01
Which approach suits which footage?
Cropping suits a single subject, because the subject fills the frame and nothing important lived at the edges. Keeping the whole picture suits footage where the width carries meaning, and it suits any shot with several things happening at once. The cost is that faces become small on a phone.
02
Which approach suits which shot
The soft area above and below is a softened version of the picture itself, which reads as part of the shot rather than as a gap.
| Shot | Crop | Keep whole picture |
|---|---|---|
| One person, empty edges | Right, large face for no loss | Wasteful, the face becomes small |
| Two people apart | Loses one | Right, or use split screen |
| Screen or slide | Cuts through the content | Right |
| Wide landscape | Removes the subject | Right |
| Close product shot | Right | Unnecessary |
03
When to letterbox
Letterboxing keeps the whole picture, which suits wide scenes, slides, group shots and anything where the relationship between elements matters. The trade-off is that the picture appears smaller on a phone. Filling the empty space with a blurred copy of the image or a clean colour makes it look intentional.
Place text in the empty areas to use the space well.
04
When to crop
Cropping suits single subjects, close-ups and talking heads, where the key content sits in the middle. The subject fills the screen, which feels immediate and personal on a phone.
It is the most common choice for talking clips.
05
Filling the space
If you letterbox, decide what fills the bars: a blurred version of the picture, a solid colour, a pattern or text such as a headline and subtitles. Plain black bars look unfinished in most feeds.
Keep the fill consistent across a series.
06
Mixing within a series
You can use both approaches in one series, cropping for single speakers and letterboxing for wide scenes. Keep text style consistent so the series still looks unified.
Choose per clip based on what the footage needs.
07
Checking on a phone
Letterboxed clips can look small on phones. Check that important details and text remain readable at that size.
If not, cropping or a wider shape like 4:5 may work better.
08
Making the choice quickly
Ask one question: does the meaning depend on the whole width? If yes, letterbox; if no, crop.
That rule covers most footage.
09
Two answers, one right per shot
- Count the subjects in the shot. One subject crops well. Several usually do not.
- Look at what sits at the edges. If the edges are empty, cropping costs you nothing.
- Try both on the same clip. One run each settles it faster than reasoning about it.
Run the same footage both ways and pick. Nothing to pay for the first.
Questions people ask
- What fills the space above and below?
- A softened version of the picture itself, which reads as part of the shot rather than as a black bar.
- Are black bars an option?
- The blur fill is the option here, and it holds attention better than flat black, which reads as an error to most viewers.
- Does either cost more?
- No. Both are template choices available on every plan, and pricing does not change with them.
- Which is more common?
- Cropping, because most source material is one person talking and that is the case cropping was made for.
- Can I switch between them per clip?
- Yes, the choice is made per video, so a series can vary where the footage calls for it.
- Are flat black bars an option?
- The softened fill is what is offered, and it holds attention better. Flat black reads as an error to most viewers.