How to Turn Photos into an Instagram Reel
By Tayyab, Founder · Published
To turn photos into an Instagram Reel, put them in order in a video tool, export a vertical 1080 x 1920 MP4 of 3 seconds to 15 minutes, and upload it as a Reel or schedule it. Our free photos to video tool makes the MP4 in your browser, with no account and no watermark.
A Reel is a video, so a Reel from photos is a slideshow with motion: each photo becomes a scene. This guide goes through it in the order you do it, with the limits Instagram checks and the tool that makes the file.
Make the Reel in five steps
Pick and order your photos
Up to 20. Put the one that should stop the scroll first, because it opens the video. Vertical photos fill the 9:16 frame best; the tool crops around the upper middle of each picture, so keep the subject there.
Make the video
Open the photos to video tool, add the photos, keep the 9:16 shape and press Make my video. It is made in your browser, so the photos never leave your device.
Check it against the Reel limits
The table below is what Instagram takes. The video the tool makes is never shorter or longer than a Reel can be, so length is not the thing to check.
Post it or schedule it
Upload the MP4 in Instagram and choose Reel, or schedule it: Content Drifter publishes a video to Instagram as a Reel, to a Business or Creator account.
Add the caption and the sound
The video has no soundtrack, so choose a sound in Instagram, and write the caption as for any other Reel.
Instagram Reel limits
| Network | Shape | Length | Largest file | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 vertical (Reels) | 3 seconds to 15 minutes | 300 MB | MP4 or MOV |
Instagram's Reel limits are 3 seconds to 15 minutes and up to 300 MB per file, as MP4 or MOV. Facebook Reels are shorter, so a video you also want there should stay under 90 seconds. A caption can hold up to 20 @-mentions.
The same numbers for every network are on the social media limits page, and the carousel size guide covers the feed shapes.
How long each photo stays on screen
Each photo holds for 1 to 3 seconds. The tool shortens the hold when there are many photos so the video stays inside 60 seconds on a computer and 30 on a phone.
| Photos | Each photo, computer | Video, computer | Each photo, phone | Video, phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 s | 15 s | 3 s | 15 s |
| 10 | 3 s | 30 s | 3 s | 30 s |
| 15 | 3 s | 45 s | 2 s | 30 s |
| 20 | 3 s | 60 s | 1.5 s | 30 s |
If you want each photo on screen longer, especially on a phone, use fewer photos.
When it does not come out right
- An iPhone photo will not open. HEIC photos open straight away in Safari and through a small converter in other browsers. If one still fails, save it as a JPEG from your Photos app.
- A photo is cut off. Photos fill the 9:16 frame, so a wide photo loses its sides. Use the carousel to video tool to show each image whole.
- The page says the browser cannot make videos. Open it in current Chrome, Edge or Safari.
Frequently asked questions
How long can an Instagram Reel made from photos be?
Instagram takes a Reel from 3 seconds up to 15 minutes. The free photos to video tool makes a video of up to 60 seconds, or 30 seconds on a phone, so it always fits. A single photo makes a 3 second video, which is as short as Instagram accepts.
What size should the photos be for a Reel?
A Reel is 1080 x 1920 pixels, 9:16. Your photos can be any size: the tool reads each one at up to 2048 pixels on the long edge and crops it to fill the frame around the upper middle of the picture, so vertical photos lose the least.
Does the video have music?
The video the free tool makes has no soundtrack of its own. Add a sound in Instagram when you post it as a Reel.
Can I schedule a Reel made from photos?
Yes. After you make the video, "Schedule it to TikTok, Reels and Shorts" opens a free sign-up and brings your photos into AI Post Maker with the video ready, and you schedule it as a Reel from there. Making a video in the dashboard, on the Video screen or in AI Post Maker, is on Lite and up, and the free days every new account starts with (3 days free) includes it. Instagram only lets a scheduler publish to a Business or Creator account.
Is there a watermark?
No. The video has no watermark and the tool needs no account. A small "Made with Content Drifter" end card is available, and it is off unless you turn it on.
Making Reels from your posts every week? The AI Video Maker turns each post into a video and schedules it.