How to convert horizontal video to vertical video.
Convert landscape to portrait video while protecting the story, graphics and viewing experience.
Define the destination first.
Start with the required aspect ratio, resolution, caption safe areas and player behavior. A 16:9 broadcast and a 9:16 portrait output have different geometry. The output resolution also depends on the source; reframing does not recover detail that was never captured.
Choose a layout before exporting.
For a single subject, a tracked portrait crop may be enough. For an interview, showing two speakers in stacked regions may communicate more than alternating tight crops. For a demonstration, preserve both the presenter and the relevant object.
Create the edit, then recompose.
Choose the right excerpt, ensure the opening makes sense without the full program, then adapt the composition. A trailer, teaser, social clip and complete vertical episode have different editorial goals even if they all use 9:16.
Review on a phone.
Check faces, action, lower thirds, captions and transitions at the actual viewing size. Look for unwanted jumps, missing context and unreadable graphics. Keep the original asset and source timestamps attached to the output for later revisions.