A 9:16 canvas is much narrower than most camera and screen recordings. Centering every frame blindly can cut out a second speaker, a product demonstration, or essential text. Decide what the viewer must see before you choose the crop.
A single speaker
Place the face and important gestures inside the portrait frame. Leave room for captions without covering the mouth. Watch for movement; a crop that works at the start may fail when the speaker leans or points.
Two speakers
A centered crop often puts neither person clearly in view. Use a layout that shows both people when the exchange is rapid. A moving crop can work for longer turns, but check every handoff and reaction.
Screen recordings and tutorials
If the lesson depends on a button, chart, or line of text, make that detail readable at phone size. A face-only crop loses the instruction. Consider a screen-focused layout or pick a section where the action fits.
Captions and final review
Keep captions away from faces and essential interface controls. Watch the entire export on a phone-sized display with sound and muted. Check the opening, speaker changes, and the final seconds; those are common places for the frame to drift.
A quick framing pass
- 1
Name the focal point
Is the viewer meant to see a person, an interaction, or a screen detail?
- 2
Choose the layout
Use a portrait crop, split frame, or screen-focused arrangement according to that focal point.
- 3
Check transitions
Watch every speaker handoff and screen change for missing information.
- 4
Place captions
Make text readable without covering the content that matters.
Key takeaways
- Choose the subject before setting the crop.
- Two-person and screen-share footage often need a different layout.
- Watch the whole result at phone size.