Feature
Instagram Reels maker: one clip of you talking becomes a finished reel
Film yourself talking, upload the clip, and Cutroom edits it into a vertical reel. Captions, a headline and b-roll are added for you.
In short
- Cutroom is an Instagram Reels maker for videos of you talking: you upload one clip and get a finished reel back.
- Cutroom shortens the pauses and adds captions, a headline and b-roll clips. The edit comes back in about a minute.
- Instagram allows 20-minute reels, but it only suggests reels of 3 minutes or less to people who do not follow you.
- Edits, Instagram's own editing app, is free, but you make every cut yourself on a timeline.
- Your first Cutroom video is free, with no card. After that, the Lite plan costs $19.99 a month.
- Longest reel Instagram allows
- 20 min
- Longest reel Instagram suggests to people who do not follow you
- 3 min
- The full-screen vertical video Cutroom exports, in pixels
- 1080 x 1920
What you get
You get a reel that is cut, captioned and ready to post.
- Your words appear on screen as captions, in one of 40 caption styles.
- Cutroom captions videos in 8 languages, such as English, Spanish, French and German.
- A headline sits at the top, drafted from what you said. You can rewrite it and set how high it sits.
- Stock b-roll clips play over the words that carry your point.
- Long pauses are shortened, and small zoom-ins are added on key moments.
- You download a 9:16 MP4 file of 1080 x 1920 pixels and post it as your reel.
An edited frame from a Cutroom reel
The headline, captions and b-roll are part of the picture, so the reel makes sense with the sound off.
How to make an Instagram reel with Cutroom
These are the four steps from your phone to Instagram. Cutroom does the editing step for you.
- The edit comes back in about a minute.
- You change the video by editing its words in the transcript. There is no timeline.
- Music is off at first. You can turn on a background track on any plan.
From one clip to a reel
Film on your phone
One clip, up to 3 minutes
Upload it to Cutroom
Cutroom writes out every word
Check the edit
Change words, clips or caption style
Post the reel
Upload the MP4 on Instagram
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Instagram Reels length and size rules
These are Instagram's own rules for reels, from Instagram's and Meta's help pages, checked on 21 September 2026.
Instagram Reels rules at a glance
Sources: Instagram Help Center and Meta's ads guide for Instagram Reels.
| Rule | Instagram Reels | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Longest reel | 20 minutes | Fine for your followers, but Instagram does not suggest reels over 3 minutes to new people |
| Suggested to people who do not follow you | Reels of 3 minutes or less | Keep a reel at 3 minutes or less if you want new people to find it |
| Shape | From 1.91:1 (wide) to 9:16 (vertical) | Cutroom exports 9:16 at 1080 x 1920, the full phone screen |
| Frame rate | 30 frames per second or more | Film at 30 fps or higher |
| Sharpness | 720 pixels or more | Film in HD or better |
| Cover image | 420 x 654 pixels | Pick a frame with your face in the middle |
| Where to keep text (Meta's ads guide) | Keep 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side free of text | Move Cutroom's captions up and set the headline below the top 14% |
Rule: Longest reel
- Instagram Reels
- 20 minutes
- What it means for you
- Fine for your followers, but Instagram does not suggest reels over 3 minutes to new people
Rule: Suggested to people who do not follow you
- Instagram Reels
- Reels of 3 minutes or less
- What it means for you
- Keep a reel at 3 minutes or less if you want new people to find it
Rule: Shape
- Instagram Reels
- From 1.91:1 (wide) to 9:16 (vertical)
- What it means for you
- Cutroom exports 9:16 at 1080 x 1920, the full phone screen
Rule: Frame rate
- Instagram Reels
- 30 frames per second or more
- What it means for you
- Film at 30 fps or higher
Rule: Sharpness
- Instagram Reels
- 720 pixels or more
- What it means for you
- Film in HD or better
Rule: Cover image
- Instagram Reels
- 420 x 654 pixels
- What it means for you
- Pick a frame with your face in the middle
Rule: Where to keep text (Meta's ads guide)
- Instagram Reels
- Keep 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side free of text
- What it means for you
- Move Cutroom's captions up and set the headline below the top 14%
Cutroom vs Edits, Instagram's own editor
Edits is Instagram's free editing app. It gives you a full timeline, so you make every cut yourself. Cutroom makes the cuts for you, with no timeline.
