Platform-Specific Framing: Shorts, YouTube, Instagram

Aspect ratio defines the shape of your exported video. Different platforms favor different ratios, and choosing the right one ensures your content fills the screen without black bars or awkward cropping.

Vertical 9:16

The standard format for short-form video platforms:

  • YouTube Shorts
  • Instagram Reels
  • TikTok

Vertical video fills the entire phone screen in portrait mode. If your source footage is horizontal (16:9), Bitcut crops to the center or uses face tracking to keep subjects in frame.

Horizontal 16:9

The standard widescreen format for:

  • YouTube (regular videos)
  • Websites and presentations
  • Desktop viewing

Use this when your source footage is already horizontal and the destination is a widescreen platform.

Square 1:1

Works well for:

  • Instagram feed posts
  • Facebook feed
  • Thumbnails and previews

Square crops from the center of your footage. It displays well on both mobile and desktop feeds.

Face Tracking and Aspect Ratio

When you convert horizontal footage to vertical (9:16), a large portion of the frame needs to be cropped. Bitcut's face tracking automatically positions the crop window to follow the subject's face, so the speaker stays centered even as they move.

This is especially useful for converting podcast recordings, interviews, or presentations into vertical Shorts — the crop intelligently follows whoever is speaking.

Re-export freely: You can export the same project in multiple aspect ratios. Create a vertical version for Shorts and a horizontal version for YouTube — face tracking adjusts the crop for each.

For platform-specific sharing tips, see Sharing to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube.