How to make a vertical screen recording for Shorts and TikTok
Turn a desktop screen recording into a vertical 9:16 video for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok without unreadable text: canvas shape, zooms and layout.
Updated · 2 minute read · By the Sceed team
To make a vertical video from a desktop recording, set the canvas to 9:16 and place the recording inside it, then zoom so the part that matters fills the width. In Sceed, change the canvas shape to vertical; the same take re-lays itself out on the background, and zoom blocks keep the interface readable on a phone.
The problem with a wide screen on a tall phone
A desktop is wide. A phone held upright is tall. Fit a 16:9 recording into a 9:16 frame and it becomes a thin strip across the middle with text nobody can read. A vertical screen video has to be built for the shape.
Three ways to fill the frame
Record narrow. Resize the app to a tall, narrow window before you record. Many web apps switch to a single-column layout that suits a phone screen.
Zoom in. Keep the whole recording small in the frame for context, then zoom so the control in use fills the width.
Stack. Screen on top, camera underneath. Vertical video has the room.
Make it readable on a phone
Text needs to be about twice the size you would use for a desktop video.
Keep important things out of the top and bottom edges, where the apps draw their own buttons and captions.
One idea per clip. Thirty to sixty seconds.
Assume the sound is off. Use text overlays for the point.
One take, several shapes
In Sceed the canvas shape is a setting, not a re-edit. Record once, export wide for the website, then switch the canvas to square or vertical and export again. Zooms, cursor and effects stay attached to the recording. See the feature teaser use case.
With Sceed, step by step
- 1
Record a narrow area
Record a window sized tall and narrow, or an area in the middle of the screen. The less wasted width, the larger everything is.
- 2
Set the canvas to vertical
In the Sceed editor, open Canvas and choose the vertical shape.
- 3
Zoom on the action
Add zoom blocks that follow the cursor so the active part of the interface fills the width.
- 4
Place the camera
If you use the webcam, put it under or above the screen rather than over it.
- 5
Add a title
Put a short text overlay at the top so the first second says what the clip is.
- 6
Export
Export an MP4. The file is 9:16 and ready to upload.
New to Sceed? Install to export in five steps.
Questions
What size is a vertical video?
9:16, usually 1080 × 1920 pixels.
Can I convert an existing wide recording to vertical?
Yes, if it was recorded in Sceed: change the canvas shape and add zooms. A finished MP4 from another tool can only be cropped, which cuts off the sides.
Can I record my phone screen with Sceed?
No. Sceed records Windows screens. To show a phone app, mirror the phone to a window on the PC and record that window.
Keep reading
More guides on making videos
- How to make a product demo videoA practical method for a product demo video people watch to the end: the script, the recording, the edit and the export, done on Windows in an afternoon.
- How to make a software tutorial videoHow to record a clear software tutorial on Windows: plan one task, record with good sound, show every click and key, and edit so nobody has to rewind.
- How to make screen recordings look professionalTwelve changes that make a screen recording look produced: before you record, while you record, and in the edit. No video editing background needed.