Jenny Sandbo

The most expensive and perhaps common mistake in short form video production? Not planning your format before you press record.

Every video creator has been there – you capture a rad shot, only to realize later it’s the wrong orientation for where you want to share it. You filmed horizontally for what you thought would be a YouTube video, but now you want to turn it into an Instagram Reel. The result? Awkward cropping and scaling, lost quality, and a video that doesn’t reflect your vision.

Knowing where and how you’ll share your video before you “roll tape” is essential for a high-quality finished product. It informs everything from orientation and resolution to the tools you’ll use. Now, let’s get to the basics.

Orientation: Vertical, Horizontal, Square

When we talk about video orientation, we’re referring to the vertical or horizontal positioning of your frame – commonly called portrait or landscape.

Choose vertical (portrait) orientation when creating:

• Instagram or Facebook Reels
• TikTok videos
• YouTube Shorts
• Stories for any platform.

Choose horizontal (landscape) orientation for:

• Traditional YouTube videos

• Website banners

• Blog post headers

• LinkedIn video posts (though vertical is gaining traction here too

Square videos work well for:

• Instagram feed posts
• Facebook posts
• LinkedIn posts
• Twitter/X videos

Pro tip: Instagram recently added a new proportion for video—1080 x 1350 pixels or 4:5 ratio—which offers more vertical space than traditional square format.

Framing & Composition: Make Every Pixel Count

In video production, framing determines how your camera captures and presents the scene, directly affecting how viewers perceive your content. While centering your subject is a safe starting point, don’t be shy about experimenting with scale, angle, and surrounding elements to guide the viewer’s eye

Since I film a lot of trail work, I often use the natural contrast between paths and surrounding terrain to frame my subjects or draw the viewer’s gaze toward a distant point. This technique works whether you’re filming outdoors, in an retail store, or in your living room—look for natural lines and contrasts that support your story.

Pixels and Resolution: Some Techie Stuff

Pixels are the tiny dots of color that make up your image. More pixels generally mean crisper, higher-resolution footage, while fewer pixels can result in fuzzy or grainy video.

Common Resolution Standards:

• HD: 1280 x 720 pixels per inch
• Full HD: 1920 x 1080 pixels per inch
• 4K (Ultra HD): 3840 x 2160 pixels per inch
• 5k: 5120 x 2888 pixels per inch

My preferred workflow is filming in 4K and delivering the final video in Full HD. This gives me the flexibility to crop, zoom, or stabilize footage in post-production while maintaining sharp quality in the final output.

Frame Rate: Capturing Motion Correctly

Frame rate, measured in frames per second (fps), determines how smooth your motion appears.

Frame rate guidelines:

• 24-30 fps: Standard for most content, provides natural motion
• 60 fps: Ideal for fast action like sports, cycling, or energetic presentations
• 120 fps: Perfect for extreme slow-motion effects (hummingbirds, flowing water, etc.)

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Real World Example: One Video, Multiple Formats

Let me show you this worked in with one of my recent projects for Skagit Trail Builders:

Vertical Version (1080×1920 pixels)

I filmed this using an Insta360 in vertical orientation at HD resolution—while riding my bike, which made it hard to keep scenery perfectly framed! During editing, I scaled the video slightly to remove unwanted scenery and center the framing. While this reduced sharpness slightly, it still looks really good for Instagram and Facebook Reels.

Square Version (1080×1080 pixels)

I reformatted the same vertical footage into square orientation for Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn posts. The square format maintained most of the original composition while fitting perfectly in social media feeds.

Horizontal Version (1920×1080 pixels)

Finally, I created a horizontal version for website banners and YouTube. You can see some quality reduction here—fitting 1080-pixel-wide content into a 1920-pixel-wide format required significant scaling, which reduced pixel density. I also lost some of the original framing that gave the video its character and dynamic movement.

My Strategic Approach: Plan for the Primary Platform

When planning this shoot, I prioritized creating a vertical reel for Instagram and Facebook because those formats typically generate the most engagement for my content. Starting with 1080 x 1920 pixels (vertical) made it easy to reframe into a square format while maintaining quality.

The key lesson: Always optimize for your primary distribution channel first, then adapt for secondary platforms.

Next Steps

Before you tap record on your next video:.

• Define your primary platform – Where will this video get the most important views?
• Choose your orientation based on that platform’s optimal format
• Set your resolution – When in doubt, film in 4K and deliver in Full HD
• Consider your frame rate based on the type of motion you’re capturing
• Plan your composition with your chosen orientation in mindBefore you tap record on your next video:

The few extra minutes you spend planning before you record will save you a ton of time in post-production and result in significantly better-looking content. Your audience will notice the difference, even if they can’t quite put their finger on why your videos look more professional than the competition.

Want to see more examples of strategic video planning in action? Check out my portfolio or follow me on social media for more behind-the-scenes insights.

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