# 9:16 vertical video: size and use in ads > 9:16 is the upright video shape that fills a phone screen, such as 1080 by 1920 pixels. Where it is used for ads and how to frame it well. Source: https://singingads.com/glossary/vertical-video-9-16 # What is 9:16 vertical video? 9:16 vertical video is an upright frame nine units wide by sixteen tall, such as 1080 by 1920 pixels, that fills a phone screen held the normal way. It is the shape TikTok recommends for in-feed ads and the native shape of Reels, Stories and YouTube Shorts, so most short-form ads are made in it. Updated 17 Oct 2026 ## What the platforms say - **TikTok** lists vertical 9:16 as the recommended dimension for in-feed ads, at 540 by 960 pixels or more. - **Meta** groups 9:16 ads in Stories, Reels, Feed and Facebook in-stream reels under one safe zone rule: keep the top, bottom and sides clear of key elements. On screens taller than 9:16, Meta may zoom the creative to fill the screen, which can crop outside the safe zone, or show it at 9:16 with black bars. - **YouTube** lets you upload vertical videos as Shorts, and its Shorts tools make videos up to 3 minutes long. ## Framing for a small vertical screen A vertical frame is tall and narrow, so one subject at a time reads best. Put the product in the middle band of the frame, keep faces and text away from the edges, and use close shots: a wide shot of a shop counter becomes a tiny scene on a phone. Captions belong a little above center, never at the bottom where buttons and captions from the app pile up. SingingAds delivers every ad as a 9:16 MP4 at 1080 by 1920 with burned-in captions, so the frame matches these placements without reformatting. ## An illustrative example Illustrative example: a made-up florist, Petal and Post, has a lovely 16:9 video of a bouquet being wrapped. Cropped to 9:16, the hands disappear and only the middle of the bouquet remains. The vertical version that works is reshot as three close-ups stacked in time: the stems, the ribbon, the finished bunch held up to the camera, each filling the frame. ## Common mistakes - Cropping widescreen footage and hoping the subject is in the middle. - Adding blurred bars above and below a 16:9 video, which shrinks the content to a third of the screen. - Exporting at a lower resolution than the platform asks for, so captions look soft. - Designing on a desktop monitor and never checking the result on a real phone. ## Related terms Inside the 9:16 frame, the safe zone decides where text survives, and the first frame decides your [thumb-stop ratio](https://singingads.com/glossary/thumb-stop-ratio). For full platform numbers, read [TikTok video ad specs](https://singingads.com/guides/tiktok-video-ad-specs), and for a vertical product ad with a song, see [YouTube Shorts ad for a product](https://singingads.com/use-cases/youtube-shorts-ad-for-product) or watch the [example ads](https://singingads.com/examples) on a phone. ## What it can’t do - A 9:16 video looks small on desktop and TV placements; if those matter to you, make a separate horizontal or square version. Paste your product page. SingingAds writes a jingle about it, sings it and cuts a vertical video ad, using only claims your page makes. From $15 for one ad, or $59 for about 6 thirty-second video ads. Credits never expire. Made with AI; you approve every word before anything is sung. ## What it costs From $15 for one ad, or $59 for about 6 thirty-second video ads. Credits never expire. A jingle take costs 4 credits; a typical 30-second video ad about 26. There is no free tier and no free sample. One-time packs ### One ad **$15** once 40 credits, about 1 thirty-second video ad ### Five ads **$59** once 180 credits, about 6 thirty-second video ads [Full pricing, credits and refunds](https://singingads.com/pricing) ## Questions **What resolution is 9:16?** Any size with that ratio, but 1080 by 1920 pixels is the common choice for ads. TikTok asks for at least 540 by 960 for vertical in-feed ads. **Is 9:16 the same as portrait or vertical video?** Vertical and portrait both mean taller than wide. 9:16 is the specific vertical ratio that matches most phone screens; 4:5 is also vertical but shorter. **Can I run a 9:16 ad in the Facebook feed?** Meta includes 9:16 ads in Feed in its safe zone guidance, which says 9:16 video ads in Instagram Feed follow the same safe zone as Reels and Stories. Preview it in Ads Manager to see how it is shown. **Does a 9:16 video work as a YouTube Short?** Yes. YouTube lets you upload vertical videos as Shorts, and its Shorts tools allow videos of up to 3 minutes. ## Sources - [TikTok Ads Manager Help Center, TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/tiktok-auction-in-feed-ads), 2026-06, read 17 Oct 2026 - [Meta Business Help Center, About text overlays and the safe zone for ads on Facebook and Instagram](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/980593475366490), read 17 Oct 2026 - [YouTube Help, Get started creating YouTube Shorts](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10059070), read 17 Oct 2026 ## Related - [GlossaryWhat is thumb-stop ratio?](https://singingads.com/glossary/thumb-stop-ratio) - [GlossaryWhat is a sync license?](https://singingads.com/glossary/sync-license) - [GlossaryWhat is ROAS?](https://singingads.com/glossary/roas) - [GlossaryWhat is a jingle?](https://singingads.com/glossary/jingle) - [GlossaryWhat is creative fatigue?](https://singingads.com/glossary/creative-fatigue) - [GuideAI video ad generators for ecommerce products, compared](https://singingads.com/guides/best-ai-video-ad-generators-for-ecommerce) - [Use caseA Christmas or holiday ad jingle for your small shop](https://singingads.com/use-cases/holiday-ad-jingle) - [AllGlossary](https://singingads.com/glossary)