01
Which footage should stay wide?
Anything where the relationship between things in the frame is the content. A wide landscape, a stage with several people, a chart being compared against another chart, a sports moment where the space matters. In all of these the width is the information, so removing it removes the reason to watch.
02
Footage that should stay wide
The test is whether the viewer needs to see two things and the space between them. If so, removing the width removes the reason to watch.
| Content | Why width is the point | Shape to use |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape or location | The space is the subject | 16:9 |
| Two charts compared | The comparison is spatial | 16:9 |
| Group on a stage | Who is next to whom | 16:9 or 1:1 |
| Sport or movement across space | Distance and direction | 16:9 |
| One person talking | Nothing at the edges | 9:16, crop freely |
03
Recognising footage that needs width
Ask whether the meaning of the shot depends on things spread across it: several people interacting, a landscape, a stage, a chart or a screen. If cropping would remove part of what makes the moment work, keep it wider.
A quick vertical preview shows what would be lost.
04
Options between wide and vertical
Square and 4:5 keep much more width than 9:16 while still taking up a good share of a phone screen. They are often the best compromise for footage that needs some width.
Letterboxing within a vertical frame is another option.
05
Performance of wider clips
Wider clips may fill less of the screen in vertical feeds, but a clip that makes sense beats one that is technically full-screen and confusing. Viewers stay for meaning.
Judge by retention rather than assumptions.
06
Filling the frame around wide footage
When placing wide footage in a tall frame, use the space above and below for a headline and subtitles. It makes the clip look designed rather than shrunk.
Keep the fill style consistent.
07
Producing both versions
For important moments, produce a vertical version and a wider one, then post each where it fits best.
Compare results over time.
08
A simple rule
Crop to vertical for one person; keep width for relationships and scenes.
Let the footage decide.
09
Vertical when it helps, wide when it does not
- Ask what the viewer is meant to see. If the answer involves two things and the space between them, keep the width.
- Use 16:9 or 1:1 instead. Both are available on every plan, and both keep more than 9:16 does.
- Accept the smaller display. A wide clip occupies less of a phone screen. That is the price of keeping the content.
Send footage you are unsure about and compare the shapes.
Questions people ask
- Does a wide clip perform worse?
- It occupies less of the screen, which usually costs some attention. Content that only makes sense wide performs worse cropped, so the comparison is not vertical against wide but working against broken.
- What about square as a compromise?
- 1:1 is the common middle. It takes more screen than 16:9 and keeps more width than 9:16.
- Can blur fill save a wide shot?
- It keeps the entire picture and fills the space above and below, so nothing is lost from the frame. The picture is smaller but complete.
- Is this common?
- Less common than people think. Most recordings are one person talking, and that is exactly what vertical suits.
- Can one recording produce both?
- Yes. Run it once for each shape when the same material serves two purposes.
- Is square a reasonable compromise?
- It is the common middle, taking more screen than 16:9 while keeping more width than 9:16.