Why Three Formats Matter
Instagram’s algorithm treats Reels, Stories, and Carousels as distinct content types — each reaching a different segment of your audience and scoring differently in the recommendation engine.
- Reels: Discovery format. Reaches non-followers. High reach ceiling but lower conversion to follower.
- Stories: Retention format. Reaches existing followers. Keeps your audience engaged between Reels. Drives direct message conversations.
- Carousels: Depth format. Highest save rate of any Instagram format. Reaches followers who want to spend more time with your content.
Creators who post in all three formats consistently grow 2.3x faster than those who post only Reels. But creating three different content types from the same week of footage manually takes significantly longer. The Narrative Engine automates this extraction.
The insight: your raw footage already contains all three format types. The cinematic wide shot is Reel material. The awkward moment where something went wrong is Story material. The step-by-step process is Carousel material. HEVEA Pulse finds all three and outputs them automatically.
Reel Output Specifications
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 (1080×1920)
- Duration: 15–60 seconds (optimized per content type)
- Frame rate: 30fps standard, 60fps for high-motion content
- Codec: H.264, 10–15 Mbps
- Audio: Stereo, normalized to -14 LUFS (Instagram spec)
- Captions: Auto-generated, positioned in the lower third, with word-level emphasis
- Cover frame: AI-selected optimal frame for the Reel thumbnail
Story Output Specifications
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 (1080×1920)
- Frames per Story: 3–7 depending on narrative complexity
- Frame duration: 5–15 seconds per frame
- Format mix: Video frames + text overlay frames + image frames
- Interactive elements: Poll stickers and question stickers are added where the Narrative Engine identifies engagement potential
- Caption style: Conversational, first-person, shorter sentence length than Carousel copy
Carousel Output Specifications
- Aspect ratio: 1:1 (1080×1080) or 4:5 (1080×1350) — selected per content type
- Slides: 5–10 slides per Carousel
- Slide 1: Hook frame — strongest visual or most compelling stat
- Slides 2–N-1: Narrative development — progressive information reveal
- Final slide: Summary or CTA — includes save prompt
- Copy: Each slide has narrative body copy, not just a caption on the cover
The Format Decision Logic
How does the Narrative Engine decide which footage becomes which format? The decision is based on:
- Motion and energy: High-motion, high-energy clips → Reel. Static, reflective moments → Story frame or Carousel slide.
- Audio presence: Clips with compelling speech or music → Reel. Silent or ambient-sound clips → Story visual.
- Information density: Clips where someone explains a process → Carousel source. Clips that show the result → Reel.
- Emotional register: Peak moments → Reel. Honest, vulnerable moments → Story. Analytical breakdown → Carousel.
This logic is refined by the Learning Loop based on your specific audience’s response patterns. The format assignment gets more accurate as your account builds a performance history.
The Output Review Process
After processing, you access your complete week plan in the HEVEA Pulse dashboard. Each format is presented as a draft:
- Reels: Preview in a mock Instagram Reel player. Approve, edit captions, or request re-generation.
- Stories: Preview as a frame-by-frame sequence. Reorder frames, edit copy, add/remove slides.
- Carousels: Preview in a swipe-through interface. Edit slide copy, reorder slides, select cover frame.
Approval takes 15–20 minutes. Export your approved content directly to your camera roll for posting, or use the scheduling integration to queue posts automatically. See the full workflow walkthrough.
Related: see how HEVEA Pulse compares to Opus Clip which only produces Reels.
Frequently asked questions
Do all three formats come from the same upload?
Yes. One upload of your week’s footage produces all three format types — Reels, Stories, and Carousels. You do not need to upload separately for each format.
Can I choose to only get Reels if I do not use Stories?
Yes. You can configure your output preferences in account settings to only generate the formats you use. You can also request only Reels for a specific week and generate Stories/Carousels later from the same footage.
What if I have enough footage for more than one Reel?
The system generates as many Reels as your footage supports — typically 2–4 per week. You can post all of them, schedule them for subsequent weeks, or save them to your content library for future use. The Learning Loop optimizes how many to post weekly based on your account’s performance data.
Are the Carousel slides designed visually or just screenshots?
Carousel slides are designed with the Narrative Engine’s visual templates — background treatment, typography system, image framing. They are not raw screenshots. The visual style is consistent with your overall account aesthetic.
See the full system in action
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