 and 9:16

For clothing, the 4:5 portrait shape suits most feed ads: a standing model fills more of the screen than in a square, and the whole outfit still fits. The 9:16 shape is for full-screen placements, and the 1:1 square is for carousels and anywhere you aren’t sure.

In full-screen placements the app draws its own buttons, profile icon, caption and call to action on top of your ad. For Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories and Instagram Reels, Meta suggests keeping text, logos and other key elements out of about the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% at each side ^[3][4][5]. For Reels video it adds that this also keeps them away from the edges on devices whose screens are taller than 9:16 ^[6].

TikTok doesn’t give a single set of numbers. Its in-feed ad specifications say the safe zone depends on the video’s shape, the caption length and any extra formats you add, and offer safe zone files to download ^[8]. It also warns that the preview may differ slightly from the live ad ^[8]. Lay the file over your video before you upload it.

For clothing this matters more than for most products. The bottom 35% of a full-length shot is where the hem, the legs and the shoes are, so a 9:16 image framed with the model filling the whole height loses the bottom of the outfit under the caption. Frame tall images with the garment in the middle area.

Cropping one image into every shape is quick, but the arithmetic works against you:

• A square cropped to 9:16 keeps only 56% of its width. From a 1440 × 1440 square you get 810 × 1440, well below the 1440 × 2560 Meta lists ^[4], so it has to be enlarged as well.
• A 4:5 image cropped to 9:16 keeps about 70% of its width: 1440 × 1800 becomes about 1012 × 1800. Sleeves and a wide skirt are the first things to go.
• A 9:16 image cropped to a square keeps only 56% of its height, so you lose either the head or the hem and shoes.
• Even when nothing is cut off, a full-length model framed for a square ends up with their feet in the bottom area the app covers.

Making each shape natively means framing the model and the garment for that shape from the start: closer and taller for 9:16, with room around the outfit for the safe zones. If you’re testing several versions of a style, make every version in every shape the same way, so no version is judged on a worse crop.

Meta’s Ads Guide lists carousel cards in the Facebook feed at 1:1, at least 1080 × 1080 pixels, with 2 to 10 cards ^[7]. TikTok carousel ads accept vertical, square or horizontal images ^[9]. A carousel is a good way to show several versions side by side, but every card is judged in the same frame, so use images made for that shape rather than relying on the platform to fit them.

• Shopify says a size of 2048 × 2048 pixels usually displays best for square product images ^[10].
• Images can be up to 5000 × 5000 pixels or 25 megapixels, and must be smaller than 20 MB ^[10].
• Use a consistent aspect ratio for your main product images, so they display at the same size on collection pages ^[10].
• How images are shown and cropped depends on your theme ^[10]. Check your theme’s settings before you choose square or portrait.

Concept images on a product page should be labelled as concept images, and replaced with real photos once the garment is made. Our guide to AI labels on ads and product images covers what each platform asks for.

With three shapes per version, a test of four versions is already twelve images. Name each file with the test, the version and the shape, so you always upload the right one to the right placement and can read the results back. Our guide to creative testing for clothing ads shows a naming pattern and UTM tags that tie each ad to the version it shows.

Can I just upload one image and let the platform crop it?

You can, but you don’t control what is cut. For clothing, the cut usually lands on the hem, the sleeves or the shoes, which are part of what you’re selling.

Which size should I make first?

The one you will spend most on. For many clothing sellers that is 4:5 for feed ads or 9:16 for Reels, Stories and TikTok.

Do videos follow the same sizes?

Meta lists Instagram Reels video ads at 9:16, 1440 × 2560, with the same safe-zone advice ^[6], and TikTok recommends 9:16 for in-feed videos ^[8].