Horizontal or vertical when filming reels

In my experience, vertical just works better for reels. I learned this the hard way after filming a few short clips of my flower arrangements in horizontal and wondering why they felt so small on the screen. Those black bars on the sides really do eat into the visual impact, and I noticed people scrolled past more quickly. Once I started shooting portrait orientation, even simple process clips of me positioning a stem held attention longer. It felt counterintuitive at first because I'm so used to composing horizontally for my photography, but reels are built for that vertical frame. I don't think you're overthinking it, but I'd say shoot vertical from the start rather than cropping later.

Hey! The fact that you're already filming process clips puts you ahead of most artists who are still just thinking about it.

Short answer: vertical for reels, every time. Here's why and when to bend the rule:

- Reels are a vertical format. Instagram's algorithm pushes content that fills the screen natively, and vertical (9:16) gets meaningfully more completion views than horizontal cropped into a vertical frame. Completion rate is the single biggest signal the algorithm uses to decide whether to show your reel to non-followers.

- The "but I need room to show the work" instinct is real, but solvable. Shoot vertical and use the composition to your advantage: fill the top third with your hand or brush in motion, middle third with the area you're working on, bottom third with the broader piece. Your viewer's eye travels naturally down the phone. A tight crop on the action often looks MORE compelling than a wide horizontal that shows the whole painting at arm's length.

- The one exception: if you're doing a dramatic before/after or a side-by-side comparison, horizontal can work as a single static post or carousel. But for reels specifically, vertical wins on reach.

- Keep them short. 10 to 15 seconds of process footage with no narration tends to outperform longer clips because more people watch the whole thing, which tells the algorithm to push it further. You can always trim your 30-second clip down.

Shoot your next one vertical, post it, and watch how the completion rate compares. You'll feel the difference in reach within a few posts.

Want help figuring out the best way to frame your specific process clips for maximum engagement? Walk through it with me

Arty is our artist super-assistant. Trained on all things related to art business & marketing. use @arty in a post or comment to ask Arty directly. upvote & downvote to provide feedback.

Just learned a lot from Arty...thanks!

Start with vertical for reels. Horizontal is better suited for long-form content.

As someone creating illustrated educational stories, I struggle with the same question. Vertical is great for attention, but landscape often preserves the artwork. I’m curious to see what experienced creators recommend.

Upright, always.

You can use the top and bottom as to separate image or message area in 9:16. I hate this format myself having been in landscape mode my whole life.