Flip your perspective in moments

Wondering why it’s important to learn how to rotate video footage? Rotating your video is a helpful technique that should be in every editor’s toolbox. Though it’s a simple action that’s often overlooked until it’s needed, it can help enhance the quality and style of many videos. Understanding how to rotate videos is particularly important when it comes to removing minor technical faults during the filming process. Say, for example, that your tripod wasn’t entirely level while you were filming, or you set your camera on an uneven surface. Later, while reviewing your raw footage, you discover that your shots are noticeably crooked. Instead of reshooting the footage, you can fix your error in post-production with quick and easy rotating videos. Just remember that, when doing so, the corners of your original shot will inevitably be cut (the extent of which depends on your degree of rotation), and you might have to refocus your shot. Video rotation can also help you bring your artistic vision to life and to express your singular perspective. Rotating features can enhance the creative verve of your video by

• Adding a variety of experimental angles and perspectives
• Complementing background music
• Helping you look at your footage with fresh eyes during the editing process

Ready to start editing your video? No matter the degree of rotation you choose, our versatile, intelligent tools will help you gain a new perspective on your project. Combine our rotating feature with countless customizable templates, text and subtitle capabilities, multitrack audio editing, and more, for imaginative creations. Whatever your boldest ideas are, our powerful AI-based editing suite will make them happen.

Suppose you’ve filmed your footage vertically and now want to turn your video horizontal in the editing suite. In that case, you may be wondering if your video will retain the same dimensions or aspect ratio. To understand this, it’s important first to recognize that aspect ratio and rotation are two different features. Rotating your video simply changes the orientation of the shot. For example, if you rotate a vertical video of a person standing ninety degrees, you will turn the image on its side. You will also turn the person within the shot on their side since you cannot separate the frame of the shot from the image content itself. Now that we understand what rotation does, how does this relate to aspect ratio? Let’s begin by taking a deeper look at the specifics of aspect ratio. The aspect ratio of your image is determined during the filming process. Your footage already comes with a particular aspect ratio when it arrives at our editing suite. Common aspect ratios include

• 4:3, commonly known as full screen
• 16:9, which is also called wide screen

What does it mean to have a 16:9 aspect ratio when filming? This means that the camera will capture the amount of image data that fits into a 16:9 box, vertical or horizontal. Anything outside of this aspect ratio is not recorded by the camera. So, when you change the aspect ratio of a video during the editing process, you’re not creating new image data. Instead, you’re working with a set number of pixels already in existence. You can choose a new aspect ratio for your project, but this will usually result in cropping the video to fit the adjusted dimensions. What does this have to do with rotating your video file? Depending on the degree to which you rotate your project, you’ll lose some of your original image data. To mitigate this loss, you may decide to choose a different aspect ratio that better fits your rotated video. The most drastic rotations, however, can result in some loss of quality. Say, for example, that you want to rotate a 16:9 vertical phone video ninety degrees into a 16:9 horizontal widescreen video. In the process, you may have to crop a large part of the original footage for it to fit the new aspect ratio. The remaining pixels left in the uncropped area, however, will not increase, which will, in turn, decrease the resolution of your video when it’s shown on larger screens. For this reason, it’s easiest and best to film in the aspect ratio and orientation you want your final video to appear. That said, you can easily adjust the aspect ratio for smaller rotations, tweaking the footage to remove technical imperfections. Rotating a crooked clip by twenty degrees and changing the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 4:3, for example, may not substantially change the viewing experience. Interested in tweaking the aspect ratio or orientation of your next project? Our all-in-one editor makes it easy. Runway magic means you can experiment with different fixes and enhancements faster than you thought possible. Register today and give our powerful, AI-based editing suite a shot.

Vibrance and saturation both affect the intensity of color in your raw footage. The difference between them is that vibrance only intensifies duller raw colors, while saturation intensifies everything—even colors that are already quite vibrant. How you use these tools is entirely up to you. However, these generally accepted best practices may prove useful Use saturation when there aren’t any people in the shot. Saturation is a powerful tool that can add verve and style to your video. Still, in some applications, it may cause imbalance or even diminish some of the nuances of your fantastically shot footage. Skin tones, especially, can become distorted when they’re overly saturated. Highly saturated edits can be pretty unflattering for the people appearing on camera (not to mention difficult on the eyes of the viewer).

• While saturating scenes with subjects can be effective in experimental films to unsettle or shock audiences, it may be distracting in some instances. If you’re going for a more natural look, use saturation to remove color or to boost hues in landscapes or other person-free content.
• Use vibrance for a subject-friendly color enhancement. Vibrance is best suited to footage of people. It accounts for the differences in intensity already present in the raw footage (and won’t give skin that radioactive-looking over-saturated edge).

In order to truly grasp the importance of color saturation in film media, it’s helpful to see it in action. Pay close attention to the videos, television shows, movies, and music videos you watch, and notice how their saturation intensity correlates to their tone. There are countless ways to tell a cohesive story with saturation. Take a look at the list below for inspiration. My Fair Lady – Great filmmakers have known since the beginning that saturation is an extremely powerful tool. The production team of the 1964 film My Fair Lady, led by director George Cukor, utilized a desaturated, monochrome palette during the musical number “Ascot Gavotte.” The visual switch up from the cool greens and warm browns of the streets of London and Henry Higgin's study to cold and calculating black and white demonstrated a serious shift in the social strata. With stiff, stylized choreography and spectacularly crafted monochrome costumes, this scene remains a clear example of the creative use of desaturation. Wes Anderson’s repertoire – Wes Anderson is famous for his use of bright, saturated color to deliver drama and whimsy. Just think about the achingly red beanies in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou to the subtly nostalgic sepia tones of Moonrise Kingdom. Anderson honors color properties (including saturation) in all of his films. His palettes have greatly contributed to his success as a filmmaker (just ask his seven academy awards). Corpse Bride – From a bird’s eye view, the individual frames of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride come together to form a lush landscape of saturated blues and greens. Channeling the vibe of a dewy woodland lake, Burton’s typical emo palette gains a touch of extra romance and melancholy in this stop-motion classic. Never one to sacrifice fun, Burton also incorporates highly saturated purples, inky dark blacks, and sharp and spooky whites, proving his mastery of color. Mad Max Fury Road – Director George Miller encouraged his editing team to experiment with the color grading on Mad Max Fury Road. He had only one requirement, the film was to stay ultra-saturated, achieving the opposite effect of the washed-out look that was trending at the time. Fury Road bagged Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Production design (along with six other wins and even more nominations). Audiences and critics alike appreciated the film’s bright and unusual color palette, which balanced the grim plot content and spoke to the resilience of the central characters. Keep in mind as you work with color that editing with an intentional hand can set you apart from the rest. Don’t just settle on trendy palettes and intensities—consider the hues and the levels of saturation and desaturation that will help you convey the emotion of your story. With Runway’s intuitive saturation tool, it’s easy to experiment with color saturation to create a meaningful, memorable aesthetic. Try the effect today and leave your viewers raving for years to come.