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ClipFlow

Crop Video for Social Media

Reshape a video for a specific platform without stretching it or adding black bars.

Social format

How to use it

  1. 1Upload the video you want to reshape (up to 500 MB).
  2. 2Pick the target ratio: 9:16, 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9.
  3. 3Start the job — we centre crop and re-encode.
  4. 4Download the result within 30 minutes.

What makes this one different

Crop, never stretch

We cut the frame down to the target ratio from the centre. The subject keeps its real proportions — unlike a scale-to-fit, which distorts faces.

The four ratios that matter

9:16 for Reels, TikTok and Shorts. 4:5 for the Instagram feed, where it occupies the most screen. 1:1 for grid-safe square posts. 16:9 for YouTube and the web.

Even dimensions guaranteed

H.264 requires even width and height. Our crop expression rounds down to even numbers so the encode never fails on an odd pixel.

Formats and technical details

Accepted input
MP4, MOV, WebM and similar, up to 500 MB
Ratios
9:16 (Story/Reel), 1:1 (Square), 4:5 (Feed), 16:9 (Landscape)
Crop position
Centre
Output
MP4, H.264 CRF 20, AAC 160 kbps
Retention
30 minutes, then deleted

What people use it for

  • Turning a landscape interview into a vertical clip for Reels or Shorts.
  • Making a 4:5 version of a 1:1 post so it takes more feed space.
  • Preparing one shoot for several platforms without re-exporting from your editor.

Limitations worth knowing

  • The crop is centred; you cannot reposition the crop window yet.
  • Cropping discards pixels, so a heavy crop of a low-resolution source will look soft.
  • Free uploads are capped at 500 MB per file.

Why cropping beats scaling for social video

Turning a 16:9 video into 9:16 by scaling either squashes it horizontally or leaves large black bars. Both look amateurish in a feed built for full-bleed vertical playback.

Cropping keeps the pixels in the middle of the frame at their original density. You lose the sides, which is why it is worth shooting slightly wide when you know a vertical version is coming.

What each platform actually shows

Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts play 9:16 full-screen. The Instagram feed allows up to 4:5, and anything taller is cropped by the platform itself.

Cropping deliberately, before upload, is always better than letting a platform crop for you — the platform does not know where your subject is.

Frequently asked questions

Which ratio should I use?

9:16 for Reels, TikTok and Shorts; 4:5 for the Instagram feed because it takes the most vertical space allowed; 1:1 when your grid needs to stay square; 16:9 for YouTube and websites.

Can I move the crop area?

Not yet — the crop is taken from the centre of the frame. If your subject sits well off-centre, reframe in your editor first.

Will cropping lower the resolution?

Cropping removes pixels around the edges, so the output has smaller dimensions than the input. A 1920×1080 file cropped to 9:16 becomes 608×1080.

Is this different from resizing?

Yes. Resizing scales the whole frame and keeps everything in shot. Cropping changes the shape by cutting parts away.

Related tools

What people usually do next.

Resize VideoScale an oversized video down to a web-friendly width without distorting it.Trim Video OnlineSet an exact start and end point while previewing the video, then download just that section.Instagram Reels DownloaderPaste a public Reel link and save the full vertical video, or extract only its audio track.

Centre crop to 9:16, 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9. Nothing is stretched.