Most video is filmed wide, 16:9. Reels, Shorts and TikTok want it tall, 9:16. Squeezing one into the other gives you either black bars or a crop that cuts off the person talking. Here are three ways to do it properly, from quickest to best, all free.
1. Quick resize in the browser
Open the free video resizer, drop in your video and pick 9:16. Choose how it fits:
- Crop to fill, and drag the frame to keep the important part in view.
- Fit with a blurred background, which keeps the whole picture and fills the bars with a soft copy of the video.
- Fit with a solid color.
Download it with no watermark and no sign-in. This is the right choice for a shot where the subject stays in one place.
2. Reframe that follows the speaker
When the person moves, a fixed crop loses them. In the Arsaze editor, track the face once and turn on follow cam. The 9:16 frame moves with the speaker for the whole clip, so they stay in the middle without you keyframing anything. In the desktop app, tracking runs on your computer and is free on every plan. The full feature page is motion tracking in Arsaze.
3. Let the AI make the vertical clip
If the wide video is long, a talk, a podcast or a webinar, you probably want a short vertical clip, not the whole thing in 9:16. Ask your AI assistant: "Find the best 45 seconds about pricing and make a 9:16 clip with captions." It picks the moment, reframes it, adds captions in the safe zone and leaves the result on a timeline you can change.
Check the safe zone
Each app puts its buttons, captions and username over the bottom and side of the video. Before you post, drop your video into the free safe zone checker to see what will be covered on Reels, Shorts and TikTok.
Which sizes to use
- 9:16 (1080 by 1920) for Reels, Shorts, TikTok and Stories.
- 4:5 (1080 by 1350) for Instagram and Facebook feed posts.
- 1:1 (1080 by 1080) for square feed posts.
- 16:9 (1920 by 1080) for YouTube and LinkedIn.
Try it
Start with the video resizer for a single clip, or open the editor when you need follow cam or a full vertical edit. More free tools are on the tools page.
Questions people ask
How do I convert a 16:9 video to 9:16 for free?
Open Arsaze's free video resizer in your browser, choose 9:16, and pick crop to fill or fit with a blurred background. It downloads with no watermark and needs no sign-in.
How do I make a vertical video without cutting off the speaker?
Use a reframe that follows the face. In the Arsaze editor, track the speaker once and turn on follow cam, and the 9:16 frame moves with them. In the desktop app this is free on every plan.
What size is a 9:16 video?
1080 by 1920 pixels is the standard 9:16 size for Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Stories.
Can AI turn a long video into vertical clips?
Yes. Ask an AI assistant connected to Arsaze to find the best moment, reframe it to 9:16 and add captions. The result is a timeline you can still change by hand.