Optimising Clips for TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts
Framing, length, pacing and the Studio settings that decide whether a vertical clip holds attention.
In This Tutorial
Setting Up the Vertical Frame
Short-form platforms want 9:16 vertical. In the Video tab pick the 9:16 aspect ratio and 1080p, which gives a 1080 by 1920 file. That is the correct setup for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts alike. If the simulation does not fill the vertical frame, use Custom Region to crop a tall rectangle around the arena rather than exporting a wide frame with empty space on either side, because empty space is wasted attention on a phone screen.
- →9:16 at 1080p produces 1080 x 1920
- →Custom Region exports at the drawn rectangle aspect, never stretched
Fill the Frame
The most common composition error is an arena that occupies a third of a vertical frame. Raise Starting Arena Size, which accepts 10 to 800, until the simulation fills the width. Use Ball Radius, 1 to 150, to keep the ball readable at the size the arena is now, since a 10 pixel ball in a 700 pixel arena is nearly invisible on a phone. Give the boundary real thickness using Border Thickness, up to 50, so the arena edge holds the composition together.
- •Preview at phone size before recording. Anything you have to squint at in the Studio is invisible on a feed.
The Opening Seconds
Viewers decide almost immediately. Do not open on a static frame. Turn on Sync Simulation so capture begins with the run, and set Ball Initial State so the ball starts with visible velocity rather than at rest: Starting Speed accepts 0 to 5.0 and Start Angle accepts 0 to 360. If you are in Rhythmic mode, choose a melody whose opening is immediately recognisable, and trim the MIDI to start at the hook rather than the intro. Recognition in the first second is worth more than any visual effect.
- •Cut the intro. Whatever makes the clip worth watching should be happening at frame one.
Length and Ending
Short-form clips work best between roughly 15 and 45 seconds, and the ending matters more than the length. A clip that stops arbitrarily performs worse than one that resolves. Build in a resolution: an escape that completes, an arena that shrinks to a climax, a melody that reaches its final note. The Seed Generator, covered in its own tutorial, searches for a starting seed whose run finishes near a Target Escape Time you set between 10 and 180 seconds, which is how you guarantee the ending lands where you planned.
- •Set Auto-Stop Capture a second or two past your intended ending so you have trim room.
Contrast and Readability
Feeds are watched in bright rooms on small screens, so contrast beats subtlety. A dark background with a bright ball and trail is the most reliable pairing. Set the background to Obsidian or a custom dark colour, use a bright ball with Glow Radius up to 100, and add Trail Glow up to 50. Keep the palette to two or three colours: rainbow lighting looks impressive in the Studio but often reads as visual noise at thumbnail size.
- •Screenshot a frame and shrink it to thumbnail size. If you cannot tell what it is, the composition is too busy.
On-Screen Text
Titles, Branding and Counters in the Arts tab adds text to the frame. Title Text supports a Font Size from 10 to 200 and a Vertical Offset from -1000 to +1000, with font family, weight and colour controls, plus a footer with the same options. Use the title to state what the clip is, since a viewer who knows what they are watching stays longer. The ring counter, positioned at Top Center with a readable Text Scale from 0.1 to 5, gives the viewer a reason to keep watching in escape-based clips.
- →Title Font Size: 10 to 200 | Vertical Offset: -1000 to +1000
- →Line Spacing: 0.8 to 2.5
- →Ring counter Text Scale: 0.1 to 5.0
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