STOP Shooting Vertical Videos (Do this Instead) 

Which way do you shoot more often? Horizontal or Vertical?

I am SOOOOOOO glad somebody is finally mentioning this! There are so many reasons why it's better to shoot horizontally first, and coming from a graphic design background, it also works SO much better to have horizontal still images to start with (lots of cropping and layout options, and a lot of commercial photographers who know how to create images that look good with TEXT laid over top of them almost always shoot horizontally. You can actually look at the history of STOCK photography and see a lot of places stopped shooting vertical shots sometime back in the 90s, etc.)

You actually convinced me to shoot my content horizontally from now on!

It might work but sometimes shooting vertical gives us more shallow depth of field in background, shooting horizontal means you have to get wide or step away and it will give you less depth.

The psychology of your thinking is brilliant and really helped settle the anxiety I have between vertical vs. horizontal for me. Now I just need to train myself to not shoot so tight when I'm filming horizontal. That's gonna take a little time. Thanks for the video!

i shot all my videos upside down. Because why not. I'm starting anew trend and i want to be a first adopter.

This video is sooooo NECESSARY!! I recently recorded a video vertically and regretted it afterwards. I wanted to uploaded it to RU-vid, which I still can… it’s just that I wanted to keep it consistent with other uploads. Your tips were golden! And glad I came across it!

Super pleased a video discussing this has been recommended to me! I get quite overwhelmed sometimes having to shoot in multiple different orientations just so I can get footage for my vlogs on RU-vid or reels on Instagram & Tiktok. It is nice to see that I can save time and reuse the same footage instead of redoing it vertically! :)

That tip about the thirds to make sure they footage is all available when cropping is super useful, I think I’ll try that since I have some ideas to create vertical videos but don’t want to shoot vertical. This will help me to get this video made!!

One extra tip when converting horizontal footage that doesn’t fit the frame is to have it zoom or pan. Since the camera is moving it makes the shot feel larger. It won’t work for everything but it’ll work great for a lot of situations

Makes sense if you are doing this professionally. But for a casual user, it's more time to edit, more skills to learn and larger files to store. I think that vertical videos are here to stay.

I feel like such a dummy. This makes so much sense especially when coming from a background in graphic design where bigger and more DPI is better. I’m sitting here trying to find a way to shoot with two cameras when all I need is one. Thank you so much for this! You got a subscriber out of me.

Dudeeeeeeeeee I ❤this video! I work professionally and still have the battle of vertical vs horizontal, but everything you said just struck a chord and has cemented the idea of shooting horizontally! Thank you brother, keep up the AMAZING work

Thanks for the solid tips Anthony! I've been struggling to find ways to optimize my workflow between YT, TikTok, and IG Reels because I dreaded the idea of shooting twice. I'll definitely give this a try

This is brilliant. Remembering to shoot content in both vertical and horizontal positions is rather exhausting, so I'm looking forward to giving this a go with shooting horizontally for everything! Amazing video dude!

This is so simple but smart! I always shoot vertical because I want to know what the framing will be, but your little thirds grid trick would come in handy for this reason! Awesome.

I'm so glad I found this video. I recently went on a long trip and shot everything horizontally because shooting the same content twice was tiring me out. I was searching for a way to add my footage to the social media platforms. Thank you for this amazing advice. :)

These points are really unconvincing I'm afraid. Sure, you could do it this way, but you've not really bothered saying why it's any better. You mention the benefits of shooting horizontally, but you don't mention the downsides of the extra editing and time involved.

Damn I love the editing of this video. The way you switch locations between shots is phenomenal 👍🏻

Such an amazing tip! Never really thought about this because I always thought it would lose quality! Now I'm excited to shoot everything again horizontally!

Thank for the warning and tips!

This is why I hope that open gate recording becomes more industry standard like on the panasonic cameras. I have to get 16x9, 9x16 and 1x1 edits out of my videos for my job and it sucks to have to make such a massive crop. Allowing for more space in your framing is good but not great and I find that the more I have to crop, the less often I'm excited about the framing of my shots and how they turn out.

