01
When is 9:16 the wrong choice?
When the frame carries information horizontally. A screen share, a whiteboard, a wide stage or three people sitting in a row all lose the point in a tall crop. 4:5 and 1:1 keep that width while still taking more feed height than a landscape clip, and all four shapes are available on every plan including the free video.
02
Choosing from the destination backwards
| Where it is going | Shape | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| A vertical feed, single speaker | 9:16 | Fills the screen, and nothing lived at the edges |
| A vertical feed, screen or slides | 4:5 | Keeps half again as much width |
| An in feed post | 4:5 or 1:1 | Tall enough to dominate without being cropped |
| Several placements at once | 1:1 | Works acceptably everywhere |
| A wide shot where space is the content | 16:9 | Cropping would remove the subject |
03
Examples by kind of recording
A cooking demonstration filmed from above usually loses the bowl, the board or the pan when narrowed, so it suits a less extreme crop. A comedian telling one story on a stool fills a narrow frame perfectly. A classroom lecture with slides behind the teacher sits in between: the teacher suits narrow, the slide does not, and the answer depends on which of the two carries the moment.
Thinking about the specific recording in front of you, rather than a rule for all content, leads to better choices clip by clip.
04
Gaming and screen content
Game footage and software demonstrations are wide by design, with information scattered around the edges: health bars, maps, menus, chat. Cutting to a narrow slice often removes exactly the part a viewer needs to understand what happened.
For these, try keeping the full picture smaller, with a webcam or title in the leftover space, and compare that against a tight crop before deciding.
05
Interviews and podcasts
Conversations between two people seated side by side are the classic case where a narrow crop follows one voice at a time, which feels close and personal. When both faces matter in the same moment, a layout that stacks them keeps the exchange intact.
Solo podcast hosts almost always suit the narrow shape.
06
Events and outdoor footage
Weddings, concerts, sports and travel footage often rely on scale and atmosphere. A narrow slice of a wide landscape shows very little of what made the scene impressive.
For these, choose moments where one person or one action carries the clip, or accept a less narrow crop for the wide shots.
07
Letting the audience decide
If you are torn between two options for a type of footage, post both over a few weeks and compare how long people watch. Retention tells you which one viewers find easier to follow.
Keep notes so the decision becomes a habit for that kind of recording.
08
Keeping things simple
Most creators end up with a short personal rulebook: talking people narrow, screens and scenes wider.
Write yours down once and reuse it.
09
A worked example from one recording
Imagine a forty-minute workshop recorded on one wide camera: a trainer at a flip chart, eight attendees around a table, and a laptop projecting a spreadsheet. Five moments get picked for clips. The trainer's opening story suits the narrow shape because only her face matters. A heated question from an attendee suits a stacked layout, since the reaction is half the point. The spreadsheet reveal needs the wider option or the numbers become unreadable. The group laughing at the end works best letterboxed, keeping everyone in view.
Same camera, same day, four different answers, each chosen by asking what the viewer has to see.
10
Questions to ask before exporting
Who or what is the subject of this moment? Does anything important sit near the left or right edge? Will a viewer need to read small text on screen? Is the reaction of a second person part of the payoff? Four quick answers settle almost every clip.
If two of the answers point toward width, go wider; otherwise the narrow default is usually right.
11
Let the footage choose
- Ask what the frame is doing. One subject talking suits 9:16. Anything spread wide does not.
- Use 4:5 as the middle ground. More height than square, more width than vertical.
- Keep 16:9 for anything embedded. A site or a deck rarely wants a tall crop.
Run one wide recording in two shapes and compare.
Questions people ask
- Is 4:5 allowed on the free plan?
- All four shapes are, free video included.
- Which is best for LinkedIn?
- 4:5 usually. It takes more feed height than square without cropping a wide shot to pieces.
- Can one video produce two shapes?
- The shape is chosen per video, so running it twice is what gives you both.
- Do subtitles adjust to the shape?
- The caption layout follows whichever frame it renders into.
- Does the shape affect reach?
- Less than whether the clip is legible does.