Wide vs Vertical Video
When crafting videos for your brand, it's crucial to consider the platforms where you'll distribute them. This decision may influence the video format you choose for exporting.
Vertical videos have become increasingly popular on IG with reels and now even Facebook as well as Youtube with shorts in the same format.
On the flip side, if you plan on uploading videos to your YouTube, posting on your website or even considering creating a video longer than one minute and thirty seconds, you may want to consider asking your video production company to shoot in a wide aspect ratio.
With wide video you still can explore the option of creating vertical videos from your wide angle videos, but it may come at the expense of some image quality.
Me personally, I’m still a wide shooter as I feel everything in the frame is important to tell a story but you must do the research and figure out what would be best for you in your business.
Lets explore the differences and similarities of wide and vertical videos
1.**Aspect Ratio:**
Wide videos typically have a landscape orientation with a wider aspect ratio, such as 16:9. This format is well-suited for traditional screens like TVs, computers, and YouTube. The wide aspect ratio lends itself well to cinematic storytelling, allowing filmmakers to create visually immersive experiences. Wide shots can capture expansive landscapes, dynamic action sequences, and detailed compositions with greater clarity and depth.
Vertical videos, on the other hand, have a portrait orientation with a taller aspect ratio, often around 9:16. This format is optimized for mobile devices and social media platforms like Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and TikTok.
2. **Viewing Experience:**
Wide videos offer a panoramic view that can capture more horizontal elements in the frame. They are ideal for showcasing landscapes, group shots, and action scenes. Imagine watching a wide video showcasing a breathtaking aerial view of a picturesque countryside. As the video begins, viewers are immediately enveloped in the expansive landscape, with rolling hills, lush greenery, and winding rivers stretching across the horizon. In summary, the viewing experience for wide video is characterized by its immersive environment, cinematic grandeur, captivating visuals, narrative depth, and ability to engage and connect with audiences. It offers a panoramic journey into the visual narrative, inviting viewers to explore and appreciate the beauty of the world around them.
Vertical videos provide a more immersive experience on mobile devices, filling the screen vertically and requiring less rotation. They are great for capturing portraits, close-ups, and user-generated content. They are tailored to the way people naturally interact with their smartphones, making them ideal for consumption on mobile devices. Whether scrolling through social media feeds or browsing websites, users can easily view vertical videos without having to rotate their devices.
3. **Engagement and Attention:**
Wide videos may struggle to maintain viewer engagement on mobile platforms, where users are accustomed to vertical scrolling. Unlike vertical videos that seamlessly fit into the natural flow of mobile browsing, wide videos may require viewers to rotate their devices or engage in awkward horizontal scrolling, disrupting the user experience. This inconvenience can lead to shorter viewing durations and decreased engagement levels, particularly among mobile audiences who prioritize convenience and seamless browsing. However, they can convey a sense of professionalism and cinematic quality.
Vertical videos are optimized for mobile consumption, capitalizing on the natural way users hold their devices. They tend to grab attention more effectively on social media feeds, where vertical scrolling is the norm.
4. **Platform Compatibility:**
- Wide videos are suitable for various platforms, including YouTube, Vimeo, and websites, where viewers expect a landscape viewing experience.
- YouTube: As one of the largest video-sharing platforms globally, YouTube supports wide videos as a standard format. The platform's interface is optimized for landscape viewing, with the video player occupying the central portion of the screen. Wide videos fill the player without letterboxing or cropping, providing viewers with a seamless and immersive viewing experience. Content creators on YouTube often produce wide videos for a diverse range of content, including vlogs, tutorials, music videos, and more.
- Vimeo: Similarly to YouTube, Vimeo caters to a wide range of content creators and viewers who appreciate high-quality video content. The platform supports wide videos, allowing creators to showcase their work in its intended format. Whether it's independent films, documentaries, or promotional videos, wide videos on Vimeo benefit from the platform's emphasis on visual quality and artistic expression. Viewers can enjoy these videos in full-screen mode, maximizing the impact of the cinematic experience.
- Websites: Wide videos are commonly embedded on websites to enhance user engagement and convey information effectively. From corporate websites to e-commerce platforms, businesses utilize wide videos to showcase products, highlight services, and tell their brand story. Wide videos provide a visually compelling way to capture the attention of website visitors and communicate key messages. Whether autoplaying on the homepage or integrated into product pages, these videos contribute to a dynamic and immersive web experience.
- Vertical videos are specifically tailored for mobile-first platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, where users primarily access content on their smartphones.
- Mobile-Centric User Base: Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are highly popular social media platforms, with the majority of their users accessing content via smartphones. Vertical videos cater to the mobile-centric behavior of these users, aligning seamlessly with the way people naturally hold and interact with their phones.
- Optimized User Experience: Vertical videos offer an optimized viewing experience on mobile devices, filling the entire screen and maximizing screen real estate. This immersive presentation captivates users and encourages them to engage with the content without the need for horizontal scrolling or device rotation.
5. **Content Adaptability:**
To adapt a wide video to a vertical format, portions of the original image may need to be cropped out. This cropping process eliminates content from the sides of the frame, potentially resulting in the loss of essential visual information or impactful elements. For example, significant details or subjects positioned at the edges of the frame may be cut off, altering the composition and narrative of the video.
Vertical videos can be adapted for wide formats by adding additional visual elements, such as graphics, text overlays, or background imagery, are added to the sides of the original vertical video. These supplementary elements not only enhance the visual presentation but also contribute to the storytelling and engagement of the content.
In Conclusion
Despite their differences, both wide and vertical videos have their place in modern video production and marketing strategies. The choice between the two depends on factors such as target audience, platform preferences, and the intended message of the video content.
I hope these facts are helpful when investing in your professional videography. As the owner of a video production company, my primary objective is to offer services and products that cater to your needs and bring you tangible benefits. I firmly believe that your success translates directly into mine. Whether you're a small business owner or a marketing manager at a Fortune 500 company, understanding the distinction between wide and vertical aspect ratios is crucial for enhancing your video production choices. If you have any queries regarding packages that align with your current requirements, don't hesitate to contact us at www.blendzmedia.com..