The aspect ratio problem
You filmed a beautiful 16:9 landscape video. Now you need it for TikTok (9:16 vertical), Instagram Reels (9:16), YouTube Shorts (9:16), and maybe a square post (1:1).
Manually cropping means choosing a fixed portion of the frame and losing everything else. If your subject moves left to right, a center crop misses half the action. If you have two speakers, a tight crop only fits one.
Auto reframe solves this by using AI to track subjects and dynamically adjust the crop position frame by frame.
How auto reframe works
The AI analyzes your video to identify subjects (people, faces, moving objects). It then creates a virtual crop window that follows the most important element throughout the clip.
When a speaker moves left, the crop follows. When the action shifts to the right side of frame, the crop shifts with it. The result is a vertical video that captures the most relevant part of the horizontal frame at every moment.
This is the same technology that broadcast networks use to reframe cinema-ratio content for mobile viewers, now available in browser-based tools.
Step-by-step reframing
1. Open the reframe tool
2. Upload your landscape video
Any format works. The tool accepts MP4, MOV, and WebM.
3. Select your target aspect ratio
- 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, Shorts (most common)
- 1:1 for Instagram feed posts
- 4:5 for Instagram feed (slightly taller, more screen space)
- Custom for any specific requirement
4. Let the AI track subjects
The tool identifies faces and moving subjects in your footage. The crop window follows them automatically.
5. Review and adjust
Scrub through the reframed video. The AI handles most scenarios well, but you can manually adjust the crop position for any frames where the automatic tracking missed the mark.
6. Export
Download your reframed vertical video, ready for upload.
When auto reframe works best
Single speaker, moving within frame. The AI locks onto the face and follows it. Talking head content, interviews, presentations.
Action with clear focal point. A skateboarder, a dancer, a chef working at a station. One primary subject with clear movement.
Slow panning shots. Landscape pans reframe well because the AI can track the movement and shift the crop window accordingly.
Two-person conversations. The AI can shift between speakers, following whoever is talking or gesturing.
When to adjust manually
Wide group shots. With many subjects spread across the frame, the AI must choose who to follow. You may want to override and keep a wider view with smaller subjects.
Text or graphics in specific frame positions. If important information sits in a corner of your landscape video, verify the reframe includes it.
Rapid scene changes. Quick cuts between different compositions may need manual crop position adjustments per scene.
One video, multiple outputs
The most efficient workflow creates all aspect ratios from a single source:
- Edit your video in landscape (16:9)
- Export the master file
- Run through auto reframe for 9:16 (TikTok/Reels/Shorts)
- Run again for 1:1 (Instagram feed) if needed
- Run again for 4:5 (Instagram feed alternative) if needed
Five minutes of reframing replaces hours of manual cropping and repositioning.
Composition tips for reframe-friendly footage
If you know your footage will be reframed later:
Center your subjects. A centered subject is captured in any crop. Edge-of-frame subjects get cut in vertical reframes.
Leave headroom. Vertical crops are tall and narrow. Subjects with minimal headroom in landscape may get cropped awkwardly in portrait.
Avoid critical information at frame edges. Text, graphics, or action at the far left or right will be lost in vertical crops.
Shoot slightly wider than needed. Extra space gives the reframe AI more room to work with.
Combine with other effects
After reframing to vertical:
- Add captions formatted for vertical viewing (larger fonts, center positioning)
- Apply film color grades for consistent visual quality
- Use depth text for titles optimized for the vertical frame
The multi-platform reality
Creating separate content for every platform is not sustainable for most creators. Smart reframing lets you create once and distribute everywhere.
Film in landscape (the most versatile format), edit once, then reframe for each platform. Your horizontal YouTube video becomes vertical content for three additional platforms in minutes.
Open the reframe tool and test it with any landscape video. The AI tracking quality will show you immediately whether it works for your content style.
Related: How to add captions to YouTube Shorts | Best caption styles for social media