Put a landscape ad straight into stories and it fills the middle third of the phone, with black above and below. Crop it hard to vertical and half a face is gone, along with the subtitles. Ads now run in several placements at once, each with its own ratio, so versions in multiple sizes have become standard post-production work.
The common ratios
- 16:9 landscape: video platforms, websites, presentations, TVs and ordinary screens.
- 9:16 vertical: Reels, Shorts, TikTok, stories. See Reels, Shorts and TikTok compared.
- 1:1 square and 4:5: social feeds.
- Special ratios: outdoor LED, ultra-wide show screens, upright retail displays; see LED wall video specifications.
Accepted ratios and recommended specifications change. Follow your media plan and each platform's current rules.
Why a simple crop fails
Cropping 16:9 to 9:16 discards about seventy per cent of the picture. Two people side by side become one; a product near the edge leaves the frame. Each ratio has to be handled shot by shot:
- Reframing. For every shot, choosing which part of the picture stays, and moving the crop as the subject moves.
- Replacing shots. Some shots don't work vertically and are swapped for another angle or a close-up.
- Split layouts. One shot above another, or video above with product and text below.
- Extended backgrounds. Keeping the full landscape picture and filling above and below with extended background or brand colour, with the headline and call to action placed there.
- All text relaid. Subtitles, titles, logo and required notices sit differently in every ratio.
Safe zones: keeping text clear of the interface
On vertical placements the account name sits at the top, the caption and buttons at the bottom, and icons down the right. Key text, the logo and the product belong in the central safe area. Safe zones differ by platform and change with redesigns, so check with the platform's own preview before running the ad.
Agree it before the shoot
If filming hasn't happened yet, tell the crew which ratios are needed:
- Shoot at high resolution with a looser frame. 4K landscape footage still has enough resolution when cropped vertical.
- Keep the subject central, with space on both sides, so both orientations can be cut.
- Film key shots in both orientations, particularly product close-ups and people speaking.
- Keep crucial action away from the edges.
With footage already shot, which ratios are achievable can only be judged from the footage itself.
What to send
- A version table: ratio, resolution, length, platform and language on each row. It defines the workload and the quote.
- Original footage and project material, not only a finished export. Burned-in subtitles and logos can't be relaid after cropping.
- Brand guidelines: minimum logo size, clear space, typeface and colour.
- Required notices: any warnings or statements your industry's advertising rules demand, supplied by you.
- File specifications from the platform or media agency; see which delivery format to choose.
For lengths, see cutting 6, 15 and 30-second ads. Other business video types are in commercial video editing for businesses.
FAQ
Can AI extend the picture to vertical automatically?
For some shots, yes, where the background is simple. Areas with people, products or text tend to produce unnatural results and need checking one by one. It doesn't suit every shot.
Can we make landscape now and vertical later if needed?
Yes, though adding it later means reopening the project and working through every shot. Settling the versions at the start is more efficient overall.
Should every size have the same content?
Not necessarily. Vertical versions are often faster, with larger text and a more direct opening, because they are watched differently.
