How To Create Square Videos

In today’s episode of How To Shoot Video For Your Business, Head Beard Bruce provides a full Premiere Pro tutorial on how to create square videos.

So if you’ve been watching Gary Vee and wondering how you could do that for yourself or your business - then this is one to watch.

Why Go Square?

Square videos started on Instagram as they moved from images to video, and it quickly moved across to Facebook due to the platforms being so interlinked. Square videos occupy more space than the traditional 16:9 format when you’re scrolling on mobile - and that’s the best reason you’d want to use them - because they occupy more space - they’re more likely to grab the attention of a potential viewer.

Two Viewpoints on Creating Square Videos

For most business owners, social media video content is a secondary consideration when shooting video. Most people want a 16:9 (like a widescreen tv) format because that’s what we’re used to, and because that’s what our cameras shoot in. Despite the introduction of vertical video, we’re very much ‘stuck’ in the use of 16:9.

For many, it’s because we use the video on our website first, and social 2nd - so we work/shoot for those uses….. although I would say that it’s starting to change.

So, when we look to create a square video, it’s usually the 2nd thing to be edited and thus some reframing needs to be completed - we can either expand our 16:9 image to cover the full-frame, or we can simply drop our 16:9 edit into a square and be left with space above and below the image.

Choices, Choices

So why pick one method over the other? Why pick filling the frame over top and bottom banners.

And, like many things in life - there is no right answer…. but here’s why I’d pick one over the other.

For Looks

If you’re looking for the ‘best 'looking’ version of your video - then using the entire frame will really help you. We’re using 1:1 for a reason - to take up as much of the ‘feed space’ as possible, so why would you then use a smaller image?

For Speed

For speed (and usually cost) placing the video in its original format with some text or images above and/or below it can mean that you don’t have to re-edit and the text/images can really help you to visually engage with the audience. So long as you aren’t missing the detail, this can be a quick way to get your video to fit in a square.

Let’s Wrap This Up

So there you have it - two ways to create square videos, the reasons behind using them and why you could pick one method over the other.

As ever I hope this episode has been of use and interest to you. If you have questions on this topic, or something else - feel free to get in contact.

See you next time!

Head Beard Out.