Each Tape is filmed either upright (portrait) or sideways (landscape), and that's decided once, when you create it.
It's the single most important choice on the setup screen, because it's the one you can't revisit. Happily, it's also an easy one.
Which one to choose
- Portrait — hold the phone upright
- Best for people, for anything tall, and for watching back on a phone. The natural choice for most everyday memories.
- Landscape — hold the phone sideways
- Best for wide scenes, stages, sports, and anything you'll want to watch on a TV or a computer.
If you're unsure, ask where you'll most likely watch it. Phone means portrait. Television means landscape.
The card that asks you to turn the phone
When you continue a Tape while holding the phone the wrong way, Videflo shows a calm card with a small phone icon resting in the required position, and won't start recording until you match it. Turn the phone and the card fades away by itself.
It isn't being fussy. Half a Tape recorded sideways would flip and shrink in the middle of playback, and that can't be fixed afterwards.
Rotation Lock will stop this working
If your iPhone's Rotation Lock is on, the phone won't register that you've turned it. Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen, tap the padlock-with-an-arrow icon to switch Rotation Lock off, and try again.
Watching either kind
Both play beautifully. Turn your iPhone sideways while watching a landscape Tape and the player fills the screen. Portrait Tapes fill the screen held upright. Nothing needs to be set.
Tips
Filming children, pets, or anyone talking to camera? Portrait, almost always.
Landscape footage is what looks right when it eventually ends up on a television — worth choosing for the big occasions.
You can film in both — just make two Tapes. There's no cost to having more.
Common mistakes
Assuming the app got it wrong when it refuses to record sideways.
It's matching the Tape you're adding to. Check which Tape you opened — a portrait Tape will always ask for portrait.
Frequently asked
Can I rotate a Tape after it's recorded?
No. Videflo never alters your original recordings, and there's no rotate function.
Which orientation looks better?
Neither is better — they suit different things. Portrait matches how phones are held and watched; landscape matches how televisions and cinema screens are shaped.
Why not just let me mix them?
Because a Tape plays as one continuous video. Mixing orientations would mean the picture flipping and letterboxing part way through, every single time you watched it back.
Related articles
Creating your first Tape
Name it, choose how it will be filmed, and start recording — three decisions, one screen.
Adding to a Tape you already have
How Continue Recording works, and why it's the heart of the whole app.
Watching a Tape
Playing, pausing, skipping, and rotating — the controls on the playback screen.
Did this answer your question?
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