Edits and Cutroom side by side
Price
- Edits by Instagram
- Free app
- Cutroom
- First video free, then from $19.99 a month
Watermark
- Edits by Instagram
- None added
- Cutroom
- The free video has a Cutroom mark; Lite removes it
Cutting
- Edits by Instagram
- A frame-by-frame timeline, by hand
- Cutroom
- Pauses shortened for you, no timeline
Captions
- Edits by Instagram
- Caption and text styles
- Cutroom
- Automatic in 8 languages, in 40 caption styles
Headline
- Edits by Instagram
- You write it
- Cutroom
- A draft written for you, in 15 headline styles
B-roll
- Edits by Instagram
- Your own clips
- Cutroom
- Stock clips placed on key words, or your own clips
Effects
- Edits by Instagram
- Green screen
- Cutroom
- 5 transitions and small zoom-ins
Posting
- Edits by Instagram
- Shares straight to Instagram and Facebook
- Cutroom
- You download the MP4, then post it
| Edits by Instagram | Cutroom | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free app | First video free, then from $19.99 a month |
| Watermark | None added | The free video has a Cutroom mark; Lite removes it |
| Cutting | A frame-by-frame timeline, by hand | Pauses shortened for you, no timeline |
| Captions | Caption and text styles | Automatic in 8 languages, in 40 caption styles |
| Headline | You write it | A draft written for you, in 15 headline styles |
| B-roll | Your own clips | Stock clips placed on key words, or your own clips |
| Effects | Green screen | 5 transitions and small zoom-ins |
| Posting | Shares straight to Instagram and Facebook | You download the MP4, then post it |
What Cutroom costs
Each reel costs 100 credits for the edit, plus 20 credits for each minute you export. A one-minute reel costs 120 credits.
Cutroom plans
| Plan | Price | Credits | Enough for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 600 credits for your one free video | Your first video, made within 7 days, with a Cutroom mark across the middle |
| Lite | $19.99 a month | 1,250 | About 10 one-minute reels, with no mark |
| Basic | $39.99 a month | 2,500 | About 20 one-minute reels, plus AI presenters and generated music |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 | About 41 one-minute reels, plus everything in Basic |
Plan: Free
- Price
- $0
- Credits
- 600 credits for your one free video
- Enough for
- Your first video, made within 7 days, with a Cutroom mark across the middle
Plan: Lite
- Price
- $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250
- Enough for
- About 10 one-minute reels, with no mark
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500
- Enough for
- About 20 one-minute reels, plus AI presenters and generated music
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000
- Enough for
- About 41 one-minute reels, plus everything in Basic
Which one should you use?
It depends on what kind of reels you make.
Edits or Cutroom
Choose Edits if you make reels set to music, with effects, and you want control over every cut. It is free.
Choose Cutroom if you talk to the camera and want the reel cut and captioned for you, with no timeline. Your first video is free.
Questions people ask
- How long can an Instagram reel be?
- Up to 20 minutes. Instagram only suggests reels of 3 minutes or less to people who do not follow you, so keep a reel you want new people to find at 3 minutes or less. A Cutroom video is 3 minutes at most.
- What size is an Instagram reel?
- Vertical 9:16, which fills the whole phone screen. Cutroom exports that shape as an MP4 of 1080 x 1920 pixels, the full HD size. Instagram accepts shapes from 1.91:1 to 9:16, at 30 fps and at least 720 pixels.
- Is there a free Instagram Reels maker?
- Yes. Edits by Instagram is free and gives you a full timeline. Cutroom's first video is free too, and it does the editing for you. That free video carries a Cutroom mark.
- Can I use a Cutroom reel as an Instagram ad?
- Yes. The export is a 9:16 MP4, the shape Meta's ads guide lists for Reels ads. Keep key text out of the top 14% and the bottom 35% of the frame. In Cutroom you can move the captions up and set how high the headline sits.
- Can I add music to my reel in Cutroom?
- Yes. Music is off at first. You turn it on, pick a track and set how loud it plays under your voice. Generating your own track needs the Basic plan.
Turn your next video into a reel. Your first video is free.