Instagram's IGTV was originally designed for square or vertical videos because it allowed viewers to hold their phones in the natural portrait orientation rather than having to switch to landscape. In 2019, however, IGTV started accepting horizontal videos; nevertheless, the bulk of videos on the platform are still vertical or square as many publishers wanted their followers to retain the original feel of the app. So how do you convert a horizontal video into a vertical one for IGTV? There are several ways to do this using video editing tools, three of which we have showcased in this article.

Method 1 - Recommended: Convert Horizontal Video to Vertical for IGTV - iMyFone Filme

Filme is a great tool for beginners and pros alike. It offers timeline editing with a full range of video editing tools such as crop, trim, split, speed change, editing brightness/contrast/color, offset, rotate, pan, zoom, etc. It also provides an array of effects, text options, filters, audio, animation, and other options to enhance the quality and appeal of your videos for IGTV. The export option allows you to control attributes such as aspect ratio, file format, resolution, frame rate, and so on. Filme supports a massive array of audio, image, and video file types; these videos can then be converted to MP4, which is the format that IGTV accepts.

The process below explains how to import a horizontal video into Filme, edit it with filters, transitions, etc., enhance the color, brightness, and contrast, crop it to make it suitable for a vertical format, and then export it in the correct aspect ratio and file type for IGTV.

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How to Edit and Convert a Horizontal Video to Vertical Format for IGTV using iMyFone Filme

  1. Import the original horizontal video into Filme from your desktop or phone

import-function-filme

  1. Bring the video into the timeline for editing

add media timeline in filme

Once inside the Media Library, mouse over the video and hit the + symbol to add it to the timeline. You can also right-click and choose the appropriate option from the contextual menu.

  1. Apply transitions, effects, filters, text, audio, etc.

effects panel filme

Use these tools to add depth and sophistication to your IGTV video.

  1. Enhance the quality of the IGTV video using the editing tools provided

edit-window-filme

To further beautify the video, double-click the track on the timeline to open more editing tools on the top right side of your screen. Here, you can improve the color adjustment, make it brighter/darker, and adjust the contrast. This will give your video a more professional look.

You can also use the Audio tab to adjust the volume and add a fade-in and fade-out effect for the audio track accompanying the video.

  1. Crop the video to a 9:16 aspect ratio using the crop tool

crop-tool-aspect-ratio

Select all other parameters as required and hit Export. The video is now in 9:16 aspect ratio and you can upload it to IGTV.

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Method 2 - How to Convert Horizontal Video to Vertical for IGTV in iMovie - Mac

IMovie is another great app for video editing but it's only available to Mac users. Moreover, in order to create a vertical video from a horizontal one, you will need to use a workaround process that also involves using QuickTime Player. Here's the process in the form of detailed steps:

  1. Import the file to iMovie

Similar to the process in Filme, you can drag and drop the file into the iMovie Media Library section near the top.

Use the browser function to find the video, then drag the thumbnail into the timeline to place it there.

  1. Use the crop tool to 'verticalize' the video

Select the Crop tool and then choose the Crop to Fit option.

rotate-video-imovie

Click the Rotate Counterclockwise button while maintaining the aspect ratio lock. The video will now be vertical but rotated.

Next, move the crop area, which will still be 16:9 but smaller, to the main subject of the video.

crop-to-fill-imovie

Click the blue Tick Mark on the top right to confirm the selection. Your subject will now fill the entire screen but still rotated counterclockwise. That's okay because we'll be using another trick to get it back to vertical position.

  1. Export the file

export-file-imovie

You can now use the Share button on the top right and select Export file. Save the file to your desktop after changing (optional) the resolution, quality, and compression settings,

  1. Preview with QuickTime and rotate back to vertical

On your desktop, click the file to select it, then hit the Spacebar to preview in QuickTime. Do not open the file, just preview it.

rotate-video-preview-quicktime

When it plays, pause it, then click the Rotate Counterclockwise button on the top right while holding down the Option key (⌥ ) to rotate it clockwise instead of counterclockwise. Alternatively, you can rotate it counterclockwise three times to bring it to the vertical position.

Your vertical video is now ready to be uploaded to IGTV. Of course, this method won't work if you have more than one subject in the shot; in such cases, it's better to use iMyFone Filme to get a clean cut with the zoom and pan effects in the crop tool.

Method 3 - How to Convert Horizontal Video to Vertical for IGTV using PowerDirector

Cyberlink PowerDirector offers a very straightforward way to convert horizontal videos to vertical ones for IGTV. The steps are very simple, as shown below:

  1. Import the video

Use the File option to bring your video into the media library in PowerDirector

  1. Change the aspect ratio at the top

change-aspect-ratio-powerdirector

Every project has a fixed aspect ratio, so if you don't change it before bringing it to the timeline, you'll get your vertical video, but with a lot of black space on either side because the aspect ratio for the project wasn't changed.

To avoid this, change the aspect ratio to 9:16 (vertical), and then drag the clip to the timeline. In the preview window, you'll see that it is automatically oriented as a vertical video without any space on the sides.

  1. Export the fle as MP4

export-mp4-powerdirector

The file is ready. You can now export it as MP4 under the 2D tab.

Which is the Best Option to Convert Horizontal Videos to Vertical for IGTV?

It's a hard choice because both iMyFone Filme and PowerDirector are available as Windows and Mac versions, while iMovie is an Apple-only utility for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. However, iMyFone Filme comes out on top in terms of usability. PowerDirector requires some experience due to the heavy features it offers, and it's not always easy to perform an action without at least watching a few video tutorials. In contrast, Filme is more of a plug and play utility that's very intuitive and simple to operate. All the tools you need are right there in front of you, as we saw, and you can easily figure out what to do without any help or going through a steep learning curve.

In the end, iMyFone Filme wins on several counts:

  1. User-friendly interface
  2. Easy navigation
  3. Tons of features for this purpose
  4. Accurate cropping, zooming, and panning
  5. Multiple aspect ratios supported, including vertical videos for IGTV

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