Vertical 9:16 chat videos
Short-form feeds are watched upright on a phone. The Creator plan exports 9:16 video, along with 1:1, 16:9 and 4:5. Here is how to lay out a chat so nothing gets covered.
Try it: start from this sample
Are you still at the bakery?
Until the last tray comes out.
I am outside. I brought coffee.
Why portrait suits a chat
A conversation on a phone is already tall and narrow, so a 9:16 video lets the chat fill the screen with little wasted space. Choose 9:16 in the export settings on the Creator plan. If you also post to a feed that prefers 4:5 or 1:1, export those shapes separately instead of cropping the tall one.
Keep text inside the safe zone
Apps draw their own buttons, names and captions over the top and bottom of a vertical video, and the right edge often holds a column of icons. Keep bubbles away from the top fifth and the bottom quarter of the frame, and away from the right edge. Look at your own post in the app before you decide it works.
Text should be readable at arm length. If you have to squint at the preview, increase the size of the chat or write shorter messages so each bubble can be larger.
Where captions go
Creator can generate captions automatically. Place them in the gap between the last bubble and the bottom interface area, and check that they do not sit on top of the message they repeat. If the chat already fills the frame, captions may be unnecessary, since the text is the story.
Pace for the scroll
Viewers decide within a moment whether to stay. Open on the line that raises a question and keep the whole piece short. Add a small label saying the conversation is simulated. Cut any greeting such as Hi or How are you, because the first second is the only chance to hold attention in a fast feed.
Tips
- Preview the video inside the app you plan to post on before publishing.
- Leave a wide margin on the right so the icon column cannot hide a bubble.
- Use fewer, shorter messages than you would for a landscape video.
- Pick the dark scheme for night-time viewing and bright feeds alike.
Questions
Which plan gives me 9:16?
The Creator plan. It offers 9:16, 16:9, 1:1 and 4:5 for video and other animated exports.
Can I export a vertical PNG?
Aspect ratio choices belong to the Creator plan. Free and Standard export a standard still image; the plans page lists the details.
What if I need to post in two shapes?
Export each shape on its own rather than cropping, so bubbles and captions stay inside the frame of every version.
Do I need captions?
They help for viewers with the sound off. Creator can generate them automatically, and you can leave them out if the chat text already tells the story.
Use it for simulated, labelled content. ChatsRat makes mock-ups and fictional conversations for creators, designers and teachers. Do not use it to pass off a made-up conversation as a real one, to impersonate a real person, or as proof of anything. See the Acceptable Use policy.
About the watermark. Exports on the Free plan carry a visible ChatsRat watermark, and every export carries an invisible mark that the verify page can read. Plans list what changes on paid plans.
ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app. App names on this page describe a style only.