Vertical and horizontal:one piece of music, two edits

A single project often ends up as a horizontal video for YouTube and a handful of vertical clips for Shorts, Reels and TikTok. Planning the music with both in mind saves a lot of re-editing.

Use one track for both

Use the full track in the long video, then cut short versions of the same track for each clip, keeping its real ending, so everything sounds consistent. How to cut a song to 30 seconds shows the method.

• The Turning Point on the Cinematic & Trailer shelf
• Wanderlust Whistle on the Travel & Vlog shelf

Different openings

Horizontal videos can open slowly. Vertical clips cannot. For clips, start the music at its most energetic point, or use a hook-style cue. Music for YouTube Shorts covers the first second.

Different endings

Horizontal videos end with an end screen. Vertical clips loop. For vertical, plan an ending that leads back into the start, or end on a clean hit.

Different mix levels

Vertical clips are mostly watched on phone speakers. Speech needs to be even clearer, and bass disappears on small speakers. Check the vertical version on a phone before posting.

Keep captions in mind

Vertical videos are often watched on mute. The music is a bonus for viewers with sound on, not the only way to understand the clip. Reels for viewers on mute covers this.

Keep it tidy

Export the music you used for each clip alongside the project, so that if you need to re-edit later, you are using exactly the same files.