You film something you’re proud of, upload it, and the platform crops off half your face. Or it sits in a tiny box with thick black bars around it. Nine times out of ten, the culprit is the aspect ratio.
Aspect ratio is simply the shape of the video: width compared to height. Get it right before you hit record and you’ll save yourself a lot of re-editing.
The three shapes you’ll use most
- 16:9 (wide) — the classic YouTube and TV shape. Use it for tutorials, vlogs, and anything people watch on a laptop or TV.
- 9:16 (tall) — the phone-screen shape. TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are built around it.
- 1:1 or 4:5 (square-ish) — good for regular Instagram and Facebook feed posts. 4:5 takes up a little more of the screen as people scroll.
Which one for which platform?
- YouTube long videos: 16:9, e.g. 1920×1080.
- YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Reels: 9:16, e.g. 1080×1920.
- Instagram feed: 4:5 (1080×1350) or 1:1 (1080×1080).
- LinkedIn and X: 16:9 or 1:1 both work fine.
Platforms change their recommendations from time to time, so it’s worth checking their help pages if something looks off.
Filming for more than one platform
If you want one shoot to become both a YouTube video and a Short, film in 16:9 but keep the important stuff — your face, the product, the text — in the middle of the frame. That way you can crop a tall 9:16 version later without losing anything.
The other route is to shoot tall on your phone and put a blurred or coloured background behind it for YouTube. It works, but it rarely looks as good as a proper wide shot.
Watch the edges
Tall videos have buttons, captions and usernames drawn over the bottom and right side. Keep titles and key text away from those edges, or they’ll end up hidden under a like button.
A simple habit
Before you press record, ask yourself one question: where will people mostly watch this? Answer that, pick the matching shape, and you’ve already avoided the most common mistake new creators make.
Leave a Reply