 With the advent of the mobile phone the video world has seen quite the transformation. Gone are the days of the standard aspect ratio being only 16:9. Just like in 2006 when the 16:9 format hastened the elimination of the 4:3 format, today's vertical formats (9:16, 2:3, 4:5 and 1:1) often trump 16:9. But, as I consume video content on my mobile device, I see a lot of creators not really understanding the difference between these new formats and how to best use them. I hope I can shed a little light on each format here and share a few tips where it is best to use each and why. The bottom line when creating video for social sites is to think about which format the creator is using and where the video will be posted. Too often I see a video on a social site where some of the important content is either cropped, hidden by the site's overlaid icons and text, or simply does not leverage the site's unique aspect ratio. This experience both hurts the brand's image, and decreases viewer engagement. Though some formats will work on all sites (16:9 as one example), there are optimum formats for each site. If a creator really wants their message to be fully heard and seen they best understand the difference between the sites and implement mobile video best practices. There are generally five main format aspect ratios available. They are defined below (and the associated sites):
What often happens is the one-size-fits-all approach, where a video creator posts a single 9:16 version across all their sites, not thinking about the unique aspect ratios that work best for each site. Below is an example of how that would manifest. To demonstrate this we cut together a 9:16 version of one of our book trailers, "Walking in Mud," without any consideration for text placement or site aspect ratio.
9:16 Original Video
Now, check out the videos below when done right. We have cut together the same trailer, but this time we have taken into consideration each site's optimized video format. Notice the difference? We resized each video so there is no odd cropping and aligned the caption so it is free and clear of any site overlays. A professional, quality experience where the video displays as it was originally created.
At Moblio we do this for all of our client's trailers, creating distinct versions that display correctly across the entire social media ecosphere. Their stories, done right.
Keeping in mind each social site's video aspect ratio standard before you create your content will serve you and your clients well. (See our reference list here that outlines all the formats and which to post where).
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