Vertical video
Vertical screen recordings that follow your cursor.
Your screen is wide and a phone is tall. Put a landscape recording in a 9:16 frame and it shrinks to a strip too small to read. Crop it and you lose whatever happens outside the crop. Shotnix takes a third route: switch the aspect ratio to 9:16, 4:5, or 1:1 and the recording fills the frame, with the view panning to follow your cursor.
How a vertical screen recording follows your cursor
Shotnix saves your pointer's path as data while you record. When you pick a tall or square shape in the editor, the recording fills the frame's height and the view pans calmly to keep your cursor in view. You record once, in landscape, the way you always do.
Your camera, captions, and keycaps stay put in the vertical frame instead of sliding around with the screen, and zooms still work on top. Following is a switch in the aspect menu, so you can go back to a letterbox at any time.
Which shape for which platform
- 9:16: full-screen vertical video for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
- 4:5: tall posts in feeds such as Instagram and LinkedIn.
- 1:1: square posts for social feeds.
- 16:9 and 4:3: YouTube, presentations, docs, and slides. Auto matches the recording.
One recording, every shape
The shape is a setting, not a new edit. Export a 16:9 version for YouTube, switch to 9:16, and export again: your cuts, zooms, and captions carry over. Exports size the short side to the resolution you pick, so 1080p in 9:16 is 1080 × 1920, and the export sheet shows the exact pixel size before you export.
Tips for vertical demos people can read
- Record a window or an area instead of a whole large display. The smaller the recorded area, the bigger everything looks in a tall frame.
- Make text bigger before you record: raise the app's font size or zoom in on the web page.
- Keep the action in one place and move the pointer calmly. The frame follows the pointer, so a steady hand makes a steady video.
- Leave captions on. Short videos are often watched with the sound off.
- Place your camera where it won't cover the action. It stays put while the screen pans.
When a fixed crop is enough
If everything happens in one spot, you don't need panning. The crop tool has a 9:16 lock: drag the frame over the area that matters, and the cursor, clicks, and zooms follow the crop. QuickTime Player, by comparison, can trim a video but has no crop at all.
Limits
- Following the cursor needs the pointer data Shotnix records. A video from another app gets a letterbox or a fixed crop instead.
- A tall frame shows a slice of a wide screen. If two things far apart on screen matter at the same moment, use 1:1 or 4:5, or record a smaller area.
- Shotnix exports the file. It doesn't post to TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube for you.
- Shotnix records your Mac's screen, not your iPhone's. To capture an iPhone app, QuickTime Player can record a connected iPhone: choose File → New Movie Recording, then pick the iPhone as the camera.
- Requires an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or later) with macOS 13 or newer.
How to do it in Shotnix
- Record in landscapeRecord as usual. A window or an area gives bigger text in a tall frame.
- Pick 9:16, 4:5, or 1:1 in the aspect menuThe recording fills the frame and the view follows your cursor.
- Place the camera and captionsThey stay fixed in the vertical frame while the screen pans.
- ExportAt 1080p, a 9:16 video exports at 1080 × 1920. The export sheet shows the exact size first.
Questions
How do I make a vertical screen recording on Mac?
Record normally in Shotnix, then choose 9:16 in the editor's aspect menu. The recording fills the tall frame and pans to follow your cursor, so there's no tiny letterboxed screen. With the built-in ⌘⇧5 recorder, the only way to get a tall video is to record a tall slice of the screen.
What size should a TikTok, Reels, or Shorts video be?
9:16, usually 1080 × 1920 pixels. In Shotnix, choose 9:16 and export at 1080p; the export sheet shows the exact pixel size before you export.
Can I turn a landscape screen recording into a vertical video?
Yes. Switch a Shotnix recording to 9:16, 4:5, or 1:1 and it reframes around your cursor. A video from another app has no pointer data, so it gets a letterbox, or you can crop it with the 9:16 lock.
Will my webcam and captions move when the view pans?
No. Your camera, captions, and keycaps stay put in the vertical frame. Only the screen pans.
Can I export both a landscape and a vertical version?
Yes. It's the same project: export in 16:9, switch to 9:16, and export again. Cuts, zooms, and captions carry over.
Can Shotnix post straight to TikTok or YouTube?
No. Shotnix has no accounts and uploads nothing. Export the MP4, then upload it from the app you post with.
Try it on your own screen.
Shotnix is free, open source, and local, with no watermark. Download the notarized app, or star the repository to follow along.
11.7 MB · Apple silicon (M1 or later) · macOS 13+ · notarized by Apple · MIT license