# Why are people still making vertical videos?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-still-making-vertical-videos/830206>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 25, 2019, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-still-making-vertical-videos/830206 "2019-02-25T21:49:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-still-making-vertical-videos/830206/41 "2019-08-16T23:42:47Z")

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Why are people still making vertical videos?

Simple answer - It’s the preferred format on Instagram, because most IG users are using it in vertically-oriented phones. However, there is a bit of a move toward orientation-agnostic square videos.

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**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-still-making-vertical-videos/830206/42 "2019-08-17T00:47:36Z")

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I agree that they should split the difference and make square format the standard phone video format. Square format was in fact common for many decades, during the era of twin-lens reflex cameras like the Rolleicord as well as single-lens cameras like the Hasselblad which were used to shoot many amazing space photos. The square can also be cropped to be more vertical or more horizontal when desired.

I know that computer users such as myself, who prefer accessing all of the world’s information on a proper screen and typing with a real keyboard instead of my clumsy thumbs, are increasingly marginalized in favor of mobile device users. But at least throw us a bone here.

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**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-people-still-making-vertical-videos/830206/43 "2019-08-17T01:24:38Z")

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Now I’m imagining what would happen if landscape orientation through software became default – a load of millions of smarterthantheownerphone users screaming what a waste and a ripoff that the whole screen is not occupied by the image when held vertical, without thinking of moving it (or insisting on holding it vertical because “it’s a phone, not a camera, it’s supposed to be held this way” :rolleyes: ). Even more inevitably if we went to square-format default 'cause then there would \*always \*be unused real estate.

Myself I use the smartphone orientations as composition tools themselves. If I want to take an upward-POV shot of the Milford Plaza sign, I use portrait orientation. If I want to show the crowd at the event filling the whole parking lot, I move it to landscape.

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