Aspect Ratio Guide for AI Social Videos

Aspect ratio should be decided before generation, not after. Cropping an AI video later can remove the subject, hide important motion, or make artifacts more visible.

Use 16:9 for YouTube, landing pages, product demos, webinars, presentations, and widescreen explainers. This format gives the model room for horizontal camera movement and environmental detail. It works well for cinematic scenes, product showcases, and tutorial clips.

Use 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and mobile-first ads. Vertical video needs a stronger central subject because viewers have less horizontal context. Prompts should mention vertical framing, close-up composition, or centered subject when needed.

Use 1:1 for feed posts, compact product previews, community updates, and places where the video will appear inside a card. Square clips should avoid wide camera moves because important details can leave the frame quickly.

When using image-to-video, match the source image to the target ratio. A wide landscape photo forced into vertical output may crop the subject. A portrait image expanded into 16:9 may create unstable background edges.

Think about overlays before generating. Captions, buttons, logos, and product labels need safe space. For social content, leave clean space near the top or bottom if the platform interface covers part of the video.

The best ratio is the one that matches the final viewing context. A technically strong clip can still fail if it was generated for the wrong screen.