Static & Carousel Ad Specs Cheatsheet for Meta and TikTok
Image resolutions, headline and primary-text character limits, carousel card counts, sequencing rules and file-type limits for static and carousel ads on Meta and TikTok.
Video isn't the only format doing work in a paid social account — static images and carousels are often the cheapest tests to run and the fastest to iterate. This sheet covers exact image resolutions, character limits before truncation, carousel card counts, sequencing rules and file-type limits for Meta and TikTok.
Static ads are undervalued because they're easy to dismiss as 'not video'
A well-composed static image with a sharp headline can outperform a mediocre video at a fraction of the production cost, and it's the fastest creative to test a new angle or offer with — no editing timeline, no render queue, just a new image and headline pair. Treat static as a first-class format in your testing plan, not a fallback for when video isn't ready. The specs below are what makes a static actually eligible to run cleanly rather than getting cropped or truncated.
Character limits are truncation limits, not hard walls
Most platforms technically accept far more text than what displays cleanly — the real constraint is where the platform starts truncating with a 'See more' link or cutting text off with an ellipsis. Writing to the truncation point rather than the technical maximum is what keeps your headline and primary text intact across every placement a campaign might serve into, from a tall phone feed to a narrower desktop right-column unit.
Carousels are a sequencing exercise, not just multiple images
A carousel isn't five static ads bolted together — it's a single narrative with an order that matters. The first card has to work as a standalone ad because that's the only card guaranteed to render in every context, the middle cards build out variants or proof, and the last card should be a distinct CTA or offer card rather than another product shot. Reordering cards is itself a testable variable, and it's one of the higher-leverage, lowest-cost tests in a carousel account.
How to use the tables below
The locked sheet covers static image resolution by placement, character limits for headline/primary text/description on both platforms, carousel card count and per-card specs, sequencing rules for card order, and file-type and size limits. Klip Kanvas can generate carousel-ready static frames from the same product URL used for video, sized to these specs automatically.
5 tables: static image resolution by placement, headline/primary-text/description character limits, carousel card count and per-card specs, carousel sequencing rules, and file-type and size limits.
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