How to cut a vertical video for Reels, TikTok and Shorts

Five steps from a raw phone recording to a 9:16 file you can post. Nothing is uploaded; the video stays on your computer.

Steps

Open the editor and drop the video
Open the editor and drag the file onto the drop area, or press "Choose a file". It opens on your device. The canvas starts at 9:16 (Vertical), the shape Reels, TikTok and Shorts use, so a phone recording fills it as it is.
Find where the video really starts
Press Space to play. Stop where the useful part begins. Arrow keys move one frame at a time, Shift with an arrow moves one second, so you can land exactly on the first word.
Split and delete what you do not need
Press S (or the "Split" button) to cut the clip at the playhead. Click the piece you do not want and press Delete. Shift+Delete removes it and closes the gap, which is usually what you want in the middle of a video.
Check the frame
With nothing selected, the settings beside the panel list are the canvas. Keep "Ratio" on "Vertical". A landscape recording fills the frame and loses its sides; to show all of it, select the clip and press "Fit to frame", then press "Canvas" in the panel list and set "Background" to "Blurred fill" so the top and bottom are filled.
Export
Press "Export", pick MP4 and a resolution, and the file downloads when it is done. On the free plan exports go up to 1080p and 3 minutes, without a watermark.

Viewers decide in the first second. Starting on the first sentence usually does more than any effect.
Every edit is saved on your device as you go; closing the tab does not lose the project.
Ctrl+Z undoes any step, including a delete.

Steps last checked against the editor: October 12, 2026