How To Film & Edit Video For Instagram and IGTV

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Read the transcript of this episode of Giant Wednesday... đ
It can be a bit daunting when all of a sudden people are watching videos vertically!Â
I mean, canât they just turn their phones sidewaysâŠ? No⊠this isnât YouTube.
But fear not because weâre going to look at ways you can make video into a pretty portrait in this weekâs episode of GIANT Wednesday.
Hi, Iâm Danny from Sleeping Giant Media and Iâm here today to talk to you about optimising your video for the wonderful world of IGTV.
If you like what I have to say in todayâs video then make sure to subscribe to our channel where we release digital marketing skills-based videos every week!
Nowadays, video comes in a whole host of formats. Most typically landscape (16:9) or portrait (6:19).
An evolution from back in the day where it was just a landscape or square⊠like every old episode of Family GuyâŠÂ
And when it came to filming, youâd have had your phone batted out your hand if you were trying to film anything vertically.
Fortunately, that’s all changed in recent years thanks to Snapchat and Instagram.
Cue the invention and seemingly defining point for portrait video as our future⊠IGTV.
IGTV, if you werenât already sure, is Instagram TV. So aptly named because it hosts much longer forms of video than the likes of Instagram Stories or in-feed posts.
With space for videos up to ten minutes in duration, itâs the perfect place to post the content youâve put your blood, sweat and tears into.
And⊠you know, saves that annoying infinite tapping on an Instagram StoryâŠÂ
Despite Instagram recently allowing for landscape video to be hosted on IGTV, itâs safe to say that vertical is much better designed for that platform.
Well, the question remains⊠how can you make video for IGTV thatâs high quality, optimised and as equally as awesome as your landscape stuff?
Here are a few tips on how you can do just that. Letâs start with your footage! Here are some options for you.
Option 1: Shoot in PortraIt
This may seem like an obvious one, but if you want to create a vertical video, simply shoot it straight on your phone.
Any more than a couple of minutes of handheld footage will look dodgy, so consider using a tripod or gimbal to steady your shot.
Option 2: Shoot in Landscape, and Crop Portrait
This is where you shoot your video in landscape, or you use an existing video, and crop the video into a portrait orientation.
Something to bear in mind though – youâll lose about two thirds of your video, so make sure thereâs nothing (or no-one) that are going to be rudely cropped out of your shot and the video still works this way.
IGTV will automatically crop a landscape video, so you donât have to worry about doing this in another app, but itâll only crop the centre of the video, so make sure everything you need is in the middle if you do it this way.
Option 3: Add a Frame
Your third option is keeping your video landscape and adding a picture frame around your image.
You can do this through computer programmes such as iMovie or Premiere Pro. Or you can download apps like Premiere Rush or Inshot.
You can make a full-frame like one of these⊠or you can look to add elements around your video like this.
Then itâs just a case of placing your video into the area youâve left for it within the frame and scaling it accordingly!
Voila!
As Iâve already mentioned, there are plenty of free and paid-for platforms you can use to spice up your video.
Use desktop programmes such as iMovie or Adobe Premiere Pro to add things like title cards, subtitles and effects.
Or you can give the same thing a go straight on your mobile using apps like iMovie, Inshot (both of which are free) or Premiere Rush.
Hereâs a super quick example of editing a portrait video in iMovie and adding a few simple additions.Â
Finally, donât forget to add a thumbnail. Oh, whoâs that good looking chap?
When the time comes to add your IGTV video, go on the home screen and click in the top right⊠oh.. Whereâs it gone?
Simply click on the middle button as if you were uploading a video to your feed and select your video – youâll be given the option to add it to your IGTV channel – donât forget to optimise by adding a relevant title, description and hashtags for maximum reach.Â
So that was some advice on making sure you optimise existing videos for IGTV, and hopefully, youâre now considering the importance of shooting in portrait if you want to please those who hate turning their phones on their side.
If you have any more advice, or if you think weâve missed anything…Â or maybe just want to hit us with a âyasss queenâ – make sure you leave a comment and let us know!
Hereâs todayâs Giant CheatSheet on this topic – click the link in the description to download it, or just take a screenshot if youâre on mobile!
As always, make sure you subscribe to our channel for more great content every week.
Thanks for watching, and weâll see you next time for another GIANT Wednesday.

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