How to make vertical videos for TikTok, Reels and Shorts

1. Get the size and shape right

TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts all share the same shape: a tall rectangle with an aspect ratio of 9:16. The width is 9 units for every 16 units of height, which matches a phone screen held upright.

The recommended resolution for all three is 1080 × 1920 pixels. Lower resolutions such as 720 × 1280 are accepted and still look sharp on most phones. If you upload a video with a different shape, the app will either crop it or add bars, and you lose control over what viewers see.

Maximum lengths and file sizes change regularly, so check each platform's help pages before making something long. For most creators the more important limit is attention: short videos that get to the point tend to be watched to the end, and completion is one of the strongest signals these platforms use. For every other platform, see our video sizes cheat sheet.

2. Respect the safe zones

On a vertical video, the app draws its own interface on top of your footage: the like, comment and share buttons on the right, your username and caption along the bottom, and tabs or a search bar at the top. Anything you place under those elements will be hard to see.

The exact areas vary by app and change with updates, but a reliable rule of thumb is:

• Top: leave roughly the top 10% clear of important text.
• Bottom: leave roughly the bottom 20% clear — captions and the username sit here.
• Right: leave roughly the right 15% clear for the action buttons.

That leaves a comfortable area in the centre, slightly above the middle. Put your key text there, and frame faces so the eyes sit around the upper third of the screen.

3. Hook viewers in the first seconds

On a scrolling feed, people decide almost instantly whether to keep watching. The first second or two of your video does most of the work. Strong openings usually do one of these:

• Show the result first. Open on the finished dish, the transformed room or the landed trick, then show how you got there.
• Ask or promise something specific (our scriptwriting guide has more hook formulas).
• Be concrete. "Three settings that fix blurry phone videos" beats "Some tips for your videos".
• Start mid-action. Cut the "hi guys" intro. Begin in the middle of the most interesting moment.
• Put the hook on screen as text as well as saying it, so silent viewers get it too.

4. Film for the vertical frame

If you can, shoot vertically in the first place (our phone filming guide has more tips). You can convert horizontal footage (more on that below), but you lose resolution or gain empty space around it.

• Get closer. A vertical frame is narrow, so wide shots show a lot of floor and ceiling. Medium and close shots work best.
• Face the light. A window in front of you is the easiest flattering light. Avoid bright windows behind you.
• Steady the phone. Rest it on something or use a cheap tripod. Shaky footage is the fastest way to look amateur.
• Lock focus and exposure (tap and hold on most phone cameras) so the image doesn't pulse as you move.
• Record clean audio. Get the phone close to whoever is speaking, or use a clip-on mic. Viewers forgive grainy video far more than muddy sound.

5. What to do with horizontal footage

You have two options when a clip is wider than 9:16:

• Fill (crop): zoom in until the clip covers the whole frame. You keep a full-screen look but lose the sides of the shot, so it works when the subject is in the middle.
• Fit with a background: show the whole clip in the middle of the frame and fill the space above and below with a blurred copy of the video or a solid colour. Nothing is cut off, and the top and bottom become space for titles.

If the subject moves across a horizontal shot, you can use keyframes to slowly pan the cropped frame and follow the action.

6. Keep the pace up

Vertical feeds reward momentum. You don't need frantic editing, but every moment on screen should earn its place.

• Trim the silences. Cut the breath and pause between sentences. It sounds more natural than you'd expect.
• Change the picture every few seconds — a new angle, a close-up, a caption appearing or a zoom-in on the key word.
• Use transitions sparingly. A straight cut is invisible; flashy transitions are best saved for a change of scene.
• End strongly. Stop right after the payoff. A clean ending that loops back to the start can encourage a second watch.

7. Add captions and text

Many people scroll with the sound off, and captions also help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing and anyone watching in a second language. Good captions are:

• Big and bold: a heavy font with an outline or background box stays readable over any footage.
• Short: three to six words on screen at a time, timed to the speech.
• Inside the safe zone: usually just below the centre of the frame.
• Consistent: the same style and position throughout, so viewers' eyes know where to look.

8. Step by step: edit a vertical video in VDOAPP

Here's the whole process in our free online editor. Nothing is uploaded — it all runs in your browser.

1. Add your clips. Open the editor and drop in your videos and photos. Select several at once to build a timeline in order.
2. Set the canvas to 9:16. In the Canvas tab choose 9:16. Pick Fill to crop wide clips, or Fit with a Blur background to keep the whole shot.
3. Trim and arrange. Drag clips on the timeline to reorder them. Place the playhead and press Split (or the S key) to cut out pauses, then delete the pieces you don't need.
4. Add your hook text. In the Text tab, add a title with the Outline or Box style and drag it into the safe zone. Set an In animation such as Pop so it grabs attention.
5. Caption the speech. Add one text per phrase and set its Show from and Until times to match what's being said.
6. Add music or a voiceover. Use the Audio tab to add a track or record narration. Voiceovers automatically lower the music while you speak.
7. Export. Press Export video. Keep the tab open while it records, then upload the file to TikTok, Instagram or YouTube.

Already have a long video? Learn how to repurpose one video for every platform.

A note on resolution: VDOAPP currently exports vertical videos at 720 × 1280, which TikTok, Reels and Shorts all accept.

Pre-publish checklist

• Is the video 9:16 with no unintended black bars?
• Does something interesting happen in the first two seconds?
• Is all important text clear of the top, bottom and right edges?
• Can someone follow it with the sound off?
• Did you trim every pause and dead moment?
• Is the audio clear, and is any music quieter than speech?
• Do you have the rights to the music and footage you used?