This was such a great video!! Straight to the point, informative, problem solving, future thinking, and easy to digest! Thank you! 🥰🙏🏼🤩

When everyone is talking about how to shoot vertically, you changed the perspective and glad someone has simplified making content rather than showing complex tricks. Good job 👍

Great tips! Framing is so important when planning a vertical video! Thanks for sharing :)

Great video! I had a few thoughts throughout as someone who films about 50/50 vertical and horizontal. I feel like instead stating that people should stop shooting vertical video, it's better to state that videographers should stop shooting without intention. Film for the primary platform, and plan on doing some creative workshopping for the other orientation. If your end platform is vertical, film vertically in 4k. Just like how many filmmakers film in 4k horizontal and upload in HD, having that larger resolution to work with gives you a lot of flexibility in edits. Work with your clients and consider your platform/audience before shooting so you can plan and shoot with intention. Filming horizontally in 4K does give you a vertical frame that works in HD, but you lose the ability to zoom in without quality loss, which can be rough in edits considering you have to film wider to make the horizontal shot work for vertical framing. This method definitely works for your platform and purposes, but it doesn't apply to everyone. Vertical videos can be repurposed in just as many ways as a horizontal. So, if you find yourself needing to present your vertically filmed video in a horizontal format / platform, there are plenty of creative ways to crop, overlay, split screen, etc. footage to make it work. Just like how there are creative ways to use horizontal video in a vertical format. There's also a misconception that vertical videos can't be used for a website or portfolio - They absolutely can. Yes, you might have to restructure your website slightly but that doesn't make a huge impact. Additionally, if you're applying as a video producer or editor for anything media related that is not film or tv focused, a vertical reel will only show the that you're leaning into the popular viewing platform (a reel that showcases your work as a filmmaker will do so no matter the orientation). Vertical video likely isn't going anywhere - with phones and tablets being the primary media consumption device, vertical video is ideal for not only creators on insta/tiktok, but also any and all companies using those platforms for advertising. Media created for those platforms is instantly and easily repurposed for any social media app or web browser (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) It isn't replacing the horizontal space when it comes to film, tv, home entertainment - but that's also not where most consumer ads and casual content live these days.

Shooting 4K vertically and rendering it to 1080 will get you wayy better image quality... plus more post-production possibilities. Yeah you can use shortcuts just to make it easier for yourself but it will always come with compromises🙏

You’re quickly becoming my favorite youtuber. You always have the best, most practical tips!

Afraid I have to disagree (at least for some applications). If you’re shooting content for specifically a vertical output then I always find shooting vertical significantly better. It’s easier to frame and most importantly you don’t need an ultra wide angle lens to crop into a 9:16 from a horizontal image for a good frame. You also get the whole sensor for bokeh and any lens character you might want. But if you’re not sure the output or need mixed resolutions then 16:9 is best.

Another reason i shoot only in 16:9 is that our videos have to be delivered in multiple aspect ratios for different platforms. Don’t forget 1:1, 4:5 and yes even 16:9. The same video MUST work in these different formats. So, 16:9 it is.

Woooaahhhhhh...so much information in a short time. That's what we are missing these days. Really appreciate you for this.

This was crossing my mind recently, you've helped me to set it in stone... thank you!

Great video, well paced edit. You should look into open gate mode on Panasonic cameras (hopefully Sony soon)😊- it would be a great part 2 to this video as it makes vertical cuts from “horizontal” footage that much easier.

I'm so happy someone else said what I've been saying for so long..👏. We don't know how much longer vertical videos will be in style and its not as professional as horizontal videos in my opinion plus once its done there's no really going back...😕... Thank you for the advice... awesome job.

So true. It makes totally sense!

You are absolutely right. I always made it that way! Much love 💕 Matthias 👋

For content I know will be delivered vertically only, I prefer shooting vertically. Makes my framing better when I shoot and know will be delivered vertically. One advantage you forgot to mention about shooting vertically for vertical delivery is that you get shallower depth of field - you move closer to your subject or zoom in more vs shooting from further away and cropping in. Don't get me wrong, most times I do shoot horizontal and crop for vertical, but if I know the content will only be used on Social, I just shoot vertical. It's simple.

It's not work for me, I use apsc camera, If I do that I'll lose depth of field and image quality

thanks so much for creating this! really gave me some amazing insight and I really love your editing and presentation.

Really liking the channel, well put together and informative!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you shoot horizontally, you have to go a little further away from the subject to fit it in the Center of the frame. If the subject is further away from the camera, you have less blur in the background. This is the main downside of shooting horizontally. But please correct me if I’m wrong! I’m actually hoping to be wrong 😂

I thought you were gonna mention shooting with an open gate option, but I guess not all cameras have that option. Either way, it’s a great way to take advantage of the entire sensor and makes cropping to vertical easier.

Best video I’ve watched this week. Love it!!

Great breakdown thanks!

horizontal always! the only time I go vertical is when I want that "raw cell phone" look or I know I'll cover the topic again in a more evergreen horizontal video 😌

I kinda thought this was bad advice, till you got to the future proofing your videos part, and that actually makes a ton of sense. Wish more camera companies used the whole sensor or 4:3 sensors to help with framing options for both 9:16 and 16:9. Great video as always.

