Guide to repurposing from landscape to vertical video

In today's mobile-first world, vertical video is everywhere. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts thrive on the 9:16 aspect ratio, leaving traditional 16:9 widescreen videos looking a bit out of place. But don't despair! You don't have to re-record everything. 

This article will guide you through repurposing your landscape (16:9) videos for the vertical format, ensuring your content shines on any mobile screen.

Reclaiming lost screen real estate

The primary challenge in converting from landscape to vertical is the inevitable loss of screen real estate. You're essentially cropping a significant portion of your video. The key is to be strategic and to preserve the most important elements of your recording. Simply cropping from the sides often results in awkward framing and the loss of crucial details.

The essentials of going from landscape to vertical

Let’s start with the simplest scenario of converting a landscape video of a subject matter expert into a vertical format without any additional graphics. 

1. Open your recording in the Editor
2. Select the Aspect Ratio from the drop down
3. Go to the Layout tab, and in Full Screen video click Fill
4. Double click on the source in the preview to open the frame tool. Adjust the zoom and pan to center the subject in the vertical frame.

Tip: For a recording where there is significant subject movement, consider using multiple scenes. This allows you to reframe the video throughout, ensuring your subject remains centered and visible. Think of it as dynamically adjusting the "crop" as the action unfolds.

Integrating landscape images into vertical video

Sometimes you have an existing image or graphic in a landscape aspect ratio that you want to include in a vertical video. With the stacked layout option, combining these two sources is very easy to do.

1. Open the recording in the Editor 
2. Add an image as the second source
3. Open the layout tab and select Stacked Layout. [link]
4. Adjust the layout ratio: Fine-tune the layout the slider A 30/70 split (image occupying 30% of the screen, video 70%) or vice versa (70/30) are good starting points. Experiment to find what works best for your content.
5. Positioning: If you want the image at the top, adjust the slider to the appropriate ratio. You may also need to swap the layer order in your editor so the correct content appears on top.
6. Pan and Zoom (for Images, too!): Just like with video, you can pan and zoom on your landscape image to highlight specific details within the vertical frame.

Tip: You can use space presets to create a template for this layout so you can save time on your next content for social.

Conclusion

Repurposing landscape recordings for the vertical video format is a must in today's mobile-driven world. By mastering these simple steps, you can breathe new life into your existing content. Don't let the aspect ratio challenge intimidate you. Embrace it, experiment, and create captivating vertical videos that resonate with your audience.