Real Estate Reels and Vertical Video Editing
Vertical is not cropped horizontal. We reframe your property footage shot by shot for 9:16, build a hook that survives the first 1.5 seconds, and place text inside the safe zones so the platform UI does not cover it.
24–48h standard turnaround · 2 revision rounds · 16:9 and 9:16 delivered · Unbranded MLS versions on request
Why cropping a 16:9 video to 9:16 does not work
A horizontal property shot is composed for width. The subject is rarely dead centre — a kitchen island sits left of frame, a window sits right, a hallway leads diagonally. Centre-cropping to vertical removes 56% of the frame and, in most property shots, removes the subject with it.
Reframing means going shot by shot: choosing what the vertical frame should contain, repositioning it, and where necessary adding a slow pan within the crop so the shot still reveals the space. It takes longer and it is the difference between a reel that works and a reel that looks like a mistake.
The first 1.5 seconds
Platform retention data is unforgiving. If the opening frame does not signal what the viewer is about to get, they scroll. These are the hooks that work for property content.
- The best room first. Not the exterior. Lead with the strongest interior shot and put the exterior later.
- A number on screen immediately. Price, bedroom count or square footage in the first frame.
- Movement into the frame. A push-in or reveal beats a static hold as an opener.
- A question as text. Direct, specific, and about the property — not generic engagement bait.
- The unusual feature. If the property has one thing nobody else has, that is frame one.
Platform specifications
We deliver to these specifications. This table is kept current — if a platform changes, the edit changes.
| Platform | Ratio | Resolution | Max length | Safe zone notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 90s (up to 3 min) | Keep text clear of bottom 250px and top 150px |
| TikTok | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 10 min | Bottom 300px covered by UI |
| YouTube Shorts | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 3 min | Right 150px covered by action buttons |
| Facebook Reels | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 90s | Same as Instagram |
| Instagram Feed | 4:5 | 1080×1350 | 60s | Best feed real estate for property |
| 1:1 or 16:9 | 1080×1080 / 1920×1080 | 10 min | Captions essential — most plays are muted |
Music, captions and copyright
Licensed music
We supply commercially licensed tracks. The licence covers organic posting and paid advertising, and it will not trigger a copyright claim or a takedown on a business account.
Trending audio
Trending sounds boost reach but the commercial music licence on business accounts is limited, and using them in paid promotion is generally not permitted. We deliver a muted master so you can add trending audio in-app if you choose to accept that risk.
Captions are burned in by default because the majority of property video is watched muted. We can also supply an SRT file and a caption-free master on request.
Series formats that work
Just Listed
Announcement format, 20–30s, price and headline feature in the first frame.
Price Reduced
Short, urgent, 15–25s, with the old and new price on screen.
Open House
Date and time as the hook, property as the payoff.
Sold
Social proof format. Builds your listing presentation case.
Room Reveal
Single room, single reveal, 12–20s. Highest completion rate of any format.
Day in the Life
Agent personal brand content cut from behind-the-scenes footage.
Turnaround times and file delivery
| Service level | Turnaround | Price adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 24–48 hours | Base price |
| Rush | 12 hours | +30% |
| Same day | Under 8 hours, subject to capacity | +50% |
| Bulk / retainer | Scheduled capacity slots | Volume discount |
Accepted formats: MP4, MOV, ProRes, H.264, H.265 and DNG sequences. No file size limit — send via our upload link, Dropbox, Google Drive or WeTransfer. Project files are retained for 60 days after delivery.
Pricing
| Package | Includes | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Essential Listing Edit | Up to 60 seconds, single format, standard grade, licensed music, 1 revision | $99 |
| Cinematic Property Edit | Up to 120 seconds, 16:9 + 9:16, full grade, sound design, branding, 2 revisions | $179 |
| Luxury & Drone Edit | Up to 180 seconds, drone integration, custom titles, colour matching, 3 revisions | $299 |
| Volume / White Label | Bulk pricing for photographers and brokerages, scheduled capacity, dedicated editor | Custom |
Every package includes both aspect ratios and an unbranded MLS-compliant cut at no extra cost. See full pricing and add-ons.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make Reels from the footage I already shot horizontally?
Yes. We reframe shot by shot rather than centre-cropping. Footage shot at 4K gives us the most room to reframe without quality loss, but 1080p works too.
How many reels can you make from one property shoot?
Typically four to six distinct cuts from a standard shoot: a main listing reel, a room reveal, a feature highlight, an exterior or aerial cut, and a Just Listed announcement. Ask for a batch quote.
Do you add captions?
Yes, burned in by default, positioned inside the platform safe zones. We can also supply an SRT file and a caption-free version.
Can you use trending audio?
We deliver a muted master so you can add trending audio inside the app. We do not embed trending audio ourselves because the commercial licensing on business accounts is restrictive and it creates takedown risk for you.
What length works best?
20 to 35 seconds for property content. Long enough to show the space, short enough to hold completion rate, which is what drives distribution on every platform.
Get your listing cut for vertical.
Send horizontal footage and we will deliver reels ready to post.
The reframing problem
Why vertical property video needs its own edit
A 16:9 frame is 1920 pixels wide. A 9:16 frame is 1080. Centre-cropping throws away 44% of the width, and in property video the subject is almost never dead centre — a kitchen island sits left, a window sits right, a hallway leads diagonally.
Reframing means deciding, shot by shot, what the vertical frame should contain, then repositioning it and often adding a slow pan within the crop so the shot still reveals the space. It is the single biggest difference between a vertical cut that works and one that looks like an accident.
| Approach | What happens to a kitchen wide shot | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Centre crop | Island and range both cut off at the edges | Unusable |
| Reframe, static | Island centred, range out of frame | Acceptable |
| Reframe with pan | Starts on the island, drifts to the range | Shows the whole room |
Platform requirements change regularly. We work from the primary documentation — Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts — and update this page when they do.
Content system
A weekly posting system from one shoot
One property shoot should fill a week of content. This is the split we produce for agents on a content retainer.
| Day | Asset | Length | Cut from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Just Listed announcement | 20–25s | Exterior + best interior |
| Tuesday | Full listing reel | 30–35s | Main walkthrough |
| Wednesday | Single room reveal | 12–18s | Strongest room |
| Thursday | Feature highlight | 15–20s | The unusual detail |
| Friday | Open House promo | 20–25s | Exterior + CTA card |
| Weekend | Aerial or neighbourhood | 15–25s | Drone footage |
Ask for a batch quote rather than ordering these one at a time — they come from the same footage and the same grade, so the marginal cost of the second through sixth cut is much lower than the first.
Sources and further reading
We link out to primary sources rather than to other blogs. Where a figure on this page comes from research we did not conduct, the original study is linked below.
- Instagram Help Centre — Reels specifications — Official Instagram documentation on Reels length, aspect ratio and upload requirements.
- TikTok — Video specifications and upload guidance — TikTok’s own creator documentation on video format and length.
- YouTube Help — Create a YouTube Short — YouTube’s requirements for Shorts, including aspect ratio and duration.
- W3C — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — Accessibility standards, including captioning requirements for video content.
- National Association of REALTORS® — Technology and Marketing research — Primary source for US real estate marketing and technology adoption statistics.
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