Great tips, thank you!

This was a great help. Also a good reminder of the rule of thirds when it comes to framing to make that horizontal video fit as best as possible for cropping

I’ve spent the last 15-20 years training myself to film horizontally. Been struggling to film vertically because now it just feels wrong lol

Love this! Thanks man!

Nice hints. Thanks a lot and all the best for 2023, Daniel

Bonus tip, get a camera with a 4:3 sensor and shoot have even more room to play with! (GH5 can do this)

Not to mention you can actually achieve both vertical and horizontal frame COMPOSITIONS by shooting horizontally. You compose your shot in the middle third for vertical, then offset the subject to the side (unless it's a centered composition obviously) and compose for horizontal balance and negative space as well. And just like that, you have the peace of mind of being able to edit anything you shot horizontally knowing you have a perfect vertical version of each shot as well.

Finally - on so many levels . . . great presentation, wonderful knowledge, stupendous content, fabulous applications . . . THANK YOU!

Thank you for this!!

“Vertical” videos won’t ever go away. It’s here to stay. Better idea is to shoot portrait orientation when you need it. If you need portrait videos more than anything else then go for it but if it’s more for tv or non-mobile use then go with landscape orientation. If you want a happy medium then get a secondary person to shoot whatever else you need or use b-roll as your secondary option.

I did a test on IG with two 4k clips, one vertical and one landscape of the same scene. I scaled one and uploaded the other. You can tell the difference in the finished reel between the two clips. I shot both on an iPhone 14 pro. Do you think your suggestion applies more to dslr camera and the videos on phones don’t allow for this technique in with the same result?

definitely agree with you ! great tips and video !

Thank you for the help 🤩

Yesss a lot of people needed this!

Another important point of why I don't shoot vertically, is that camera sensors are designed to read the data from top to bottom (with the exception of a global shutter). Rotating the camera by 90 degrees will often lead to an unpleasant jelly effect that happens vertically.

The laptob I edit in has 16 gb of ram, premiere pro requieres 32 gigs of ram to edit in 4k, so unfortunately I can't do this yet, but thank you very much, once I upgrade workspaces, I'll start shooting my vertical videos in horizontal. Also the warping is a very valid point, but that also depends on the lens you use.

Was struggling with this issue all these years. Thanks for explaining.

great advice! thanks!

Go and do your research bro, vertical video is here to stay!

Let's be honest, the vertical videos are here to stay.

Thanks so much for this. Needed to hear it!

This answered the question that's been running around my head for a week. Very informative. I love it, thanks a lot for this.

Thanks for this video! Concise and useful!

This is really good advice! Thank you

This is a solid video and answered every question I had (including questions I haven't thought of yet). Thanks for making it!

Everyone watch this and watch this again. You are absolutely 100 on this! I work in the consumer product industry. We have been shooting this way for years. If I was a better RU-vidr I would have put this out myself hehe. Bravo!

Thanks 🙏 excellent advice!!

Super helpful man. It's been an issue deciding which way to shoot to cover the portrait platforms, so love your solution. 👌

Great advice! Thanks

Great video. I loaded a bunch of others on this topic but I think I heard all i need from you. And that point about Vertical maybe (hopefully) going away in the future and being stuck with vertical videos you can't use was a solid point. Cheers! 🍻

Great information!

Nailed it bro, everything i needed

Wow! So glad I found this. Makes so much sense.

Great tip! Thanks alot!

Exactly what I needed to hear! Been wondering about this for awhile now.

Great work man, some good ideas and tips

Great advice! Thank you. Instinctively, I knew horizontal was the way to go but the algorithms for reels was forcing the transition. Thank you for showing the way.

Great info!

This is the push I needed

Thank you for mentioning the thirds grid tip. That’s a huge help before I even turn the camera on!

This is such a great, informative video! I'm definitely going to be doing this to make short form content. Thanks Anthony! 👍🏽

Okay convinced it to give it a try !!

Wowww!! What a perspective! Thanks for sharing 🙏

I was looking for this video for ages … thanks for this

Yesssss.. decision fatigue when recording some video either vertical or horizontal.. gladly found ur tips. thanks

Great advice and well explained!!

SUCH A GREAT VIDEO !! WAS HELPFUL IN SO MANY WAYS YOU DONT EVEN KNOW

Great video!!! Thanks for the tips ❤

Exactly what I was looking for. Clients have requested vertical video and I was looking for whether to shoot vertically or horizontally.

Well Explained!!! You convinced me with this!

This was so helpful!!!! Thank you!!

Great video, nice explanation of this and the examples were spot on.

Thank you for the tips!

Great information, thank you!!!!!