How to make an Instagram Reel from a landscape video (Mac)
Updated 2026-06-11 · Runs locally — nothing uploaded
Want to post a clip you shot horizontally as a Reel? Instagram Reels are 9:16 vertical (1080×1920), and dropping a 16:9 video in as-is either crops your subject or leaves it tiny in the middle of the frame.
FFmix’s one-click Instagram Reels preset fits your whole landscape frame into 9:16 and pads it cleanly — no cropping, no command line, and the file never leaves your Mac.
Steps
- 1 Drag your landscape clip into FFmix.
- 2 Pick the Instagram Reels preset (9:16, 1080×1920).
- 3 Confirm and click Start — your padded vertical Reel is ready to upload.
Advanced: the real ffmpeg command
This is exactly what FFmix runs. Copy it, tweak it, or just use the one-click preset.
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=1080:1920:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1080:1920:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2,setsar=1" -c:v libx264 -b:v 8M -maxrate 10M -bufsize 16M -pix_fmt yuv420p -movflags +faststart -c:a aac -b:a 192k reel.mp4Drop a file and go — all local, nothing uploaded.
FAQ
Will my landscape footage get cropped into the Reel?
No. This preset fits the whole frame inside 1080×1920 and pads the top and bottom, so nothing is cut. Prefer a full-bleed crop? Use the Crop task instead.
What's the right size for an Instagram Reel?
1080×1920, 9:16 vertical, H.264. The preset also writes faststart so the Reel begins playing instantly.
Can I add captions or a logo too?
Yes — chain the Subtitles or Watermark task in the same pipeline before exporting.
Related guides
Turn any landscape or phone clip into a crisp 1080×1920 TikTok video on your Mac — no command line, nothing uploaded. One click with FFmix.
How to export a Douyin vertical video (9:16) on MacTurn a landscape clip into a 9:16 Douyin video (1080×1920, 30fps) on your Mac — padded, not cropped, no command line, nothing uploaded.
RedNote (Xiaohongshu) video size and how to export it on MacRedNote / 小红书 prefers 9:16 vertical video at 1080×1920. Export a light, fast-uploading version on your Mac — no command line, nothing uploaded.