TikTok, Reels & Shorts

How to prepare videos for short platforms

TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are platforms where short vertical videos usually work best.

People watch these videos on a phone. Quickly. Often without much time to choose. That means the video should look right on the screen from the start: vertical format, a clear frame, a visible person or object, and no unnecessary empty space around the image.

ClipThemAll helps prepare videos for this format. You can convert a finished video into a vertical version or add vertical versions to AI clips if you want to publish them on TikTok, Reels and Shorts.

Why TikTok, Reels and Shorts need vertical video

Short video platforms are built around the phone.

A vertical video takes more screen space and feels natural in the feed. The viewer does not need to zoom in, rotate the phone or watch a small horizontal video window.

You can upload a horizontal video, but it often looks weaker. The person becomes smaller, details are harder to see, and empty areas can appear above and below the video. In fast social feeds, that matters: the viewer may simply scroll away.

A vertical version makes the video easier to watch and better suited for a mobile feed.

What ClipThemAll does for short platforms

ClipThemAll helps prepare videos for vertical format in two ways.

The first option is Vertical Conversion Only. You upload a finished video, and the service creates one vertical version from it.

The second option is Additional TikTok/Reels/Shorts version in AI Clip Creation. In this case, AI first selects strong moments and creates short clips. Then the service can prepare additional vertical versions of those clips.

In other words, you can either adapt the full video, or get vertical versions of already selected short clips.

When to choose Vertical Conversion Only

Choose Vertical Conversion Only if you already have a finished video and simply want to make it vertical.

For example, you may have an interview, podcast, presentation, lesson, family video or short clip. You are happy with the content. You do not need to choose anything inside the video. You only need to change the frame format so the video looks better on a phone.

In this mode, ClipThemAll does not search for the best moments and does not create an AI clip package. It works with the source video as finished material and creates a vertical version.

When to choose AI Clip Creation with vertical versions

Choose AI Clip Creation with the Additional TikTok/Reels/Shorts version option if you have a long video and want to get short clips for social media.

In this case, AI watches and listens to the video, looks for bright episodes, strong reactions, useful thoughts, emotional moments or fragments that can work well as short videos.

After that, the service can prepare vertical versions of the selected clips for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

This is useful if you have a long podcast, interview, webinar, lesson, YouTube video or family recording, but do not have time to manually search for the best moments and cut them in an editor.

How vertical framing works

To create a vertical video from a horizontal one, the service has to choose which part of the frame to keep.

A wide horizontal frame cannot be fully moved into a vertical format without compromise. Part of the image is usually cropped. This is a normal part of the process.

ClipThemAll uses simple framing options.

Simple center crop / No face tracking

Simple center crop is center framing.

The service takes the central part of the frame and turns it into a vertical version. This option works well when the main object is in the center and there is no need to follow a face or a person’s movement.

Smart face tracking

Smart face tracking helps keep the face or main person inside the frame.

This is useful for interviews, podcasts, lessons, expert videos, family videos and other clips where the main person should not be lost when the video is converted to vertical format.

If the source video is horizontal and the person is not exactly in the center, smart face tracking can make the result noticeably cleaner.

What videos work well for TikTok, Reels and Shorts

Videos work best when it is quickly clear what is happening.

For example, a person is speaking in the frame, or there is a clear emotion or reaction, and so on.

For short platforms, simplicity and clarity matter. The faster the viewer understands what is happening, the better.

What videos may look weaker

Some videos are harder to adapt for short platforms.

For example, if:

• important details are spread across the full width of the frame;
• there are many people in the frame and it is not clear who the main person is;
• the person is far away;
• the camera moves quickly;
• the video is dark or blurry;
• the sound is hard to hear;
• nothing happens for a long time.

In these cases, ClipThemAll can still prepare a vertical version, but the result will expectedly be less expressive.

Does the video need to be short?

TikTok, Reels and Shorts are usually associated with short videos. But this does not mean every fragment must be as short as possible.

Sometimes a quick emotional moment works best. Sometimes a slightly longer explanation works better. Sometimes it is a complete story or answer to a question.

If you use AI Clip Creation, you can choose the approximate clip length. The service will try to follow that preference, but it does not have to cut a good moment strictly by the second.

A clip should be clear and natural. That matters more than a perfectly even duration.

How preparing for TikTok, Reels and Shorts differs from regular video

Regular videos are often watched more carefully: on a computer, on YouTube, in a presentation or in a recorded lesson.

Short vertical platforms work differently. The viewer decides quickly. The video should be clear, noticeable and comfortable to watch on a phone from the first seconds.

That is why these things matter:

• vertical format;
• a clearly visible person or object;
• no unnecessary empty areas;
• clear sound;
• a fast start into the meaning;
• a bright or useful fragment.

ClipThemAll helps prepare videos for exactly this kind of use.

How this affects the price

The price depends on the video parameters and selected options.

The price can be affected by:

• video duration;
• video resolution;
• selected processing type;
• whether vertical versions are needed;
• use of Smart face tracking;
• processing volume.

After the file is uploaded, ClipThemAll automatically reads the video parameters and creates the order price.

This amount is the final service price from ClipThemAll for the selected order. During payment, the final amount may change only because of factors on the payment platform side, such as taxes that may be added automatically depending on the user’s country, payment method and payment provider rules.

A mandatory subscription is not required. You pay only for the selected processing of a specific video.

Frequently asked questions about TikTok, Reels and Shorts