Guide
Portrait video recorder online: vertical 9:16 video from your webcam
Webcams film in landscape, but Reels, TikTok and Shorts play upright. This free recorder crops your webcam to 9:16 while you record, so the file is vertical from the start.
In short
- This portrait video recorder turns your landscape webcam into a vertical 9:16 video while you record.
- Guides show where TikTok and Reels put their buttons and text, so you can keep your face clear of them.
- You can paste a script, and it scrolls over the picture while you record.
- A 1080p webcam gives a 608 × 1080 video, saved as WebM, or MP4 in Safari.
- It is free, needs no signup, and nothing is uploaded.
Portrait recorder · 9:16
Runs in your browser · nothing is uploaded
Turn the camera on. The stage shows the 9:16 crop that will be recorded, with the app's own buttons marked.
Safe-zone guide
The shaded bands are where the app draws its own buttons and captions. Keep your face and any on-screen text inside the dashed box. The guides are not recorded.
The script starts scrolling when the take starts and pauses when you pause. For a bigger prompter with a timer coach, use the teleprompter linked below.
Nothing you record leaves this page. There is no upload, no account and no storage. Close the tab and the recording is gone unless you downloaded it.
More free tools: webcam recorder · screen recorder · teleprompter · safe-zone checker · all tools
- The upright shape Reels, TikTok and Shorts fill
- 9:16
- Video size from a 1080p webcam
- 608 × 1080
- Free, with no signup and nothing uploaded
- $0
How do you record portrait video with a webcam?
Turn on the camera and the page shows only the 9:16 part of the picture it will record. What you see on the page is what ends up in the file.
- Pick the TikTok or Reels guide, or turn guides off, and keep your face inside the dashed box.
- A 3-second countdown runs before the recording starts.
- You can pause as often as you like, and the paused time is left out of the file.
- Press Stop and the video plays back with its length, its size and a Download button.
- It works in Chrome, Edge and Firefox, which save WebM, and in Safari, which saves MP4.
Landscape camera, upright video
The crop happens on every frame, before anything is recorded.
Turn on camera
you see only the 9:16 part
Pick a guide
TikTok, Reels or none
3, 2, 1, record
your script scrolls as you talk
Stop and download
an upright video, ready to post
How does the 9:16 crop work?
The recorder keeps a tall section from the middle of your camera picture and records only that part.
- A 9:16 frame that is 1,080 pixels tall is 607.5 pixels wide, so the recorder rounds it to 608.
- That cuts 1,312 of the 1,920 pixels across, 656 from each side.
- So only about the middle third of what your camera sees is recorded. Sit in the centre.
- The crop happens while you record, so there is nothing to crop afterwards.
- Mirror is on at the start and flips the saved file too. Turn it off if there is text in the shot.
What your camera gives after the crop
Width = camera height × 9 ÷ 16, rounded to an even number, because video files need even sizes.
| Camera | Recorded video | Cut from each side |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 × 1080 (1080p) | 608 × 1080 | 656 px |
| 1280 × 720 (720p) | 404 × 720 | About 438 px |
Camera: 1920 × 1080 (1080p)
- Recorded video
- 608 × 1080
- Cut from each side
- 656 px
Camera: 1280 × 720 (720p)
- Recorded video
- 404 × 720
- Cut from each side
- About 438 px
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What do the safe-zone guides and the scrolling script do?
Shaded bands show where each app puts its buttons, names and captions. They use the same numbers as our free safe-zone checker.
Paste your script into the box and it scrolls over the picture while you record, like a small teleprompter. Neither the guides nor the script are in the file.
- The dashed box is the part no button or text covers. Keep your eyes in its upper half.
- If you add captions later, they usually go in the lower part of the box, so keep your chin above that.
- The guides are only drawn on the page. They are not in the recorded video.
- The script starts scrolling when the recording starts, and it stops when you pause.
- You set the speed between 10 and 80 pixels a second. It starts at 28.
- For a bigger script and a 30, 60 or 90-second target, practise in our free teleprompter first.
What each app covers on a 1080 × 1920 video, in pixels
The dashed box on the page is the part that is left over.
