Instagram Reels Thumbnail Downloader

Overview

An Apify actor that extracts high-quality cover image thumbnails from Instagram Reels. It retrieves multiple resolution options directly from Instagram's CDN, providing technical metadata for each image. Useful for content analysis, preview generation, and media archiving workflows.

Key Features

• Multiple Resolutions: Fetches thumbnails in 640x1136, 750x1331, and 1080x1917 pixel sizes.
• Batch Processing: Accepts multiple Reel URLs in a single run.
• Direct CDN URLs: Returns direct links to images on Instagram's servers, preserving original quality.
• Comprehensive Metadata: Includes width, height, and file size (when available) for each thumbnail.
• Proxy Support: Built-in residential IP rotation for reliable operation.
• Error Handling: Includes URL validation and fallback mechanisms.

How to Use

1. Prepare your input as a JSON object containing an array of Instagram Reel URLs.
2. Run the actor with this input.
3. The actor processes the URLs and returns a structured JSON output with all available thumbnail data.

Input

Provide input in the following JSON format via the actor's input section.

{
  "reel_urls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOB1ZDribPn/",
      "method": "GET"
    }
  ]
}

Output

The actor returns an array of objects, one for each processed Reel URL. Each object contains the original URL and an array of available thumbnails.

Example Output:

[
  {
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOB1ZDribPn/",
    "thumbnails": [
      {
        "url": "https://scontent-hou1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/..._n.jpg",
        "width": 640,
        "height": 1136,
        "filesize": null
      }
    ]
  }
]

Output Field Documentation:

Thumbnail Assets
| Field | Description |
| :--- | :--- |
| url | The original Instagram Reel URL that was processed. |
| thumbnails | Array of thumbnail objects for that Reel. |

Thumbnail Details
| Field | Description |
| :--- | :--- |
| url | Direct CDN URL to download the thumbnail image. |
| width | Image width in pixels. |
| height | Image height in pixels. |
| filesize | File size in bytes (provided if available). |