9:16, 1:1 or 16:9: Which Format for AI Video Content?

Cropping a 16:9 master to 9:16 automatically does not always give a good vertical video. The character’s face, the product, the logo, on-screen text, the direction of movement or the key action can fall outside the frame. That is why format belongs at the start of an AI video project, in the brief, the storyboard and the scene design, not at the end.

The main formats

Thinking in 16:9 for the main film

16:9 suits a horizontal visual world and the relationships between several characters and places. In a music video it lets cinematic camera moves, a wide location or the character’s surroundings lead. In a commercial it builds a horizontal relationship between the product and its world.

If the main subject sits too close to the edge of a 16:9 scene, the 9:16 crop becomes hard. When a campaign will deliver several formats from the start, safe areas and alternative framings should be written into the storyboard.

Planning a 9:16 vertical video

A phone screen is watched fast. Motion, a face, the product or one clear visual idea should appear in the first seconds. Areas that captions and the app interface may cover need to be planned for, and the character or product should not drift away from the centre without a reason.

A vertical video does not have to be a narrowed version of the horizontal film. Separate shots, different shot sizes and a different editing rhythm can be produced from the same production world. In AI commercials especially, this makes the short versions work harder.

When to use 1:1 and 4:5

Square and 4:5 formats show a product, an artist or one visual idea in a balanced way inside a social feed. 4:5 gives more vertical space on a mobile screen; 1:1 is practical for covers, feeds and some platform placements.

Multi-format delivery from one production

There are three ways to deliver several formats. The first is to produce the main film and crop it afterwards: quick, but it risks losing the frame. The second is to generate the same scene with different safe areas: a more controlled result. The third keeps the main idea and produces separate short shots for each platform: it widens the campaign, but needs more budget and approval time.

Leopati’s AI commercial production page explains how a main edit, vertical, square and short social cut-downs come out of one production, and why the formats are set at the brief. For music videos, the AI music video service includes teasers and platform deliveries.

A watch page for every video

For video search, each important video does best on its own watch page whose main purpose is to show that one video. That is why every major Leopati project has a case study page with one main video, a poster, a written description and correct VideoObject data.

FAQ

Can every format come out of one video? It can, but the best results come when the formats are planned from the start.

Is a 9:16 video just a crop? No. The vertical frame and the first second often need a different edit.

Can an AI music video include a Canvas loop or a teaser? Yes. If they are in the release plan, loops and short cut-downs can be produced from the main visual world.

What goes into a format brief? Platform, aspect ratio, length, captions, safe area, resolution, delivery date and the number of variations.

Related: Spotify Canvas and short loops for an AI music video · AI music video deliverables