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Instagram Carousel Templates
Carousels at 1080 × 1350 pixels — portrait, because a carousel is read on a phone and the taller frame gives more room per slide. Two templates: a cover whose only job is earning the first swipe, and a slide you duplicate for everything after it.
No templates match that.
A carousel is a cover and a system, not ten designs
The mistake that makes carousels take all afternoon is designing every slide.
A carousel has exactly two design problems. The cover has to earn a swipe from somebody who was scrolling past — that is a headline problem, and it is where the effort belongs. Every slide after it has to be consistent, so the reader stops noticing the design and reads the content.
So: one cover, one slide layout, duplicated. Change the words, keep the position of the heading, the body block and the page number. A carousel where each slide is individually art-directed reads as sloppy rather than as varied, because the eye tracks the moving elements instead of the argument.
Every slide must survive on its own
Instagram will show your carousel to different people at different slides, and somebody may see slide four first. That has two consequences worth designing for.
Number the slides. It tells a reader there is a sequence and how far in they are, and it takes one text element.
Do not split a sentence across slides. A thought that only completes on the next card is lost on anyone who arrives out of order, and it makes the swipe feel like homework.
Keep the last slide useful
The final slide is the only one with a reader who has invested something, and it is usually wasted on a logo. Use it for the one action you actually want — follow, save, read the caption, go to a link — stated plainly and once.
Questions
What size is an Instagram carousel?
1080 × 1350 pixels portrait is the usual choice, because it takes more vertical space on a phone. Square 1080 × 1080 also works. Whichever you pick, every slide must be the same size — mixing ratios inside one carousel makes Instagram crop to the first slide.
How many slides should a carousel have?
Enough to finish the thought and no more. The practical range is three to ten; ten is the maximum Instagram allows.
Do all slides have to be the same shape?
Yes, in practice. Instagram crops the whole carousel to the aspect ratio of the first slide, so a mixed set gets cut.
Should I number the slides?
Yes. People are shown carousels starting at different slides, and a number tells them there is a sequence and where they are in it.
What goes on the last slide?
The one action you want. It is the slide with the most invested reader and it is usually spent on a logo instead.
Can I use these commercially?
Yes, including for clients and for a business account. No royalty, no credit, and the permission does not expire. That is true on the free plan as well as the paid one.