Create and Optimize Vertical Videos on YouTube for Best Results

Nowadays, mobile devices are the primary way to watch and share content. Vertical videos have become hugely popular on YouTube, especially with the growth of short-form content. To grab attention and increase engagement, focusing on creating and optimizing vertical videos is key.

In this article, we’ll cover how to create and optimize vertical video on YouTube to achieve the best results.

What is a vertical video format

A vertical video format is a video orientation where the height of the video is greater than its width, typically with an aspect ratio of 9:16. This format matches how people naturally use their phones and tablets, making it great for capturing their attention. Unlike traditional landscape videos, vertical videos fill the screen when held in portrait mode. They are especially popular for social media and quick, engaging content.

What is the aspect ratio of vertical video on YouTube

YouTube favors vertical videos with an aspect ratio of 9:16, which means the video is 9 units tall for every 16 units wide. This format, often in 1080×1920 resolution, fills the entire screen on smartphones held upright. It improves the viewing experience by matching the way people hold their devices. This aspect ratio boosts engagement by maximizing screen coverage.



Purpose of vertical video on YouTube

Here's why vertical videos on YouTube are gaining popularity:

• Mobile optimization
• Vertical videos are tailored for smartphones held in portrait mode, offering a great fit for mobile screens. They enhance the viewing experience by fully utilizing the screen, ensuring content is perfectly displayed on smaller devices.
• Social media compatibility
• On social media, vertical videos often take center stage because they align with how users naturally hold their phones. This format allows viewers to watch and share content smoothly, fitting perfectly into the social media experience.
• Viewer engagement
• The full-screen vertical format fully utilizes the display area, drawing viewers' attention and making the content more engaging. By covering the entire screen, it creates an immersive experience that keeps viewers engaged longer.
• YouTube Shorts
• Vertical videos are an ideal choice for YouTube shorts, perfect for brief and engaging clips. This format makes videos more noticeable in feeds, allowing creators to craft impactful clips that quickly grab viewers' attention.
• Trend adaptation
• Embracing vertical videos helps creators stay up-to-date with current trends. Adapting to this format ensures content aligns with current viewing habits, maintaining relevance and audience interest in a fast-changing digital landscape.

Best practices for optimized vertical video on YouTube

To ensure your vertical videos stand out on YouTube, it's important to follow best practices for optimization. By adhering to specific guidelines, you can enhance your video's visibility, engagement, and overall impact. Let’s explore key strategies to optimize vertical videos:

1. Aspect ratio and resolution
2. Ensure your vertical videos are optimized for mobile viewing by using the correct aspect ratio and resolution. The ideal ratio is 9:16, and the recommended resolution is 1080x1920 pixels. This ensures your content looks sharp and fills the screen on mobile devices.
3. Eye-catching thumbnails
4. Even though vertical videos autoplay in feeds, a compelling thumbnail can still make a difference. Design a vibrant thumbnail that has clear text and showcases a key moment to attract clicks from viewers browsing through YouTube Shorts.
5. Engage with captions
6. Captions can significantly enhance engagement, especially when viewers are watching without sound. Include dynamic, easy-to-read captions that highlight key points or add context to the video. This also makes your content more accessible to a broader audience.
7. Utilize YouTube Short features
8. Take advantage of "YouTube Shorts" specific features, such as the ability to add music, text, or filters directly within the platform. These tools can help enhance your video, making it more engaging and likely to be featured or shared.
9. Mobile-friendly text and graphics
10. When adding text or graphics to your vertical video, ensure they are large enough to be easily read on smaller screens. Use bold fonts, contrasting colors, and minimal text to make your content visually appealing and easy to follow on mobile devices.

Create vertical video for YouTube with a click: CapCut desktop

CapCut desktop video editor is a powerful tool that makes creating vertical videos for YouTube easy and quick. With its intuitive interface, you can adjust your video to the perfect aspect ratio for every social media platform with just one click. This tool is ideal for content creators who want to simplify their editing process while maintaining high-quality output.



