01
How much room should sit above the head?
Less than wide video suggests. A tall frame already gives the impression of space, and the bottom portion is claimed by app controls, so generous headroom pushes the face into the middle where the words also want to be. Bringing the head nearer the top usually improves both.
02
Where the head sits and what follows
A tall frame already suggests space, so generous headroom pushes the face into the middle where the text also wants to be.
| Head position | Space above | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Centred vertically | A lot | Face and words compete for the same band |
| Upper third | A little | Nothing, this is the usual target |
| Touching the top edge | None | Reads as intimate, or as an error, depending on the crop |
| Lower half | Too much | Subject looks small and adrift |
| Filling the height | None | No room left for words |
03
Recording with vertical in mind
When recording in landscape for vertical clips, place the camera so the speaker's eyes sit roughly a third of the way down the frame. That keeps enough space above for a natural look while leaving room below for words and app controls once the clip is cropped tall.
Check the height of the camera too. A lens at eye level gives a natural look; one placed below looks up the speaker's nose and wastes headroom on the ceiling.
04
Movement and headroom
Speakers who lean forward, stand up or gesture above their head can suddenly lose the top of their head or run into on-screen text. Leave a little extra room for animated speakers, and ask guests to stay seated for the parts you plan to clip.
Standing presenters move more than seated ones. For them, a slightly wider framing avoids cutting them off when they shift their weight.
05
Words and faces sharing the frame
In vertical video, a hook near the top and subtitles near the bottom leave the face in the middle. That arrangement only works if the headroom is tight enough to keep the face clear of both. Before recording a series, test the framing with your usual caption style.
If words keep landing on chins or foreheads, adjust the framing at the source rather than the caption position. Moving the words often just moves the problem.
06
Checking on a phone
Look at a finished clip on a phone with the app interface visible. The top of many apps shows a status bar and navigation, the bottom shows captions and buttons. The usable space is smaller than the frame, and headroom decisions should account for it.
A quick screenshot of a posted clip shows exactly where the interface sits, and it makes a useful template for future framing.
07
Give the words somewhere to live
- Look at where the face lands. Middle of the frame is the common default and rarely the best one.
- Leave the lower area for text. Words and face competing for the same band is what makes a clip feel crowded.
- Check it against the app controls. The bottom of the frame is less usable than it looks in an editor.
Run one clip and look at where the face sits.
Questions people ask
- Is a head touching the top edge wrong?
- Cutting the top of the skull is a normal choice in close portrait work, and on a phone it reads as intimate rather than as a mistake.
- Does this change between shapes?
- Yes. 9:16 is the extreme case. In 4:5 and 1:1 the wide video conventions hold up better.
- What about two people in frame?
- With split screen on paid plans each half is its own tall frame, so the same reasoning applies twice.
- Can I move the crop myself?
- The framing follows the speaker rather than being positioned by hand. What you choose is the shape and the template.
- Where should the eyes sit?
- Roughly the upper third is the usual answer, and it leaves the lower area free for words.
- Is cutting the top of the head wrong?
- It is a normal choice in close portrait work and on a phone it reads as deliberate rather than as a mistake.