Tuesday Tech Tip: Sharing Pictures and Videos – Horizontal or Vertical?

Do you hold your phone upright or sideways when snapping a pic or taking a quick video? Did you know that one of those options is vastly superior to the other?

It’s a sticking point for a lot of online content consumers – they insist that any video taken on a mobile phone has to be oriented vertically. You’ve probably heard about it by now – but what’s it really about?

In this Tuesday Tech Tip, Curtis Hyde, Sales and Marketing Director for Colorado Computer Support, walks through the differences between vertical and horizontal video and photo capturing on smartphones to see which is really superior, and why.

As Curtis notes, there are a few immediately noticeable drawbacks to shooting a video or photo in a vertical orientation:

• The subject (especially in a “selfie”) takes up most of the available space in the shot
• The setting and background (e.g. a picturesque landscape) are blocked from view
• Much of the available space in the video viewer is unused and filled with black

Put simply? It’s not aesthetically pleasing, and it doesn’t make use of the space made available by standard video platforms like YouTube.

Horizontal

By changing the orientation of the phone or camera to horizontal, you’ll immediately notice how much better the result is. It’s aesthetically pleasing, offers much more of the background, and makes better use of the video player.

Curtis notes that this is because our eyes run horizontally from one another; they’re not stacked one on top of another, right? That’s why the vertical video doesn’t make sense – if our eyes were oriented vertically, our videos and photos would be as well. However, that’s just not the case.

So, next time you’re out with friends, on vacation in a new country, or simply come across something worthy of a photo, be sure to hold your phone horizontally to ensure you’re getting the best possible photo or video.

For more Tuesday Tech Tips, keep an eye on our blog. For expert IT support that will help you get more out of your business technology, get in touch with Colorado Computer Support right away at (719) 355-2440 or blake@coloradosupport.com.