The Format Problem
You filmed horizontal (16:9) because "that's what YouTube uses."
Then TikTok exploded. Now you need vertical (9:16). But your subject is cut off. The framing is wrong. You can't use the footage.
You're locked into the wrong format.
The Studio Secret
Major studios don't shoot in 16:9. They shoot in 4:3 or even taller (like IMAX 1.43:1).
Why? Future-proofing.
When you shoot in a taller aspect ratio, you can crop to:
- 16:9 for YouTube
- 9:16 for TikTok/Reels
- 1:1 for Instagram
- 4:5 for Instagram Reels
You captured everything. Now you just choose what to show.
The Framing Shift
If you're shooting specifically for multi-platform:
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Frame in the middle 4:3 zone. Keep your subject and key elements in the center. Don't use the edges of the 16:9 frame.
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Leave headroom. When cropping to 9:16, you'll lose the sides but gain height. Make sure there's space above and below.
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Shoot slightly wider. This gives you room to reposition in post without losing quality.
The Editing Workflow
Once you have the master file, you need to:
- Duplicate the project
- Change the aspect ratio
- Adjust every clip's position/scale
- Re-export
For 5 formats, this is hours of manual work.
The Agentic Shortcut
What if you could say:
"Export this video in 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, and 4:5 with the subject centered in each"
And the AI:
- Detects where the subject is
- Auto-crops to each ratio
- Keeps the subject centered
- Exports all versions
This is what next-gen editors enable. Cubix can process multi-aspect ratio exports conversationally. No manual repositioning. No guesswork.
The Platform-Specific Optimizations
Each platform has nuances:
YouTube (16:9): Wider framing. Room for graphics on the sides. TikTok (9:16): Taller. Captions at the top. Keep faces centered. Instagram Feed (1:1): Square. Balanced composition. Instagram Reels (4:5): Slightly taller. Space for UI at the top/bottom.
Manually optimizing for each is tedious. AI-assisted cropping handles it intelligently.
The Long-Term Play
Shooting tall and editing wide is the strategy top creators are adopting.
You're not guessing which platform will win. You're covered for all of them.
And with agentic tools handling the reformatting, you're not paying the time tax.