Crop and Reframe Video for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts
Turn horizontal footage into a vertical 9:16 video without squashing it or losing the subject. Crop to any aspect ratio, position the frame where you want it, and export at full resolution on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
You filmed horizontal, and every short-form platform wants vertical. The Photos app crops from the centre, which is rarely where you are standing. Most editors either stretch the footage, pillar-box it with black bars, or make you rebuild the project at a new resolution.
BlitzCut lets you set the aspect ratio for a project and drag the visible frame to wherever the subject actually is. Crop to 9:16 for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts, 1:1 for feed posts, or 16:9 for YouTube — from the same footage, without re-encoding twice or losing resolution.
Everything you need for crop & reframe
Every short-form ratio
9:16 for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts; 4:5 and 1:1 for feed; 16:9 for YouTube and course video.
Manual frame positioning
Move the crop to follow the subject instead of cropping from the centre of the frame.
Safe-zone overlay
See which parts of the frame platform buttons and captions will cover before exporting.
Full-quality export
Resolution up to the original file, with HDR preserved — cropping doesn't cost you quality.
How crop & reframe works
Three steps from raw footage to finished video.
Pick your aspect ratio
9:16, 1:1, 4:5, or 16:9 — set it for the project or change it before export.
Position the frame
Drag the crop window to keep your face or subject centred instead of accepting a centre crop.
Export at full resolution
Safe-zone preview shows what platform UI will cover, then export up to original quality.
Safe-zone preview shows where captions and platform buttons land before you export.
Reframe without losing quality or the subject
- 9:16, 4:5, 1:1, and 16:9 from the same source footage
- Drag the crop window — no forced centre crop
- Safe-zone preview for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts UI
- Exports up to original resolution, no upscaling or black bars
Built for creators like you
Repurposing horizontal video
Turn a YouTube upload, webinar, or Zoom recording into vertical clips for short-form.
One shoot, every platform
Export 9:16, 1:1, and 16:9 from the same edit instead of re-cutting per platform.
Fixing off-centre framing
Recover a shot where you stood to one side of the frame without reshooting.
Try every feature free
Free 3-day trial, then plans from $6.99/week. Cancel anytime — no commitment.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I crop a video to 9:16 without losing quality?
- Crop from footage that is at least 1080p and export at original resolution rather than a fixed preset. A 4K horizontal clip cropped to 9:16 still leaves roughly 1080x1920 of real pixels, so there is nothing to upscale. Quality loss happens when an editor re-encodes at a lower resolution or stretches the frame to fit — BlitzCut does neither.
- What aspect ratio should I use for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts?
- 9:16 (1080x1920) for all three. It fills the screen on every one of them and is what each platform recommends. Use 1:1 or 4:5 only for Instagram feed posts, and 16:9 for YouTube long-form.
- Can I crop horizontal video to vertical without black bars?
- Yes. Black bars appear when an editor fits the whole horizontal frame inside a vertical canvas. Cropping instead takes a vertical slice out of the horizontal frame, so the video fills the screen. You lose the sides of the shot, which is why being able to position the crop window matters.
- Does cropping change the resolution of my video?
- It changes the pixel dimensions, because you're keeping less of the frame. A 3840x2160 clip cropped to 9:16 gives you 1215x2160. Export at original quality and that stays sharp on any phone.
Reframe any video for vertical
Crop horizontal footage to 9:16 and keep your subject in frame. Free 3-day trial.
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