H.264 · CRF 25 · 1080p · AAC · MP4

The scenario

Instagram Reels re-encode from a vertical 9:16 source. H.264 is the only codec Instagram accepts, CRF 25 because Instagram will re-encode anyway (no point over-optimizing), AAC/MP4 per Instagram upload requirements.

The answer

Video Codec	H.264
CRF	25
Resolution	1080p
Audio	AAC
Container	MP4

The command

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 25 -vf "scale=1920:1080,setsar=1" -c:a aac -b:a 128k -movflags +faststart output.mp4

Why

Instagram re-encodes every uploaded video regardless of input quality. Uploading at CRF 18 vs CRF 25 produces identical results on the platform but wastes 3-5x the upload bandwidth. The sweet spot is "good enough" quality.

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