Check an AI clip against Instagram's Reel rules in Python

Instagram's help page for Reels gives three technical limits you can test on a file: an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16, a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS, and a minimum resolution of 720 pixels. A short Python script can read the clip's probe from Sume and print PASS or FAIL for each before you upload.

The limits come from Reel size & aspect ratios on Instagram (read 2026-10-03). The page says 720 pixels without naming the side, so the script tests the shorter side. A 1080x1920 file passes on either reading, and so does 720x1280.

Where the numbers come from

Video inspect returns probe.width, probe.height and probe.fps for a Sume-hosted clip, with frames: false to skip the stills. fps can be null, and stills report is_still: true, so the script treats a missing rate as a fail rather than guessing.

The check

The ratio test is width divided by height, compared with 9/16 and 1.91. The script polls the inspect resource if the submit comes back as queued rather than finished.

import json, os, time, urllib.request as u

def call(method, path, body=None, key=None):
    h = {"Authorization": "Bearer " + os.environ["SUME_API_KEY"],
         "Content-Type": "application/json"}
    if key:
        h["Idempotency-Key"] = key
    data = json.dumps(body).encode() if body is not None else None
    req = u.Request("https://api.sume.com" + path, data, h, method=method)
    with u.urlopen(req) as r:
        out = json.load(r)
    return out.get("data", out)

def probe(url, key):
    d = call("POST", "/v1/video-inspect", {"video_url": url, "frames": False}, key)
    for _ in range(30):
        if d.get("probe"):
            return d["probe"]
        time.sleep(2)
        d = call("GET", "/v1/video-inspect/" + d["id"])
    raise TimeoutError("probe not ready")

p = probe("https://media.sume.com/artifacts/artf_demo/clip.mp4", "reel-check-001")
rules = {
    "ratio 1.91:1 to 9:16": 9 / 16 <= p["width"] / p["height"] <= 1.91,
    "fps >= 30": (p["fps"] or 0) >= 30,
    "shorter side >= 720": min(p["width"], p["height"]) >= 720,
}
for name, ok in rules.items():
    print("PASS" if ok else "FAIL", name)

Sample verdicts

These sizes show where each rule bites. The ratio column is width divided by height.

What to do with a fail

A frame-rate fail is a re-encode, and video trim can conform it with output.fps. For a ratio that is too wide, crop or reframe the clip before it reaches Instagram. A resolution fail means the clip was generated or exported too small, so regenerate at a higher setting instead of stretching it.

The script checks only what the help page states. It does not predict whether the Instagram app or API will accept a file for other reasons, such as codec or file size.

Run it on the whole batch

The script prints three lines per file, so looping it over a folder of URLs gives you a quick table of which clips need work. Each probe is billed by Modal compute, so keep frames: false to avoid the still extraction you do not need here.