Every draft in Selects has a frame size, and that is what sets its aspect ratio. A new draft takes its frame size from the first clip you put on it, and you can change it whenever you like from the preview toolbar. This guide covers where the setting lives, which sizes you can pick, and what carries through to your NLE.
Where to find frame size
[Frame size] sits in the preview toolbar, just above the timeline. Click it to open the list of sizes and pick one. Your choice applies to the open draft straight away.
The control appears only while a draft tab is open. It is hidden while you are looking at a source file, because frame size belongs to a draft rather than to your footage.
The sizes you can choose
The menu lists sizes rather than aspect ratios, so pick the dimensions that match the ratio you want.
Size | Aspect ratio | Typical use |
1920 × 1080 | 16:9 | Standard widescreen |
1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | Vertical, for shorts and reels |
1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | Square |
1440 × 1080 | 4:3 | Landscape |
1080 × 1440 | 3:4 | Portrait |
[Original] sits at the top of the list and matches your source footage. Selects reads it from the first clip in the draft and shows the size next to the label, for example Original (3840 × 2160). If the first clip is not a video file, [Original] does not appear.
Selects does not reframe your shots yet
Note: Changing the frame size changes the frame your draft is delivered in. It does not move, crop, or rescale the shots inside that frame. Automatic reframing is not available yet.
A 16:9 shot in a 9:16 draft stays a 16:9 shot. When you export a video from Selects, each shot is scaled down to fit the new frame and centered, with black filling the space above and below. If you need your shots properly reframed for vertical, do that in your NLE after the handoff.
When a draft sets its own frame size
A new draft has no frame size of its own until you put something on it. The first clip you place sets both the frame size and the audio sample rate. Frame rate is not part of this, it follows the project.
Note: A frame size you pick on an empty draft is replaced as soon as you drop in your first clip. Add your first clip, then set the frame size.
Frame size and your handoff
The frame size you choose carries through the handoff, so a 9:16 draft opens as a 9:16 sequence in Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve. It also sets the dimensions of a video you export straight from Selects.
Learn more in Hand off to your NLE, or export a transcript or video.
FAQs
How do I make a vertical video for shorts or reels?
Open the draft, click [Frame size] in the preview toolbar, and pick 1080 × 1920. The draft becomes vertical and stays vertical through the handoff. Your shots are not reframed to suit the new shape, so plan to crop or reposition them in your NLE.
I set a frame size and it changed back, why?
You most likely set it on an empty draft. The first clip you place sets the draft's frame size, which replaces anything you chose beforehand. Put your first clip on the timeline, then set the frame size.
Can Selects crop my shots to fit a vertical frame?
Not yet. Selects sets the frame your draft is delivered in, but it does not reframe the shots inside it. Automatic reframing and cropping are on the way.
I cannot see Frame size in the toolbar
[Frame size] only appears while a draft tab is open. If you are looking at a source file in the preview, switch back to a draft and it comes back.