Many smartphone cameras are now capable of competing with high-end DSLRs. It has never been easier than ever to capture stunning art for your Instagram followers.
Unfortunately, many Instagram photos don’t look nearly as good as their originals.
Instagram only allows images up to 1080px1350p. Instagram will automatically enlarge any photo that is smaller than this. Instagram will automatically enlarge your photo if it has a higher resolution, which is often the case.
There’s an easy way to get around this. Follow these steps to see your Instagram photos in all their glory.
How to see Instagram photos in full resolution on mobile and PC
Most Instagram users access their Instagram feeds through the app on their smartphone. The native app does not allow you to view full-size images. Instead, you will need to use your desktop browser or smartphone.
These are the steps you should follow:
- You can visit Instagram’s website using your PC browser or mobile browser. After that, log in with your credentials.
- You can’t click on an image directly from your feed. Instead, go to the profile of the user and open the photo you wish to view.
- Add media/ (lowercase L), to the address bar. This will add large-sized images to the URL. So, change the photo’s original URL from https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KPJLlJ2iJ/ to https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KPJLlJ2iJ/media/?size=l
- Click to see the full-size image.
The thumbnail or medium version of the photo can be viewed as well. Add the following line to the URL of your photo:
- media/size=m medium size
- media/size=t to reduce thumbnail size
If you like the full-size image, you can save it by right clicking anywhere on the photo and choosing ” Save Picture As…“.
How do I see full-size profile pictures?
Let’s now move onto profile photos. Instagram shows only the cropped circular version for profile photos. You can’t see the full-size image in the native app. You can tap on an image to see only the Stories of the user, if any.
There is a way around it, regardless of which platform you use.
These steps are applicable to PC, Mac and smartphone browsers:
- You can visit Instagram’s website using your browser. To view the profile picture of an Instagram user, you don’t need to log in.
- Click on the Instagram account you wish to view the full-size profile photo.
- Copy the username of your profile.
- Copy the username to Instadpy.com.
- You can click on Submit to see your full-size profile photo.
This tool is available for all Instagram accounts, private or public. The user originally uploaded the image in low resolution, so you won’t see the full-size profile photo.
iOS/Android Devices
You can download the Qeeky app for iOS and Android devices from the Google Play or the iOS App Store. Follow these steps to view full-size profile photos after you have downloaded it:
- Open Qeeky from your device.
- In the search field, enter the username of your profile.
- To see the full-size image, tap on the circle photo.
The app is similar to the browser solution. It works with all Instagram accounts. The only problem is that the free version shows low-quality images.
You will need to upgrade to Qeek Pro in order unlock the premium version. Qeek Pro is currently $2.99. You’ll be able to see all the photos in the original sizes if you buy the pro version.
Instagram reduces image size
You now know how to view Instagram photos at full size. It’s also worth learning about the reasons why images shrink in size.
It’s not Instagram who wants to reduce your image sizes, Meta (previously known as Facebook) does. Meta is the owner of Instagram as well WhatsApp. All three platforms are well-known for their ability to reduce image quality and size. It’s possible that your WhatsApp photos sometimes appear blurry.
There are many reasons why this might happen. The most common reason is to protect servers from being overwhelmed. Every day, Instagram is home to millions of photos. The majority of Instagram users are willing to go the extra mile to show off their photography skills.
This combination with high-resolution smartphone cameras will result in photos that are large in size. This is a lot data that Instagram’s servers must fit. Instagram restricts image sizes to ensure they don’t overload.
Although most social media platforms do this automatically, Meta’s compression is more precise than Twitter and Tumbler. Both Instagram and WhatsApp must keep images small-sized.
Nevertheless, many Instagram posts are still stunning. Instagram’s maximum image size allows you to enjoy your favourite posts.
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It doesn’t matter if you want to make an Instagram photo wallpaper or see it in its original size. The process is very simple. The browser method is best for profile photos. Qeek offers low-quality images free of charge, but you will have to pay for the higher-quality version. An app may be easier and more convenient if you feel that the full photo is worth it.
