# Turn horizontal video into a vertical clip.

CastCuts converts a selected 1–90 second excerpt from a landscape video into a 9:16 portrait MP4. Choose a fixed crop to fill the portrait frame or keep the full original composition inside the vertical output. Preview the layout, add an opening headline and export at 720 × 1280.

For podcasters and educators adapting landscape recordings for Shorts, Reels and TikTok.

## Crop to portrait or preserve the full frame?

A fixed portrait crop can work for a speaker who stays in one place. It can also hide the interviewer, a hand gesture or the edge of a diagram. The full-frame layout preserves the original composition inside the portrait output, making it a useful choice when the relationship between two speakers matters more than a close-up. Preview both approaches for the moment you selected.

- Choose fixed crop for an excerpt whose subject stays inside the selected frame.

- Choose full frame when both sides of a conversation need to remain visible.

- For a dense slide or screen share, confirm that the essential detail can still be read on a phone.

## Reframing is different from rotating a video

Changing a landscape recording into a portrait clip rearranges how its content fits the output. Rotating the picture sideways will not make the conversation easier to watch. CastCuts keeps the video upright while you choose framing for the excerpt. It does not reconstruct content missing from the original or turn a low-detail recording into a high-resolution one.

## Keep speech and text inside the useful frame

Pick a complete 1–90 second passage and add a brief opening headline. For English speech, automatic transcription can provide timed captions after processing finishes. Review the names and words, choose a readable size and inspect the actual rendered MP4. A crop that works at the first frame may lose a person when they lean sideways, so check the whole excerpt.

## Know what this converter exports

The output is a vertical 720 × 1280 H.264/AAC MP4 for manual download and publishing. CastCuts is designed for individual short clips, not whole-episode portrait exports or a choice of square and landscape output formats. Presenter/whiteboard framing remains a limited preview; the generally available choices are fixed crop and full frame. Free exports include branding; Pro costs $9 USD per month for clean new renders.

## Questions before you start

### Can I convert horizontal video to vertical without cropping?

Yes. The full-frame layout preserves the original composition inside the vertical output. That preserves the picture, but it does not enlarge every detail to fill a portrait screen. Check the render for small faces, slides and text.

### Will the vertical crop automatically follow a moving speaker?

The generally available crop is fixed. Review the whole excerpt to make sure the speaker stays visible. Presenter/whiteboard framing remains a limited preview and should not be assumed available for every account.

### Can I export a whole two-hour video in 9:16?

You may upload a source up to two hours and 512 MiB, but each exported clip must be 1–90 seconds. Output is 720 × 1280. Download clips before the 24-hour media retention period ends, on Free or Pro.

## Try your recording

[Create a free account](https://castcuts.co/account) · [See Free and $9/month Pro](https://castcuts.co/pricing)

Both plans: 1–90 second clips, 720 × 1280 MP4, up to 10 episodes, 4 GiB storage, 10 clips per episode, sources up to 512 MiB/two hours. Media expires after 24 hours. Pro removes CastCuts branding from new renders; it does not raise limits or queue priority. Monthly renewal until canceled; no voluntary refunds except where required by law.

[Clips without a watermark](https://castcuts.co/podcast-clips-without-watermark)

[Compare with OpusClip](https://castcuts.co/opus-clip-alternative)

[Turn webinars into Shorts](https://castcuts.co/webinar-to-shorts)

[YouTube videos to Shorts](https://castcuts.co/youtube-to-shorts)

[Podcast clips with captions](https://castcuts.co/podcast-clips-with-captions)

[Interview highlights to Shorts](https://castcuts.co/interview-to-shorts)

[Podcast moments worth sharing](https://castcuts.co/podcast-highlight-finder)

[Podcast-to-Shorts guide](https://castcuts.co/guides/podcast-to-youtube-shorts)

Last reviewed: 2026-10-18.