Record for Shorts, Reels and TikTok from your Mac
Frame vertical video with a 9:16 guide while you record on a Mac with a DJI Osmo Pocket, so one 4K take works for YouTube, Shorts, Reels and TikTok.
By Kerim Embel, maker of Pocketframe3 min read
Quick answer
Turn on the 9:16 guide in Pocketframe, keep yourself and anything important inside it, and record in 4K. The same horizontal take crops cleanly to vertical for Shorts, Reels and TikTok.
What you need
- Pocketframe Pro for the 9:16 guide and 4K
- A DJI Osmo Pocket
- A video editor that can crop to 9:16
Recording one video for YouTube and another for Shorts doubles the work. If you frame with both in mind, one take can do both: record horizontally in 4K, and crop the vertical version from the middle.
Frame for both
- Step 1: Turn on the 9:16 guideOpen the Guide menu under the preview and choose 9:16 Frame. Two lines show the part a vertical crop keeps.
- Step 2: Stay inside the linesKeep your face, your hands and anything you show inside the guide. Leave a little room above your head for captions and the app's buttons.
- Step 3: Record in 4KA 4K frame still gives the vertical crop plenty of detail.
- Step 4: Crop in your editorExport the full frame for YouTube, and a 9:16 crop from the center for Shorts, Reels and TikTok.
Or shoot vertical
If a video is only for Shorts, Reels or TikTok, turn the Pocket itself to vertical. Pocketframe turns with it: the window becomes a tall 9:16 frame with the tools in a side rail, the notch panel shows a vertical preview, and recordings come out 1080 by 1920. Turn the camera back and the window returns to its landscape size.
Questions
Does the 9:16 guide change the recording?
No. It is an overlay on the preview. The recording keeps the full frame, so you decide on the crop later.
Should I crop from 4K or turn the Pocket vertical?
Crop from 4K when one take needs to work for YouTube and Shorts. Turn the Pocket vertical when the video is only for vertical feeds, so the whole frame is yours.