Vertical or Horizontal Video: Which Format is Best?
When it comes to the creation of video content for the web, a long-standing debate has generated a ton of interest over the years: vertical or horizontal video, which format is best?
Everyone has their own viewpoint as to why one or the other is better. Realistically, each video format does have its benefits and potential downfalls. If you’re not already creating both horizontal and vertical video, you’re missing out. When posting videos on your social profiles, horizontal videos and vertical videos each have their own place in the marketing mix.
Horizontal Video
Horizontal video can be used for the creation of posts for Facebook and Twitter as well as for Linkedin. In fact, these formats are preferred for these platforms over the option of vertical video.
Visually, we see things in a horizontal manner. This is likely the result of time and the fact that media has been produced in a horizontal manner for the past 100 years. Being creatures of habit, humans tend to continue to see horizontally despite the fact that many videos are now being created in a vertical format. Think widescreen televisions and imagine them being “tall screen televisions.” Not likely something we’ll see anytime soon.
Vertical Video
Videos that are created specifically for mobile viewers generally do better if they are vertical. Mobile users prefer not to have to adjust their phone to view horizontal videos. In fact, studies have proven that only 13% of mobile users actually switch their phone to the side in order to properly view a horizontal video.
Which is Best?
Defining which format of video is best is largely dependent on where the video will be shared. Social media videos that are vertical tend to be great for Insta-Stories but for most other areas of social media you will see more user acceptance with a horizontal view.
What if you create a vertical video that does outstanding on your Insta-Story and you want to share it somewhere else, like on LinkedIn or Twitter? You could risk sharing it without any change which will render the video looking less than par.
All the time, effort, and money that went into producing top-quality content is essentially lost in a matter of 24 hours if you can only share the content on your Insta Story.
Why Not Both?
However, producing both a horizontal and vertical video of the same content could work. By creating two very similar versions that only differ in format, you can reach the best of all social media worlds.
You video can then be shared on Instagram as your Story and on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or elsewhere without looking out of place.
To do so, film the video horizontally keeping in mind that important elements should not be included on the outer edges of the screen. Plan shots with the anticipation of the outer edges being removed.
Shoot wide but make sure you include any essential visuals or information in the centermost area of the screen. Make sure that the framing fits a minimum aspect ratio of 4:5. The maximum aspect ratio should be 9:16. This way you can format the video later.
Crop As Needed
Later you can edit the video to crop it for a vertical format. This way, both videos will include the same essential elements and style while they also both work wonderfully on the platform that you choose to share them on.
Shooting video horizontally and then cropping allows for optimal video quality versus only shooting for vertical.
If you intend to shoot a horizontal video but consider even the possibility of producing a related vertical cut of the film, take care to plan the shots accordingly. Failure to plan for vertical video when you produce a horizontal film will leave you with a mess that never fully comes together in post-production editing.
Which is better? The answer is mostly horizontal video is better because this can be formatted down for a vertical view. If you want vertical videos to share, consider taking steps during production to shoot horizontal footage that will work vertically as well. This way you get the best of both.
