Turn long videos into Facebook Reels
Every video you post on Facebook is now a reel, and Meta says vertical, clean, high-resolution video does best. Reeltopus turns a long recording into vertical clips with the speaker kept in frame, captions burned in, and no borders or letterboxing. Reeltopus is in early access, so join the waitlist to try it.
Facebook Reels at a glance
- Length
- No minimum or maximum. Every video posted to Facebook, except stories and live, is shared as a reel, whatever its length or orientation.Checked 17 October 2026 · Source
- When everything became a reel
- UnclearMeta's Business Help Centre dates the change to June 2025, while the Facebook Help Centre's update note says September 2025.Checked 17 October 2026 · Source
- Orientation
- Portrait 9:16, landscape 16:9 or square 1:1.Checked 17 October 2026 · Source
- Recommended specs
- .mp4 at 1080p, H.264 or H.265, 24 to 60 fps. Audio in stereo AAC at 44.1 or 48 kHz, 128 kbps or more.Checked 17 October 2026 · Source
- In-app captions
- Tap Captions after adding your video and Facebook transcribes the audio into on-screen text. You can change the font and colour.Checked 17 October 2026 · Source
- What Meta says to avoid
- Blurry low-resolution video, watermarks from other apps, borders around the video, and horizontal video. Meta says these reels are less discoverable.Checked 17 October 2026 · Source
- Safe zone
- For 9:16 ads in Reels, Meta says to keep the top, bottom and sides free of key text and logos so the interface doesn't cover them. It publishes no separate figures for regular Facebook Reels.Checked 17 October 2026 · Source
- Scheduling and subtitle files
- Meta Business Suite can schedule a reel, save it as a draft, and upload a subtitle file under Closed captions and translations.Checked 17 October 2026 · Source
What works on Facebook Reels
Post vertical
Meta's own tips say to use vertical video and avoid horizontal. A 16:9 recording reframed around the speaker fits the Reels player far better than a landscape clip with bars.
Export clean files
Meta says reels with other apps' watermarks or borders around them are less discoverable. Export from your source, not by screen-recording or re-downloading a clip from another platform.
Tell one complete story
Pick a moment with a beginning and an end: a story, a lesson or an answer. Open on the part that tells a scrolling viewer why to stay.
Caption for the sound-off scroll
Burned-in captions carry the clip when the sound is off. If you also use Facebook's in-app captions, use only one set so they don't overlap.
How Reeltopus prepares clips for Facebook Reels
Vertical, without borders
Reeltopus reframes 16:9 recordings to 9:16 with active-speaker tracking, and handles letterboxed sources, so you don't upload a small video inside black bars.
Captions away from the edges
Animated captions are burned in using the same Meta Reels margins as Instagram, so the buttons and text on top of the reel don't cover them.
1080p MP4 and subtitle files
Exports are MP4 at 1080p, the resolution Meta recommends, with SRT and VTT files for Meta Business Suite's subtitle upload. Paid plans (planned launch pricing) export without a watermark; the Free plan adds a small one.
Complete moments, ranked
The clip brain picks moments with a hook and a payoff, ranks them and explains each pick. Adjust a clip by chat, like "start at the question", with undo and redo.
Posting: Posting to TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, Threads and Facebook is rolling out platform by platform, switching on as each platform's app approval completes. Facebook switches on once Meta's app approval completes. Until then, download the clip and post it in the Facebook app or schedule it in Meta Business Suite, which works from day one.
Free tools
Aspect ratio and safe-zone calculator
Exact pixel sizes and UI safe zones for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, LinkedIn and X, plus a crop calculator and ffmpeg command for turning 16:9 video into 9:16.
Caption generator
Paste a transcript or script and get short-form caption lines for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, with a live animated preview and free SRT and VTT downloads. No sign-in.
Hook line generator
Paste a paragraph from your video or script and get 5 opening hook lines for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, written by AI. Free, no sign-in.
Video length and reading-speed calculator
Find out how long your script runs at your speaking pace, how many words fit a 15, 30 or 60-second clip, and whether your captions are too fast to read.
Questions
How long can a Facebook Reel be?
There is no minimum or maximum any more. Meta says every video posted to Facebook, except stories and live, is shared as a reel at any length. Short, complete moments are still easier to watch in the Reels feed.
Can I post a horizontal video as a Facebook Reel?
Yes, landscape 16:9 and square 1:1 are accepted. Meta's best practices still recommend vertical video and say horizontal reels are less discoverable, so reframe to 9:16 where you can.
Does Facebook add captions to Reels?
The Reels editor can transcribe your audio into on-screen captions that you restyle. In Meta Business Suite you can also upload a subtitle file. Reeltopus burns captions in and gives you an SRT file.
Can I schedule Facebook Reels?
Yes. Meta Business Suite can schedule a reel for a set date and time, or save it as a draft.
Can the same clip go to Facebook and Instagram?
Yes. Meta Business Suite lets you choose both destinations. Keep it under 3 minutes and use up to 5 hashtags so it also fits Instagram's rules.
Make Facebook Reels clips from every long video.
Join the waitlist for early access. The free plan includes 2 upload hours a month.