Top
- TikTok
- 108 px
- Reels
- 220 px
Bottom
- TikTok
- 320 px
- Reels
- 420 px
Left edge
- TikTok
- 60 px
- Reels
- 0 px
Right edge
- TikTok
- 120 px
- Reels
- 0 px
| TikTok | Reels | |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 108 px | 220 px |
| Bottom | 320 px | 420 px |
| Left edge | 60 px | 0 px |
| Right edge | 120 px | 0 px |
What file do you get, and where does it go?
The file holds only your camera picture, cropped to 9:16. It stays in your browser until you download it.
- The recorder aims for 2.5 megabits a second, which is 18.75 MB a minute.
- Keep this tab in front while you record. In a hidden tab the picture freezes while the sound keeps going.
- If you must switch tabs, press Pause first.
- Download before you close the tab. The video is not saved anywhere else.
Portrait recorder at a glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| File type | WebM, or MP4 in Safari |
| Size | About 19 MB a minute, 56 MB for 3 minutes |
| Watermark on the file | None |
| Upload to a server | Never |
| Account or signup | Not needed |
| Guides and script in the file | No |
| Mirror | Also flips the saved file |
Feature: File type
- Details
- WebM, or MP4 in Safari
Feature: Size
- Details
- About 19 MB a minute, 56 MB for 3 minutes
Feature: Watermark on the file
- Details
- None
Feature: Upload to a server
- Details
- Never
Feature: Account or signup
- Details
- Not needed
Feature: Guides and script in the file
- Details
- No
Feature: Mirror
- Details
- Also flips the saved file
Tips for a good vertical video
These tips work for any upright video of you talking to the camera.
- Put the light in front of you, not behind you.
- Put the camera at eye level and look at the lens, not at the screen.
- Lean in until your shoulders reach the edges of the dashed box.
- Keep one idea under a minute. At a normal speaking pace, a minute is about 130 words.
- On a phone, use the normal camera app instead. It already records upright video at full size.
Where Cutroom fits
This recorder only records. Cutroom can turn a video of you talking into a finished Reel, TikTok or Short.
For a landscape video, use /tools/webcam-recorder. For a screen demo, use /tools/screen-recorder. To read a script while you record, use /tools/teleprompter. Your first video is free, with a Cutroom mark across the middle.
- You upload one clip of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long.
- Cutroom adds captions timed to your voice and a headline at the start.
- It also adds b-roll, short clips that play over you, on the words you pick.
- You get a 9:16 MP4 back in about a minute.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark across the middle; Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
What a Reel costs in Cutroom
| Item | Credits |
|---|---|
| Editing: captions, b-roll and a headline | 100 |
| Export | 20 per minute of video |
| One 60-second Reel | 120 |
| Free start | Your first video, on 600 free credits, no card, within 7 days |
| Lite, $19.99 a month | 1,250 credits, about 10 one-minute videos |
Item: Editing: captions, b-roll and a headline
- Credits
- 100
Item: Export
- Credits
- 20 per minute of video
Item: One 60-second Reel
- Credits
- 120
Item: Free start
- Credits
- Your first video, on 600 free credits, no card, within 7 days
Item: Lite, $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250 credits, about 10 one-minute videos
Questions people ask
- Can I record vertical video with a normal webcam?
- Yes. This recorder crops your landscape webcam to 9:16 while you record, so the file is vertical from the first frame. A 1080p webcam gives a 608 by 1080 video, and a 720p webcam gives 404 by 720.
- Are the safe-zone guides recorded into the video?
- No. The shaded bands, the dashed box and the script are drawn on the page, over the picture. The file holds only the camera picture, so you can post it as it is.
- Why does the tab have to stay in front while recording?
- Because browsers stop drawing tabs you cannot see, and this recorder records what it draws, 30 times a second. In a hidden tab the picture freezes while the sound keeps going. Pause before you switch tabs.
- What resolution is the video?
- It depends on your camera. A 1920 by 1080 camera gives 608 by 1080, and a 1280 by 720 camera gives 404 by 720. The size shows under the picture once the camera is on, and nothing is made bigger.
- Should I use this recorder on a phone?
- Usually not. Your phone's camera app already records upright video at full size. This recorder is made for landscape webcams on laptops and desktop computers.
- Who should not use this recorder?
- Anyone who needs a landscape video, or who wants the clip trimmed and captioned here. The webcam recorder on this site keeps the full landscape frame, and this page only records and downloads. Cutroom turns a video of you talking into a finished Reel.
Record upright video from your webcam here for free, then let Cutroom add the captions and b-roll. Your first video is free.