Vertical video is recorded in portrait orientation rather than landscape orientation and is designed to be viewed on smartphones and social media platforms.
Video content is ubiquitous: According to Statista, 94.6% of global internet users watched videos online on a monthly basis during the last quarter of 2025. Pew Research shows that in the U.S., 37% of adults use TikTok, and 50% use Instagram—where vertical video predominates. Creating vertical videos presents ecommerce brands with a major opportunity to get their name and content in front of target audiences.
Learn about what specifications and dimensions you need for your vertical content, and examples and tips from successful ecommerce brands.
What is vertical video?
Vertical video is video content shot in portrait orientation, often at a 9:16 aspect ratio. The video has a narrow and tall frame and is often filmed on mobile devices and intended for viewing on mobile screens.
Phones and social media have popularized this vertical format and aspect ratio. While it’s possible to upload horizontal video to social media apps or websites, a vertical aspect ratio better fits the vertical screens of most mobile devices and is already geared toward scrolling.
Vertical video specifications by platform
Here are vertical video dimensions and ideal specs for creating vertical videos for different platforms:
All platforms
These specifications apply to vertical videos on most social media platforms:
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Keep video length 30 seconds.
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Use an aspect ratio of 9:16.
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Keep a margin of about 15% on the top and right-hand sides of the frame, and a margin of about 25% on the bottom to account for the platform’s user interface.
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Use both captions and sound so viewers can choose to watch with or without sound.
Facebook Reels
Here are specifications for Facebook Reels:
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File type: .MP4, .MOV, .GIF
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Video settings: H.264 compression; square pixels; fixed frame rate; progressive scan and stereo AAC audio compression at 128 kbps or higher
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Resolution: 1440 x 2560 pixels
YouTube Shorts
Here are specifications for YouTube Shorts:
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File type: .MPG, .WMV, .AVI, .MOV and .FLV .MPEG-1, .MP4, .MPEGPS, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm & HEVC (h265)
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Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels
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Max file size: 256 GB
Instagram Reels
Here are specifications for Instagram Reels:
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File type: .MP4, .MOV
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Video settings: H.264 compression; square pixels; fixed frame rate; progressive scan and stereo AAC audio compression at 128 kbps or higher
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Resolution: 1440 x 2560 pixels
TikTok
Here are specifications for TikTok:
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File type: .MP4, .MPEG, .3GP, .AVI or .MOV
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Resolution: At least 540 x 960 pixels
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Video settings: Topview bitrate: Higher than 2500 kbps, Non-topview bitrate: Higher than 350 kbps
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Max file size: 500 MB
Tips for using vertical videos in marketing
- Use vertical video on product pages
- Consider editing directly on social platforms
- Use vertical ads to show detail
- Adapt traditional advertising to the vertical format
These tips can help you incorporate vertical video content across your sales and marketing channels:
Use vertical video on product pages
High-quality product photography has long been a non-negotiable element of any ecommerce site. Mary Gui, founder of Sock Candy, recommends extending that to vertical video. “Now video is a lot more important than just pretty pictures,” she says on an episode of Shopify Masters.
Sock Candy incorporates vertical product demonstration videos and styling how-to videos on its product pages. This can be an efficient strategy from a production standpoint—shooting both product shots for the site and footage for social media at the same time can make your content creation budget go further.
Shopify templates support vertical product demo videos on product pages, and the Shop App supports shoppable vertical videos.
Consider editing directly on social platforms
Professional editing software can have a steep learning curve. On an episode of Shopify Masters, Dieux skin care cofounder Charlotte Palermino explains that she switched to editing her videos on TikTok, finding it better suited to editing vertical content than Adobe After Effects.
Using a social platform’s editing suite can be more user-friendly than tools built for professional video creators and can give you access to trending add-ons, sounds, and graphics.
Use vertical ads to show detail
The vertical video format can be particularly useful for zooming in on product details. Crispin Jones, founder of Mr. Jones Watches, says vertical video ads are a great way to showcase products. “Putting it on TikTok—the size of the phone screen and the closeness at which you’re looking at it—you get to see all those details straight away,” Crispin says on Shopify Masters.
@mrjoneswatches Blink and you'll miss it 👀 Powered by your movement, can you spot the hour flip on our jump hour watches? #watcheslover #watchcollector #watchcollection #watchmaker #horology ♬ original sound - Mr Jones Watches
Adapt traditional advertising to the vertical format
If you’re shooting with a traditional camera with a square format instead of on a phone, you can still ensure your finished video can be repurposed as vertical content. Shoot in 4K for maximum resolution and frame your subject in the center so that you can crop in to create vertical videos.
Vertical video FAQ
What is a vertical video?
A vertical video is formatted to be taller than it is wide (whereas horizontal videos are wider than they are tall). Most vertical videos are formatted for phone screens in a 9:16 aspect ratio.
Why do people like vertical videos?
People like vertical videos because they’re easy to view on a phone without rotating the screen. Most users browse their devices vertically, so the vertical video format has evolved to fit the user interface of a smartphone and allow for a seamless viewing experience.
How do I make my video vertical?
The easiest way to make your video vertical is to shoot it with a phone. If you’re shooting with a traditional camera instead of a phone but want to use the footage for multiple use cases, shoot in 4K for maximum resolution and frame your subject in the center so that you can crop it for social media but also use wider shots for other platforms.
