Horizontal vs. vertical: film for the format that fits your channel

Deciding between horizontal and vertical filming is crucial before you hit record. Choosing incorrectly can limit how you use your footage. Follow this simple rule to keep your options open, along with a workflow to get both formats from one shoot.

Default to Horizontal

Horizontal is the safe default because it offers the most flexibility. Film vertically only if you know the content is exclusively for Instagram Reels or TikTok. For everything else, like LinkedIn, YouTube, your website, and long-form content, choose horizontal. When uncertain, horizontal keeps your options open.

Cropping: One-Way Flexibility

The reason this rule works is simple: you can crop a horizontal video to create a vertical clip, but you can't expand a vertical video into a usable horizontal one. There's no image data on the sides. Film horizontally to allow for vertical cuts later. Film vertically, and you've locked out the horizontal version.

Complete Horizontal First

To get both formats, finish the horizontal long-form video first. This serves as your anchor piece for YouTube, your website, or LinkedIn. Once completed, you can create vertical social clips from this source material. By doing the long-form first, social cuts become extractions from a finished piece, not a separate shoot.

Separate Requests for Vertical Clips

When you need vertical social cuts, request them separately from the long-form video. Don't ask the editor to deliver both formats in one request, as each requires different framing decisions. Submit one request for the horizontal anchor and separate requests for each vertical clip. This ensures clear briefs and clean deliverables.

Try It This Week

Before your next shoot, decide if the content is only for Reels or TikTok. If not, film horizontally. Complete the horizontal long-form in MarketScale first, then submit separate edit requests for any vertical social clips you want. One shoot, every format, no locked doors.

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