Vertical video · Mac and iPhone
Convert a horizontal video to vertical and keep your face in frame
Every platform wants a different shape, and cropping by hand usually cuts off the one thing that matters: your head. Make Vertical follows your face with on-device face detection, so the crop decides which slice of the width to keep.
Captions stay inside the new frame, anchored titles and callouts adjust to the canvas, and the platform preset sets the exact output size, so the first export is ready to post.
- Mac and iPhone
- Free, with Pro export extras
Quick answer
To convert a horizontal video to vertical, run Zella's Make Vertical on Mac or iPhone: it turns a horizontal or square video into 9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts and tracks your face so the crop keeps you in frame. On the Mac you can also pick a target in the sidebar's PLATFORM list and choose Fill or Fit with a crop offset. Vertical exports at 1080×1920 are free and watermark-free; Zella Pro adds 4K and the multi-aspect queue, which renders 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 from one edit in a single action.
How to do it in Zella
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Step 1: Finish the edit
Cut, caption and grade in the original shape, or reframe first if most of your finishing work is for the vertical version.
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Step 2: Run Make Vertical
On iPhone it is one tap; on the Mac it is in the sidebar's OFTEN band. Zella switches to a 9:16 canvas, crops to fill and tracks your face.
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Step 3: Mac: fine-tune the crop
In the PLATFORM list, choose Fill to crop or Fit to add bars, then nudge the crop offset. Keep Face Centered pans the crop to follow you.
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Step 4: Check captions and titles
Captions stay inside the frame; raise their size for a phone screen and check any title placed near the edges.
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Step 5: Export with a preset
Pick the TikTok / Reels / Shorts preset for 1080×1920. With Pro, the multi-aspect queue also renders 1:1 and 16:9 from the same edit.
Why do it this way
Face-aware, on the device
Vision face detection tracks you as you move, on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs and on iPhone, with nothing uploaded.
Record vertical from the start on the Mac
Draw a 9:16 Region before recording and the export is aimed at TikTok and Reels from the first frame.
One edit, every shape with Pro
The multi-aspect queue renders 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 as three files in one action, then puts the editor back exactly as it was.
What you need
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later (Apple Silicon or Intel), or iPhone on iOS 18 or later
- Free on every tier: Make Vertical, face tracking and 1080×1920 export, no watermark, up to 2 minutes
- Zella Pro ($89 once, Mac and iPhone) for 4K, 60 fps, the multi-aspect queue and exports over 2 minutes
Questions
How do I keep my face in frame when going vertical?
Use Make Vertical, which tracks your face as you move. On the Mac, Keep Face Centered does the same for any reframe, and the crop offset handles fixed framing.
What is the difference between Fill and Fit?
Fill crops from the centre to fill the 9:16 frame, so the edges may be cut. Fit keeps the whole picture and adds bars. Fill suits talking heads; Fit suits full app screens.
Do my captions overflow when I reframe?
No. Captions stay inside the reframed frame. Set their size and position for the new shape.
Can I export 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 at once?
Yes, with Zella Pro: the multi-aspect queue renders all three from one edit. On the free tier, change the platform and export again.
What resolution do vertical exports use?
The TikTok, Reels and Shorts presets export 1080×1920 for free. 4K export is part of Zella Pro.
Related tools
Read the manual