Library
Guides
Long-form notes from the same desk that measures the overlays. These articles are meant to be useful if you never open the studio: pixel math, crop method, caption collisions, and why a 16:9 centre crop fails on a phone. Last reviewed 28 August 2026.
Comparison guide · 28 August 2026
TikTok vs Reels vs Shorts: where the overlays actually differ
A measured comparison of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts UI overlays on a 1080×1920 canvas — caption wells, action rails, and where on-screen type survives.
11 min read
Technique · 28 August 2026
How to crop 16:9 to 9:16 without cutting faces
A practical method for converting landscape video to 9:16 vertical: pan per shot, avoid centre-crop accidents, and know when blur padding is the better master.
10 min read
Instagram · 28 August 2026
Instagram Story vs Reel safe zones
Stories and Reels are both 1080×1920, but the progress bars, reply field, caption well, and tab bar do not match. Here is what to keep clear on each.
9 min read
Paid social · 28 August 2026
Meta ad placements and the 9:16 safe zone
Where Meta draws sponsored labels, profile rows, and CTA buttons on 9:16 placements — and how to proof a creative before you spend.
10 min read
Typography · 28 August 2026
Why captions cover on-screen text
Native captions are a separate layer. Here is the geometry of the caption well, why burned-in subtitles collide, and how to keep both readable.
8 min read
Privacy · 28 August 2026
Client-side video editing: what stays in the tab
How FramePad processes video in Canvas 2D and WebAssembly, what leaves the machine (analytics page views, not media), and how that differs from cloud converters.
9 min read
Specification · 28 August 2026
The 1080×1920 canvas, explained
Pixel math for 9:16 social video: why 1080×1920 is the interchange size, how percentages map to pixels, and how millimetres fall out at phone PPI.
8 min read
Finishing · 28 August 2026
Blur pad, crop, or letterbox?
Cover-crop, smart blur padding, and brand-color letterbox each solve a different 16:9 to 9:16 problem. A clear rule for which master to ship.
8 min read
Devices · 28 August 2026
iPhone vs Android: the safe zone is not one rectangle
Home indicators, punch-holes, font scaling, and why a cut that is clean on iPhone 16 Pro Max can still collide on a Galaxy S24 Ultra.
8 min read
Delivery · 28 August 2026
Export settings for 9:16 social video
Practical H.264 settings for 1080×1920 social masters: frame rate, bitrate, colour, audio, and what FramePad’s in-browser encoder can and cannot do.
8 min read
Workflow · 22 August 2026
A pre-publish checklist for 9:16 video
A practical, ordered checklist to run on every 1080×1920 cut before it hits TikTok, Reels, Shorts, Stories, or a paid placement — geometry first, chrome second, device last.
14 min read
Technique · 19 August 2026
Nine cropping mistakes that ruin 9:16 video
Centre-crop accidents, two-shots, slides, logos in the rail, and other 16:9 to 9:16 failures we see every week — with the fix for each.
13 min read
Devices · 14 August 2026
Where 9:16 titles survive the status bar
How the iPhone Dynamic Island, Android punch-holes, and in-app top chrome steal the first 10–14% of a 1080×1920 frame — and where to put a title instead.
12 min read
Production · 11 August 2026
When one 9:16 master is enough
A rule for shipping one conservative 1080×1920 master versus separate TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and Stories cuts — based on chrome, not on brand guidelines theatre.
12 min read
Typography · 8 August 2026
Burned-in subtitles vs native captions
When to burn titles into the file, when to leave words to TikTok or Reels, and how to keep both layers readable on a 1080×1920 canvas.
12 min read
Review · 5 August 2026
How to review a 9:16 proof sheet
How to read a FramePad burn-in proof: what the dashed rectangle means, what to ignore, and how to mark a collision without sitting in the studio.
11 min read
Delivery · 1 August 2026
Give the app a master it can transcode
TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube all transcode uploads. Here is a practical 1080×1920 master that survives the second encode without wasting a 4K HDR file on a phone feed.
12 min read
Platform · 29 July 2026
Vertical video on X is a different collision
X is not a full-screen For You player. Here is how 9:16 video is letterboxed or cropped in the timeline, and which chrome still covers type.
11 min read