Advantage+ "Expand image" and video expansion: the generated pixels around your creative, explained
If your 4:5 ad shows up on Reels with a background that was never in the file, that is Expand image. Meta generates the missing area. Here is what it does, when it triggers, and the two ways to make sure it never has to.
What it is
Expand image is generative outpainting. Meta's May 2024 announcement described image expansion as a feature that "allows you to seamlessly adjust creative assets to fit different aspect ratios across multiple surfaces". In the developer documentation the key image_uncrop is labelled "Expand image" with the description "Automatically expanded to fit more placements", and video_uncrop does the same for video.
Concretely: you upload a 4:5 image, the ad is eligible for 9:16 Stories and Reels, and instead of padding or cropping, Meta generates the pixels above and below your image so it fills the screen. For a landscape photo of a beach that is often fine. For a product on a studio background, a face, or anything with text near the edge, it is where "invented pixels next to your product" (SparkUGC, August 2026) and "subtle but visible distortion on faces and product photography" (HyperFX, May 2026) come from.
How it relates to the other media enhancements
Meta's own descriptions, fetched 31 August 2026:
| Label in Ads Manager | Meta's description | API key |
|---|---|---|
| Visual touch-ups | "automatically crops and expands your chosen media to fit more placements" | image_touchups (single media) |
| Expand image | "Automatically expanded to fit more placements" | image_uncrop |
| Video touch-ups | "can both crop your videos and use generative AI to expand your videos to look natural in all placements" | video_auto_crop, video_uncrop |
| Image touch-ups (catalogue) | "Adapt your product images to fit 4:5 ... and 9:16 ... placements" | adapt_to_placement |
The overlap is real: Visual touch-ups includes an expansion behaviour, and Expand image is that behaviour on its own. Meta's October 2024 API changelog said image expansion would be "included as part of Standard Enhancements" for single media ads; since the bundle was retired in January 2025 the keys are set individually. Adlio opts out of image_touchups and image_uncrop on image creatives, and of the video keys on video creatives.
Why it triggers, and the fix that removes the reason
Expansion only happens when a placement wants a ratio you did not supply. So the real fix is upstream: export the ratios your placements need, 4:5 for Feed and 9:16 for Stories and Reels, and route them to the right ad sets or placement customisation. Then there is nothing to expand, whatever the toggle says. The routing options are in aspect ratios for Meta ads in bulk launches, and the export settings in image specs for bulk launches.
Turning the enhancement off is still worth doing, for the case where a file slips through in the wrong ratio: with the opt-out, Meta pads or crops; with it on, Meta paints.
How to turn it off
- Per ad: Enhancements panel, switch off "Expand image" and "Visual touch-ups" (and "Video touch-ups" on video). Meta's help notes that "Some enhancements can only be turned off in Advanced preview", so open the preview if a toggle is missing from the list.
- Bulk: Ads tab, same-format ads, Edit dropdown, "Advantage+ creative".
- API, per creative:
"image_uncrop": {"enroll_status": "OPT_OUT"}and"image_touchups": {"enroll_status": "OPT_OUT"}increative_features_spec; for video,video_uncropandvideo_auto_crop. Full context in how to turn off Advantage+ creative enhancements.
What Meta claims it is worth
Meta's product page lists "2%" more conversions for Facebook Reels using video expansion. The footnote methodology was not retrievable, and there is no per-enhancement study Meta has published beyond the 2022 bundle test (4 percent lower cost per result). Treat it as a vendor claim; the evidence discussion is in do Advantage+ enhancements improve performance.
Verify
Preview one ad on Stories or Reels after launch. If the frame shows anything that was not in your file, expansion ran. Adlio creates every ad paused, so that preview happens before a single impression; the pre-launch QA checklist has it as check 7.
If you launch in bulk, the cheapest place to switch this off is at creation: Adlio sends the opt-out for this and every other enhancement key on every creative it creates. See bulk upload Facebook ads with enhancements off.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Expand image and Visual touch-ups?+
Visual touch-ups, in Meta's words, "automatically crops and expands your chosen media to fit more placements"; Expand image is the outpainting part on its own, documented in the API as image_uncrop ("Automatically expanded to fit more placements"). In the interface the two overlap; in the API they are separate keys, and Adlio opts out of both.
When does Meta expand an image?+
When the placement needs a different ratio than you uploaded, for example a 4:5 or 1:1 image shown on 9:16 Stories or Reels, and the enhancement is on. Upload the ratio each placement needs and there is nothing to expand.
Does video get expanded too?+
Yes. Meta documents video_uncrop ("Automatically expanded to fit more placements") and describes Video touch-ups as a feature that "can both crop your videos and use generative AI to expand your videos to look natural in all placements." Meta's 2024 announcement claimed 2 percent more conversions on Facebook Reels with video expansion; that is a vendor claim, methodology not published.
Sources
Adlio team
Built by media buyers who launch Meta ads in volume. Questions or corrections: support@adlio.ai.
Topic cluster
Advantage+ control
Keeping Meta's automatic creative enhancements off, on every ad, and proving it.
- Advantage+ "Text improvements": what Meta changes in your copy, and how to turn it off
- Advantage+ "Expand image" and video expansion: the generated pixels around your creative, explained
- Advantage+ "Visual touch-ups" and "Adjust brightness and contrast": the edits that change how your product looks
- Advantage+ "Add overlays", dynamic overlays and standard labels: the text Meta puts on top of your image
- Advantage+ "Add music": which ads get a soundtrack, how to turn it off, and why the API handles it differently
- How to audit Advantage+ enhancements on existing ads through the Marketing API
- Advantage+ creative vs Advantage+ sales (formerly shopping) campaigns: five things called Advantage+, explained
- Do Advantage+ creative enhancements improve performance? What Meta has published, what practitioners report, and how to test it yourself