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For years, I’ve debated whether to hold my phone vertically or horizontally when shooting video. While that discussion continues, sometimes we need to adapt existing horizontal content for vertical-first platforms. This became particularly relevant when I started repurposing my podcast livestreams for Instagram Reels and Stories, TkToks and even LinkedIn – which now has vertical video.
Sure, you can now record vertical video (and technically even stream it) in Restream, but some of my bread-and-butter video is still horizontal because of television and other platforms. So I need to create a vertical vision at times. And I have been using Opus Clips to get me shorter clips.
But, now Opus Clips also allows me to resize entire horizontal videos to vertical. Here’s one example:
And then here’s the vertical version.
Converting in Opus Clips
Here’s my step-by-step process:
Uploading
Start by uploading your horizontal video – either drag and drop the file or paste a YouTube link into Opus Clips. Once uploaded, locate the Clip Layout Settings and select the 9:16 (Portrait) aspect ratio option. Or pick a template.
Use the Clip Basics setting
Converting
The system does most everything automatically and you can simply download when it’s done. Consider using the built-in AI to:
- Enhance sound
- Remove filler words
- Get rid of pauses
Finalizing and exporting
Before downloading, review your video in the preview window. Make any final adjustments to ensure everything looks right in the vertical format. Click “Save Changes” to apply your settings, then download your vertical video – ready for sharing.
Quick tip: Pay special attention to your frame composition when recording horizontal video you might later convert. I learned this while using my Webcam Flex for product reviews – keeping key elements centered makes the vertical conversion process much smoother.
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