Table of Contents
Introduction
Have you ever faced difficulty in uploading your videos on platforms like Instagram, Youtube or any other platforms?
Well, this is because the aspect ratio permitted in different platforms is different. Therefore, you need to reframe your videos in order to make sure that they fit the requirements set by the particular platform in which you intend to upload your videos.
With the increase in the number of content creators, learning the art of video reframing is of paramount importance.
If you are a content creator or just somebody who is finding it difficult to change the aspect ratio of the videos as per the requirements of any platforms, you are at the right page.
Key Takeaways
- With the increase in the use of social media and unprecedented growth of content creators, the need for learning the process of video reframing has become extremely important.
- Video reframing refers to the process of changing the aspect ratio of a video so as to enable it to become compatible as per the requirements of various platforms.
- Video reframing can be done manually as well as using automated AI tools specifically designed for the purpose.
- Like every coin has two sides to it, though there are many benefits of the process, there are some challenges as well, which will be discussed further in this article.
What is Video Reframing?
Video reframing is the process of adjusting the width to height ratio or the aspect ratio of a video such that it can fit various screen sizes such as landscape to portrait and also square sizes.
As already mentioned in this article, for uploading a video on any of the platforms, one has to make sure to adjust the video as per the aspect ratio prescribed by that particular platform.
Aspect ratio: The meaning of the term ‘aspect ratio’ is the ratio between the width and the height of the screen. This is the reason for different platforms to have different aspect ratio requirements for uploading videos on their platforms.
Earlier, people used to view content on large screens like computers or television.
However, with the advent of smartphones, there is a need to reduce the aspect ratio as the width and height of a smartphone is very less as compared to that of a television or a computer.
This is where the process of video reframing comes handy.
Watch this easy to follow tutorial to learn how to manually reframe a horizontal video to a vertical video using DaVinci Resolve(free version).
History of Video Reframing
The concept of video reframing became popular after the advent of smartphones, especially, with the rise of social media and content creators. Earlier, video refrain was a very complex task and time consuming as it was done manually.
However, with the growth of technology and Artificial Intelligence (hereinafter referred to as “AI”), there are many tools which are used for video reframing and it can now be done within a span of a few hours or minutes.
Through these AI tools, the process of video reframing has become automated. The recent tools have been ingrained with technology such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and visual foundation models.
Also, techniques like video salient object detection help focus on the most important parts of the video automatically. Thus, these features have made the process of video reframing much simpler and cost effective thereby enabling various creators to create content that easily fits various platforms.
How is Video Reframing Done?
The steps involved in the process of video reframing are as follows:
- Select the footage: The first step to start the process of video reframing is to choose the video that you want to reframe. Then, open the video editing software which you generally used and import the footage on to the software.
- Setup your timeline: Drag the video to the timeline and set the timeline settings such that it matches the desired output resolution and frame rate.
- Add keyframes: In the timeline, choose the point at which you want to start reframing and adjust the position, scale and rotate parameters from the control panel.
- Adjust the frame: Now, move the playhead to the next location that you want to reframe and adjust the position, scale and rotate parameters just like you had done in the last step. In this step, new keyframes will automatically be added.
- Smooth transitions: By adjusting the keyframe interpolation, you can make sure that there is a smooth transition between keyframes. For this, you can click on options like “Ease In” or “Ease Out” to create a smoother transition.
- Preview and fine tune: Now, play the video to check how the reframing looks. You can also make some adjustments to the keyframes to get better results.
- Export your video: After you are done reframing and once you are satisfied with the desired results, you can export the video in the desired format and resolution.
Aspects to be Considered While Reframing a Video
Aspect ratio adjustment
Setting the right aspect ratio for your video is a crucial aspect of video reframing.
Choose the right width to height ratio for your video as per the requirements specified by the platform on which you intend to upload your video.
Content preservation
Make sure that all the important parts of the video are still intact even after reframing the video. For this, make sure that you crop the video intelligently within the frame.
Automation tools
Usage of automated AI tools in reframing video helps you to analyse the content, detect key subjects and also apply optimal cropping strategies such that the integrity of the video is maintained.
Manual Reframing
Even when you use AI tools for reframing the video, it is safe to recheck the reframed video manually so as to verify if the adjustments are properly done especially for complex scenes. Also, check if all the footage of the video is cropped and perfectly fitted within the frame.
Benefits of Video Reframing
Enhanced viewing experience
As it is already stated in this article, different platforms require videos to have different aspect ratios.
Therefore when a video is reframed before uploading it on a particular platform, one can ensure that the viewers have a better visual experience of the video.
Content versatility
Video reframing allows people to upload the same video on various platforms by just changing the aspect ratio of the videos.
This is especially useful for content creators as they can use the AI tools to reframe their videos easily and upload them on various platforms.
Time efficiency
Manual reframing of videos is a tedious process and takes up a lot of time of the creators. Instead, the creators can use AI tools in order to reduce the time and effort required to reframe their videos.
Challenges of Video Reframing
Quality maintenance
While reframing videos, there is a chance that the quality of the video might get compromised. Hence, it is essential to make sure that the quality of the reframed video is maintained.
Complex scenes
There are various complex scenes in some videos and while reframing those using AI, it might be difficult to handle such key subjects or it might be challenging to reframe videos with a lot of movement. In such cases, manual intervention is necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are some of the common tools used for video reframing?
Video reframing can be done manually as well as using AI tools. Tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve help in manual reframing of videos. However, tools like Adobe’s Auto Reframe and apps like Kapwing or LumaFusion help in automated video reframing.
Is video reframing only used for social media content?
No, though video reframing is mainly used for social media content, it is also used in making movies, broadcast media and presentations to adjust the framing of the video, improve composition and for changing the size and orientation of the footage of the videos.
Does reframing a video lead to loss of clarity of the video?
Yes, video reframing can sometimes lead to the loss of clarity in a video as it involves cropping and zooming. Hence, it is necessary to work with high resolution footage to prevent the loss of clarity.
Conclusion
Therefore, in today’s world where we can see that there is an increase in the number of content creators, having the knowledge of video reframing becomes extremely important both financially and in terms of convenience.
Using the various AI tools which have been developed exclusively for this purpose, people can easily and within no time upload their videos on different platforms simultaneously which allows them to monetize them on different platforms thereby making more money.
However, it is advised to go through the videos manually as well even after using AI tools to make sure that the quality of the videos is up to the mark.