Church vertical video sizes for sermon clips

Here are church vertical video sizes for sermon clips so posts look right on a phone without a pile of platform charts.

Aspect ratios confuse volunteers because every tutorial invents a new “must use” table. Most church sermon clips need one tall frame, readable captions, and a face that stays in view.

This page is a utility chart. It mentions YouTube Shorts lightly because that path is already on your content map. It does not expand into other short-form how-tos.

People watch on phones. A tall frame puts the pastor closer to the viewer and leaves room for captions.

Horizontal stage video can still be your master recording. For social clips, crop to vertical so the speaker fills the screen. Guests scrolling a church channel should not squint at a tiny center strip with empty bars on both sides.

Vertical also forces focus. If the face and the teaching line are not clear in a tall crop, the moment may not be a good clip yet. Fix framing or pick a different beat.

For where vertical clips sit in the week, see the church social media calendar from one sermon. For the full clip workflow, see how to make sermon clips for church social media.

Start here. One master size covers most church sermon clips and YouTube Shorts.

Safe zone habits:

• Leave a little padding from the absolute edges. Some phone UIs eat the rim.
• Keep the speaker’s eyes in the upper half when you can.
• Place captions in a calm lower band, not over a busy stage graphic.
• If you use a hook line at the top, keep it short so it does not collide with captions.

You do not need a separate pixel chart for every app this week. Export one solid 9:16 master. Resize later in the tools you already use if a channel asks for a lighter file.

If your church channel posts Shorts, keep these notes short and practical.

• Use the same 9:16 master (1080 x 1920 is a common target).
• Aim for a complete thought in about 30 to 60 seconds when you can.
• Captions still matter on mute.
• Schedule uploads in YouTube Studio or your existing tools after human review.

For the Shorts-specific path (moments, titles, review, Studio schedule), use YouTube Shorts from Sunday sermons. This page stays on sizes. That page covers the week workflow.

• Letterboxing: Do not drop a wide stage shot into a tall frame with huge empty bars if a clean face crop is possible. Empty bars waste phone space and make the pastor look distant.
• Tiny faces: If the speaker is a small figure in a huge room, tighten the crop or skip the moment. Teaching lands better when eyes and mouth are readable without pinch-zoom.
• Caption collisions: Text over the mouth, eyes, or a busy slide. Ultra-thin fonts that vanish on a bright outdoor screen. Edge-hugging text that some devices crop.
• Overbuilt export menus: Do not invent five masters “just in case.” One approved 9:16 file plus your usual schedule tools is enough for most small teams.
• Platform sprawl: This chart is not a tour of every short-form app. Stay with the channels your church already committed to this week.

Print or save this next to your review card.

• Export aspect is 9:16.
• Resolution is 1080 x 1920 (or 720 x 1280 if you need a lighter file).
• Face stays in frame for the lines that matter.
• Hook text (if any) sits in the top safe band.
• Captions sit in the lower safe band and stay off the face.
• Logo does not cover captions or eyes.
• No heavy letterboxing when a clean crop is available.
• Human review passed meaning and A/V checks before export.
• File named with date and sermon title for the shared folder.
• Upload or schedule happens in YouTube Studio / existing tools only after approval.

Suggested moments and auto sizes are drafts. Ministry keeps final say before anything posts. For product flow after you have the file, see how it works.

Placeholder: Canva size chart with 9:16 and safe title/caption zones (required). Not published yet.

Placeholder: Product export settings if available. Not published yet.