Key features

• Preset aspect ratios
• CapCut offers various preset aspect ratios, making it easy to select the right one for your project, whether it's for YouTube, Instagram, or other platforms.
• Custom aspect ratio
• You can manually set a custom aspect ratio, giving you full control over resizing video dimensions to suit specific requirements.
• Automatic cropping
• CapCut can automatically reframe video content to fit the selected aspect ratio, ensuring that important elements remain visible without manual adjustments.
• Background options
• When changing the aspect ratio, you can add backgrounds like blur, color, or images to fill the empty spaces, enhancing the video's overall appearance.
• Aspect ratio switching
• Easily switch between different aspect ratios during editing to see how your video looks in various formats, allowing for quick comparisons and adjustments.

How to create vertical videos for YouTube with the "Ratio" tool

First, click the button below to download the CapCut if it’s not already installed on your device. Then, follow the setup instructions to complete the installation and start using the software.

Step
1. Upload video
2. Open CapCut and select the "Import" option. Select the video file you want to work on and add it.
3. 

   

Step
4. Convert to vertical format and fine-tune
5. To begin converting your video to a vertical format, first, select "Ratio" to change the video canvas from horizontal to vertical.
6. Next, navigate to the "Basic" section and select "Auto reframe." Within this option, choose the 9:16 ratio, which is ideal for a vertical screen layout. You can also do so by selecting the "Resize" option located above the timeline. This ensures that your video will fill the entire vertical screen without any black bars or cropping.
7. 

   

Step
8. Export and share to YouTube

Once you’re satisfied with your video, click the export button to save it. Choose your video file's best quality, resolution, format, frame rate, etc. Then, click "Export" to save the video on your device and directly share it to your YouTube channel.



How to create vertical videos for YouTube with the "Long video to shorts" tool

Transforming your longer videos into engaging vertical shorts for YouTube has never been easier, thanks to CapCut's "Long video to shorts" tool. Follow these simple steps to quickly create attention-grabbing content that's ready to be shared with your audience.

Step
1. Access the converter
2. Begin by launching CapCut on your PC. On the main interface, locate the "Long video to shorts" tool, typically displayed prominently for easy access. Click on it and upload the video you want to transform into vertical shorts.
3. 

   

Step
4. Set video length and convert
5. Once your video is uploaded, you'll have the option to set the length of the short videos. You can choose the "Auto" setting, which intelligently selects the best segments for you. After setting the length, click on the "Convert" button. In just a few seconds, CapCut will generate four different vertical videos from your original footage.
6. 

   

Step
7. Export or share

You can edit your vertical shorts for YouTube and ready for immediate export, helping you quickly share engaging content with your audience.



Conclusion

In conclusion, vertical videos on YouTube are a powerful method for engaging your audience, especially when optimized for mobile devices. Incorporating vertical video into your marketing strategy can enhance the interactivity and appeal of your content. YouTube Shorts demonstrate the effectiveness of this format in capturing attention and driving engagement.

If you want to create and edit YouTube Shorts or videos, the CapCut desktop video editor is the top choice. It allows you to adjust the aspect ratio efficiently to ensure your content performs optimally on YouTube.

FAQs

1. How to convert a video to YouTube dimensions?
2. To convert a video to YouTube dimensions, use an editor like CapCut desktop video editor. Set the aspect ratio to 16:9 for standard YouTube videos or 9:16 for YouTube Shorts, then adjust the resolution to match your desired quality (e.g., 1080p).
3. How do I upload a vertical video on YouTube?
4. To upload a vertical video on YouTube, simply log in to your account and click the upload button. Select your vertical video file and ensure it meets YouTube's aspect ratio requirements (9:16). You can easily create and edit vertical videos using tools like CapCut desktop video editor, which allows you to export directly in the vertical format for smooth uploading.
5. What is the size of a vertical video for YouTube Short?
6. The size of a vertical video for YouTube Shorts should have a 9:16 aspect ratio, typically with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. This ensures optimal display and full-screen viewing on mobile devices. For creating vertical videos, consider using the CapCut desktop video editor.