Design · Tip
Horizontal to Vertical Video Outpainting Technique
Convert landscape video to 9:16 using AI outpainting and overlay masks
A video editing workflow that converts widescreen footage into vertical format without cropping the sides or zooming in. By taking a still frame, expanding it to 9:16 using AI outpainting, and masking it over the video, the original motion stays intact in the center while AI fills the top and bottom.
How it works
- Take a clean still frame screenshot from your horizontal video.
- Open Photoleap, go to 'ИИ-отмена обрезки' (AI Uncrop), upload the still frame, set the aspect ratio to 9:16, and stretch the frame to let AI generate the missing ceiling and floor background.
- Pick the best result out of the generated options and save the vertical image.
- Open your mobile video editor (such as CapCut), import the original horizontal video, and set canvas ratio to 9:16.
- At the point where the shot expands, add the generated vertical photo as an Overlay (Наложение).
- Apply a linear or split Mask (Маска) to mask only the top and bottom AI-generated sections, leaving the central moving video visible.
What it's for
- Repurpose horizontal widescreen footage for Reels, TikTok, or Shorts without cropping
- Avoid blurry duplicated background bars on horizontal video clips
- Expand static or locked-off camera shots into full vertical format
Key points
- Capture a clean still frame from the horizontal video
- Use AI uncrop/outpainting (such as in Photoleap) to expand the frame to 9:16
- Import the original horizontal video into a vertical canvas in a mobile video editor
- Add the expanded vertical image as an overlay layer
- Apply a split or linear mask so the moving horizontal footage shows through the center while AI borders fill top and bottom
Pricing
Free
Details
- Type
- Tip
- Category
- Design
- Topic
- Video Editing
- Open source
- No
- Platforms
- iOS, Android
- For
- Video editors and content creators repurposing landscape footage for vertical social platforms
- Alternative to
- Blur background filler, Center crop
- Tags
- video editing, outpainting, capcut, photoleap, reels, generative ai
Why it was saved
- @reelsprogo: Allows adapting widescreen video for vertical formats (Reels, TikTok) without zooming in or cutting off sides of the frame.
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