Vertical Videos vs Horizontal Videos

Question

What's the different between using cases for both formats and is that makes one trending in one situation and flop in another. Are there any guide or case study that can help me understand in which situations should I use and why?

Answer 1

I'd use horizontal for anything people want to watch on a whole screen - movies, business presentations and so on.

While chat and such, which is mostly about showing a single human, and any similar applications, are best in vertical. They also have in common that on a desktop computer, they are likely to sit on the side while something else is open, too.

The difference is also about desktop vs. mobile devices. Anything which people usually do on a desktop and in full screen is better horizontal. Anything which people want to do casually on a mobile device (without turning it sideways) is better in vertical and will also usually fit nicely on the side of a horizontal display.

There will be a few cases where you want flexibility. Usually animations, 3d-simulations and so on. Games and such should be made to make best use of the whole display anyway whether it's horizontal or vertical. Even if that means two versions of each cut scene, or unimportant details at the edges in one direction which get cut off in the other direction.

The usage of the two options is changing quite rapidly. A few years ago, every vertical youtube video was full of angry comments. Now, people are used to it, and many distribution channels (facebook, instagram and others) make the vertical view quite natural. I think it will be in flux for a long time, with only full movies staying horizontal. Business applications (even video chat, where you may want to show a stage or a group of people) will also tend to horizontal, if only because of the limited height of typical meeting rooms.

Once foldable phones, projectors built into phones or smart glasses become the norm, I think it's likely for the wide format to win (again), as it also corresponds to the layout of our retinas. I think it's also likely that the wide view may become the normal way to hold a phone, as phones become more interactive - like in video games. Which will also reduce the issue with homemade videos in the 'wrong' direction. Until then, stay flexible...

Answer 2

The use of either will depend on the purpose of the video. If all you want to do is stream popular music videos or movies, then you have no choice but to go wide landscape. Vertical videos are being shot these days mainly for mobile advertisement purposes, preferably in 3:4 aspect ratio to keep it viewable in a wide variety of devices.