This guide teaches you how to make a long-form horizontal video → into multiple short-form vertical videos.

Note: This is now about rotating a video. Instead, this guide is about creating multiple vertical videos from an existing horizontal one.

Let’s show you how to do it or free.

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Why Convert Horizontal Videos to Vertical?

Answer: Converting horizontal videos to vertical formats is important because vertical videos dominate mobile platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

Here are key reasons to make the switch:

  1. Optimized for Mobile: Vertical videos fill the entire screen on mobile devices, offering a better viewing experience.
  2. Higher Engagement: Platforms like TikTok and Instagram prioritize vertical content, boosting visibility and interaction.
  3. Trendy Format: Most social media platforms favor vertical videos for Reels, Stories, and Shorts, making them essential for staying relevant.

For those looking to convert horizontal videos to vertical easily, SendShort offers a seamless way to edit and reformat your videos, ensuring they look perfect on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.

It’s an efficient tool to make your content stand out.


4 Ways to Make a Horizontal Video Vertical

1. Use an Online AI

SendShort is the easiest and most efficient tool to create vertical videos from horizontal ones. It automatically resizes and adjusts your video for vertical platforms without sacrificing quality.

You can also add subtitles, effects, and backgrounds for a polished result.

BenefitsDrawbacks
Automatically resizes and formats videosRequires internet access
Preserves high-quality visuals
Adds professional captions and effects
Saves time with an intuitive interface

2. Crop the Video

Trimming the edges of your horizontal video helps fit it into a vertical frame. This is ideal if the most important content is centered, but it may cut out other parts of the scene.

BenefitsDrawbacks
Keeps the main focus of the videoRemoves content from the sides
Quick and straightforwardReduces the overall video size

3. Add a Vertical Background

Place your horizontal video in a vertical frame and fill the extra space with a background, like a blur, solid color, or image. This method maintains the original video content and adds design elements to the vertical layout.

BenefitsDrawbacks
Preserves the entire videoBackground may not match well
Allows creative customizationCan look less professional
Simple to implement

4. Rotate the Video

Rotate the video by 90 degrees to switch its orientation from horizontal to vertical. While quick and easy, this method works best for content that doesn’t lose meaning when flipped.

BenefitsDrawbacks
Easy to apply and quick to adjustCan distort or look awkward
Keeps the entire video contentNot suitable for all content
No cropping required

Now, let’s move on to the best way to do this.

The Most Efficient Way: How To Make Horizontal Videos Vertical

Answer: The best way to make horizontal videos vertical is to use a free AI that automatically converts it for you. SendShort does that in just 1 click.

  1. Create a free SendShort account
  2. Upload your video: by file or by YouTube link
  3. AI automatically resizes to vertical (9:16 aspect ratio)
  4. Optionally, edit the video and download it
Turn long videos into shorts, or just add captions

This is essentially how SendShort converts horizontal videos to vertical ones. As you can see, you also get captions as the AI automatically edits your video — though, you can add/remove anything want in the video.

The above is just an illustration. This is what it looks like in your dashboard:

Creating a new video in SendShort

Just select an option and the AI will do the job for you.

It’s really that easy!

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5 Best Practices for Making Veritcal Videos

Vertical videos are essential for platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. To create content that stands out, follow these best practices:

1. Keep Your Subject Centered

Ensure the main focus of your video is in the center of the frame. This makes the video more engaging and ensures that important elements aren’t cropped out when displayed on different platforms.

2. Use Proper Lighting

Good lighting is key to making your video look professional. Natural light works well, but you can also use a ring light or softbox for even lighting that enhances the subject.

3. Add Captions for Accessibility

Nowadays, 75% users watch videos without sound, so adding captions ensures your message is understood. Tools like SendShort make it easy to add professional, eye-catching captions quickly.

4. Stick to Short, Engaging Clips

Vertical videos perform best when they are concise and grab attention quickly. Start with a hook in the first few seconds and keep the total length under 90 seconds for optimal engagement.

5. Edit for Vertical Dimensions (9:16)

Always format your video for a 9:16 aspect ratio, which is the standard for vertical platforms. This ensures your video fills the screen perfectly without black bars or awkward cropping.


Frequently Asked

1. What is the free app to convert horizontal video to vertical?

The best free app to convert horizontal videos to vertical is SendShort.

It uses AI to seamlessly reformat your videos into the vertical 9:16 aspect ratio, perfect for platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

2. How to turn horizontal video to vertical using AI?

You can turn horizontal videos into vertical format using AI tools like SendShort, which automate cropping and formatting for platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

3. What is the free AI tool to convert landscape video to portrait?

The best free app to convert horizontal videos to vertical is SendShort. It uses AI to seamlessly reformat your videos into the vertical 9:16 aspect ratio, perfect for platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

4. How to create vertical clips from horizontal video?

You can create vertical clips from horizontal videos using AI tools like SendShort, which automatically crop and adjust your footage for vertical platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

With SendShort, creating vertical clips from horizontal videos is quick and professional, tailored for social media engagement.


Thanks a lot for reading this,
David Ch
Head of the Editing Team at SendShort

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About the author

David leads the editing team at SendShort. With this help, the team delivers the latest guides on using your favorite social media apps and creating short-form content.