Why 36 sizes and not every one in the guides?
A size only one guide publishes is a size that is wrong for somebody. Where Hootsuite and Buffer disagree, as on Pinterest’s profile picture or Facebook’s portrait post, the size is left out rather than guessed. Where a network’s own help is newer than both, as YouTube’s 3840 × 2160 thumbnail is, the network wins.
Why is my square not the same crop as my story?
A square and a 9:16 cannot hold the same edges. The focus you set is kept in both; the rest is cut differently for each shape.
What is the safe area?
The part of the picture a network never covers with its own name, buttons or profile picture. Keep faces and text inside it.
Will a small picture be enlarged?
Only if you save a size bigger than it. Those sizes are named before you save, with how far each would be blown up.