It appears that high-quality images, GIFs, and MP4s are a popular choice amongst eager and optimistic NFT creators. Due to the quality and size of these files, however, you may experience issues when attempting to mint your NFT. So, what is the best NFT size?
What is the Best NFT Size?
There is no best size for an NFT. Rather, the platforms where NFTs are minted have their own file format and dimension limitations. Most minting platforms’ NFT size requirements are based on the type of file being uploaded such as photos, videos, and thumbnails.
Below is a list of popular NFT platforms and their maximum file size and accepted file type.
| NFT Marketplace | Maximum File Size / Accepted File Types |
|---|---|
| OpenSea.io | Maximum file size of 100MB (Image, video, audio, and 3D model file types are supported) |
| Rarible.com | Maximum file size of 30MB (PNG, GIF, WEBP, MP4, or MP3.) |
| Mintable.app | Maximum file size of 200MB (All image formats, mp4 videos, and GLB 3D files.) |
| Foundation.app | Maximum file size of 50MB (JPG or MP4 format) |
| SuperRare.co | Maximum file size of 50MB (Thumbnail: 10MB) (Image, video, audio, and 3D model file types are supported) |
| KnownOrigin.io | Maximum file size of 75MB (Cover Image: 25MB) (Image, video, audio, and 3D model file types are supported) |
On the NFT marketplaces, there are varying specifications when it comes to file sizes. Some allow a maximum size of 10 MB while others allow up to 200MB. Common file types allowed are gif, jpg, png, svg, wav, ogg, glb, glt, webm, mp3 and mp4.
Since each marketplace varies, you need to look at the specific criteria and file size variations for each.
NFT Dimensions and File Types By Marketplace
OpenSea.io
OpenSea is presently the biggest NFT marketplace online. It is one of the most well-known NFT platforms in the industry. This is where you want to go if you prefer a wide variety of NFTs and file upload options.
OpenSea allows you to upload the following file types all with a maximum upolad size of 100MB.:
- gif
- jpg
- png
- svg
- mp4
- mp3
- WebM
- wav
- glb
- ogg
- gltf
Rarible.com
Rarible is an NFT marketplace prominently known as a platform that’s good for minting custom pieces of digital art. That said, users have the option to upload various file types.
- Users can upload png, gif, WebP, mp4, or mp3.
- Images including gif all need to be under 10MB in size.
SuperRare.co
SuperRare is a social network that is also a digital art auction house. SuperRare holds to the belief that collecting is fundamentally a social activity.
With Super Rare you can tokenize GLB file which is the binary output of the GLTF format. The file size limitation for an image file is 50MB and a thumbnail is 10MB.
Foundation.app
Minting your NFT on Foundation comes with the following file upload limitations:
- JPG, png, and mp4 files should not be larger than 50MB.
- Still images should have a width of 3000px ideally.
- For video, 1080p or 4K is best. The file size can be assumed to be around 50MB max.
Mintbase.io
Mintbase uses the NEAR blockchain. It’s a carbon-neutral Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain. NEAR has the advantage of high throughput capability and low transaction fees. Mintbase currently stores NFT files and metadata on the Arweave hybrid blockchain. Mintbase does not store any information natively.
Arweave is a globally distributed hard drive that maintains its integrity over time, here are Arweave’s upload limitations:
- Images are allowed up to 10MB
- Other files have a maximum file size of 16MB (mp4, mp3, ogg).
- Mintbase supports gif, png, jpg, pdf, ogg, mp3, mp4.
Where Can I Upload Large NFT Files?
With so many different file sizes and type limitations, you may be curious to know if there is an alternative for uploading and sharing your high-quality videos, images, and other media files when minting your NFT. After minting a few of my own NFTs, I discovered some alternate places which make storing and sharing files a breeze.
Store your large NFT files such as images, videos, and gifs on a file storage system such as Pinata (an InterPlanetary File System) or a file storage system such as Google Drive. This will allow you to control who can access which files and will increase your file upload capacity immensely.
It is good practice to supply a link to an external file-share service to your token holders after purchase so they can effortlessly gain access to all the media files you are offering in addition to the non-fungible token.
Google Drive is an excellent free file-sharing service that allows up to 15GB of free storage. While this seems to be a great deal when compared to Dropbox’s 2GB and Box’s 10GB offer, it needs to be noted that the 15GB capacity includes your Gmail account (messages and attachments) and your Google Photos as well.
The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol and peer-to-peer network that allows data to be stored and shared in a distributed file system. IPFS employs content-addressing to distinguish each file in a global namespace that connects all computing devices. So in short, it is a decentralized storage system.
Piñata allows you to store and manage files on IPFS. Pinata is designed to store and handle files openly in places where Dropbox and Google Drive aren’t. Pinata is capable of handling any file format. This means that you can mint your NFT and store your unlockable media elsewhere. Pinata supplies approximately 1GB of free storage space before requiring you to sign up for a small monthly fee based on your storage capacity needs.
What Happens If I Mint An NFT Too Large?
There’s nothing more frustrating than minting your NFT with a file that is too large. So, what exactly happens if you upload too large of a file when minting your non-fungible token?
If you mint too large of a file a few things may happen:
- Your file may be rejected
- Your file may upload corrupted
- Your file may not upload at all
Once you upload your media files and mint your NFT on the blockchain, there is no undo button. You can’t go back and edit anything, your only option would be to burn (destroy) your NFT. If you do need to burn your NFT, make sure to read this article explaining everything you should know before choosing to burn your non-fungible token.
How to Decrease NFT File Size
Although every NFT marketplace has its own file upload limitations, there are ways you can decrease the overall size of your media files and decrease your gas fees as a result. Here are some simple solutions for decreasing your NFT’s media file size:
- Compress your image, video, or audio file using free resources such as ResizeImage.net before uploading.
- Upload your compressed/lower quality files when minting your NFT and host the higher quality images on a file-sharing service such as Google Drive or Pinata.
- Consider resizing the large image and video files for minting purposes only. Host the actual size on a file-sharing service.
Overall, it’s safe to say that ensuring you are uploading media files within a marketplace’s specific file limitations is very important. Before uploading any file onto a marketplace or minting your NFT, you need to check the file size requirements.
Exceeding file size requirements can lead to issues with processing and even loss of money as you may be charged gas fees even if the NFT minting fails and if you choose to burn your token. Moreover, gas fees can be exorbitantly high for larger files.
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