Add videos to your posts for Reels, Stories, and video content across platforms. This guide covers how to upload videos, supported formats, duration limits, and how to set custom cover photos.
Adding Videos to Your Post
There are three ways to add videos to your post in Viraly:
Drag and Drop
- Open the post composer
- Drag video files from your computer directly into the upload zone
- Release when you see the “Drop now” indicator
- Your video will begin uploading and processing automatically
File Picker
- Click the upload zone or the “Drag & drop or select a file” text
- Browse your computer and select a video file
- Click Open to upload the video
Media Library
Use previously uploaded videos from your media library:
- Click Select from Library below the upload zone
- Browse your collections or search for videos
- Click on a video to select it
- Click Use Selection to add the video to your post
Supported Video Formats
Viraly supports these video formats:
| Format | Extension | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| MP4 | .mp4 | Supported on all platforms (recommended) |
| MOV | .mov | Supported on all platforms |
| WebM | .webm | YouTube, TikTok |
Tip: MP4 with H.264 codec is the most universally compatible format and is recommended for best results across all platforms.
Platform Requirements
Each platform has specific requirements for video size, duration, and aspect ratio. Click Media Requirements in the post composer to view full specifications.
File Size Limits
| Platform | Max Video Size |
|---|---|
| Instagram Reel | 300MB |
| Instagram Story | 100MB |
| 1GB | |
| TikTok | 4GB |
| YouTube | No specific limit |
| 500MB (min 75KB) | |
| 2GB | |
| Threads | 1GB |
| Bluesky | 50MB |
| Mastodon | 99MB |
Duration Limits
| Platform | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reel | 3 seconds | 15 minutes |
| Instagram Story | 3 seconds | 60 seconds |
| Facebook Reel | 3 seconds | 90 seconds |
| Facebook Video | 3 seconds | 240 minutes |
| Facebook Story | 3 seconds | 90 seconds |
| X (Twitter) | 1 second | 140 seconds |
| YouTube Short | — | 3 minutes (180s) |
| 3 seconds | 30 minutes | |
| 4 seconds | 15 minutes | |
| Threads | 1 second | 5 minutes (300s) |
| Bluesky | 1 second | 60 seconds |
Aspect Ratio Requirements
| Platform / Type | Required Aspect Ratio | Recommended Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reel | 0.1:1 to 10:1 | 1080×1920 (9:16) |
| Facebook Reel | 9:16 | 1080×1920 (min 540×960) |
| Facebook/Instagram Story | 9:16 | 1080×1920 |
| YouTube Short | 9:16 or 1:1 | 1080×1920 or 1080×1080 |
| TikTok | Flexible | 360×360 to 4096×4096 |
| X (Twitter) | 1:3 to 3:1 | 1280×720 (landscape) or 720×1280 (portrait) |
Setting Cover Photos
Cover photos (thumbnails) determine what viewers see before playing your video. For Reels and video posts, you can customize the cover photo:
Selecting a Frame from Your Video
- After uploading a video, look for the Cover Photo option below the video thumbnail
- Click on the cover photo selector
- Use the timeline slider to select a specific frame from your video
- The selected frame will be used as your cover photo
Uploading a Custom Cover Photo
- Click on the Cover Photo option
- Select Upload custom cover
- Choose an image file from your computer
- The custom image will replace the video frame as your cover
Cover photo requirements:
- Max file size: 8MB (Instagram), 10MB (Facebook)
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 recommended for Reels
- Formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP
Creating Reels and Stories
Instagram Reels
- Select Reel as the post type in the composer
- Upload exactly one video (photos not allowed in Reels)
- Duration: 3 seconds to 15 minutes
- Ideal aspect ratio: 9:16 (1080×1920)
- Add a custom cover photo for better engagement
Note: Single videos uploaded to Instagram posts are automatically converted to Reels.
Instagram Stories
- Select Story as the post type
- Upload one photo OR one video (not both)
- Video duration: 3-60 seconds
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 recommended
- Note: Story captions are not supported by Instagram
Facebook Reels
- Select Reel as the post type
- Upload exactly one video
- Duration: 3-90 seconds
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 (minimum 540×960)
YouTube Shorts
- Upload exactly one video
- Duration: Under 3 minutes (180 seconds)
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 (portrait) or 1:1 (square)
- Title is required (max 100 characters)
Troubleshooting
Video rejected during upload
If your video is rejected, check that:
- The file format is MP4 or MOV (most compatible)
- The file size is within the platform’s limit
- The video duration meets minimum and maximum requirements
- The aspect ratio is supported for the selected post type
Common validation errors
| Error | Solution |
|---|---|
| “Video duration should be between X and Y seconds” | Trim your video to meet duration requirements |
| “Video file size can’t exceed XMB” | Compress your video or reduce quality/resolution |
| “Video aspect ratio must be…” | Re-export your video with the correct aspect ratio |
| “A Reel requires a video to be attached” | Ensure you’ve uploaded a video file, not an image |
| “A Reel can’t include any photo attachments” | Remove images from your Reel post |
| “Video resolution should be at least…” | Use higher resolution source video |
Video stuck in processing
Videos require processing after upload. If a video is stuck:
- Wait a few minutes — longer videos take more time to process
- If it persists beyond 5-10 minutes, try removing and re-uploading
- Large files (hundreds of MB) may take longer
- Check your internet connection for stability
Location tagging not available
Some platforms don’t support location tagging for video posts. If you see “Not supported for video posts” under Tag Location, this is a platform limitation, not an error.