Reframe video to 9:16

Convert horizontal video to vertical (9:16) for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. Step-by-step with AI-powered cropping.

Turn horizontal footage into vertical 9:16 video. Smart reframe detects faces, products, and subjects, then crops intelligently.

What you need

  • Horizontal footage (16:9 or wider)
  • Main content on the timeline
  • About 1 minute for processing

Step 1: Select your footage

  1. Open your project with horizontal video
  2. Ensure your main clip is on the timeline
  3. Play through to confirm the content is what you want

Step 2: Open the Agent panel

  1. Click "Agent" in the top-right header
  2. The agent panel opens on the left side

Step 3: Request reframe

Type one of these phrases:

For talking-head content:

"Reframe this to 9:16 with face focus"

For product videos:

"Reframe to vertical with product focus"

For screen recordings:

"Fit to 9:16 canvas without cropping"

Simple version:

"Reframe to 9:16 for TikTok"

Step 4: Wait for processing

The agent will:

  1. Set canvas to 1080×1920 (9:16)
  2. Analyze frame content — faces, products, text
  3. Apply smart crop — keep subjects in frame
  4. Reframe all clips — main track and overlays

You'll see status: "Analyzing frames..." → "Applying reframe..." → "Done"

Step 5: Review the result

  1. Play the preview — check if faces/subjects are centered
  2. Scrub through — verify framing across the timeline
  3. Check the beginning — hook moments are critical

Step 6: Adjust if needed

If cropping feels wrong:

Faces cut off

  1. Ask the agent: "Move crop up" or "Reframe with face focus"
  2. Or manually: Select clip → Properties → Transform → adjust Position Y

Product detail lost

  1. Ask the agent: "Reframe with product focus"
  2. Or manually: Properties → Transform → Position X/Y

Screen text cropped

  1. Ask the agent: "Reframe with screen focus" or "Fit to canvas without crop"
  2. Or switch to: Fit mode preserves all content

Focus modes explained

| Mode | Best for | Crop behavior | |------|----------|---------------| | face | Interviews, vlogs, talking-head | Upward bias, keeps eyes visible | | product | Demos, reviews, showcases | Centered safe crop | | screen | Tutorials, screen recordings | No crop (fit mode) | | center | General footage | Neutral center crop | | auto | Mixed content | Agent decides per clip |

When to reframe

Before other edits:

  1. Import footage
  2. Reframe to vertical
  3. Then: Add captions, extract highlights, etc.

Reason: Caption timing, highlight extraction, and other tools work better with the final canvas size.

Combining with templates

For a complete vertical workflow:

  1. Apply TikTok template:

    "Apply TikTok highlight template"

The template automatically:

  • Sets 9:16 canvas
  • Smart reframes with face focus
  • Applies viral-cut style
  • Generates captions

Tips

  • Hook matters most — check the first 3 seconds; this determines if viewers scroll
  • Face clips: upward bias — eyes in upper third for social safe zones
  • Product: safe crop — keeps text and details readable
  • Screen: fit mode — no visible crop, just letterboxing
  • Batch apply — ask "reframe the whole timeline" for multiple clips

Troubleshooting

| Issue | Fix | |-------|-----| | Faces cut off | "Reframe with face focus" | | Text cropped | "Reframe with screen focus" or "fit to canvas" | | Product too small | "Reframe with product focus" | | Aspect looks wrong | Check canvas is set to 9:16 (Project → Settings) | | Overlays misplaced | Overlays reframe with main clip; nudge manually if off |

See also

PreviousHow the AI agent worksNextCut silences from video
Community