Video shot or cropped at 9:16 aspect ratio, optimized for phone-held viewing on Reels, Shorts, TikTok, and Stories.
Last verified · 2026-10-23 · by Moe Ameen
Published 2026-05-22 · Updated
Short answer
Vertical video is video shot or cropped at a 9:16 aspect ratio for phones held upright, the native shape of Reels, Shorts, TikTok and Stories. 1080×1920 pixels is 9:16 at full-HD width, and Meta's Reels ad guide recommends 1440×2560. Meta also advises keeping the top 14%, bottom 35% and 6% of each side clear of text and key visuals.
Key takeaways
Vertical video matches the way phones are held — portrait orientation, 9:16 aspect ratio. Reels, Shorts, TikTok, and Stories are all vertical-first feeds. Cross-posting a horizontal 16:9 video to a vertical feed produces a small letterboxed clip surrounded by black bars, which leaves most of the screen empty.
1080×1920 pixels is 9:16 at full-HD width, and Meta's Reels ad guide recommends 1440×2560. Meta also advises leaving at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% of each side free of text, logos, and other key elements, because the app's buttons and captions cover those areas.
Kompozy formats its Shorts, Reels, and TikToks as 9:16 vertical video.
A real persona short from the Kompozy workspace, rendered as 9:16 vertical video for Reels, Shorts and TikTok.
Best for:
Not ideal for:
Vertical video is video shot or cropped at a 9:16 aspect ratio, optimized for phone-held viewing on Reels, Shorts, TikTok, and Stories. It matches the portrait orientation in which phones are held.
1080×1920 pixels is 9:16 at full-HD width. Meta's Reels ad guide recommends 1440×2560, which is the same 9:16 shape at a higher resolution.
Cross-posting a horizontal 16:9 video to a vertical feed produces a small letterboxed clip surrounded by black bars, so most of the phone screen stays empty.
Keep them away from the edges. Meta's Reels ad guide says to leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% of each side free of text, logos, and other key elements.
Kompozy formats its Shorts, Reels, and TikToks as 9:16 vertical video, so short-form output is built for vertical feeds from the start.
We checked the aspect-ratio, resolution and safe-zone figures on this page against Meta's Instagram Reels ad specs and TikTok's video ad specs on 2026-10-23, and removed placement percentages and an algorithm claim we could not source. Kompozy plan and product details come from kompozy.io.
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