Screen recordings made for the feed.
Feeds are watched on phones, often on mute. Dolly zooms in so your UI reads at phone size, burns in captions, and exports square or vertical from the same recording.
How do you turn a screen recording into a vertical video for social media?
Record your Mac screen once in Dolly, then set the aspect ratio to 9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, or 1:1 for LinkedIn and X. Dolly's zooms keep the action in the narrow frame, so the UI stays readable on a phone. Turn on captions, transcribed on your Mac and burned into the video, and export a 1080p MP4 at 30 fps.
Who it’s for: Founders building in public, creators and marketers posting product clips on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn and X.
Record it once, wide.
The way you always work, on your Mac.
How to make a social clip from a screen recording.
4 steps, most of them automatic.
- Record wide, let Dolly followRecord as usual. In 9:16, 4:5 or 1:1, Follow the action fills the tall frame and moves it with your clicks, cursor and typing, so nothing important falls off the edge.
- Zoom with careA tall frame already shows your screen at about its real size, so Dolly zooms in less there. Keep zooms for the moments that matter.
- Caption itGenerate captions on your Mac and keep them on. Drag them clear of the platform's buttons and pick a box, font and word animation.
- Export per platform9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts; 1:1 or 4:5 for LinkedIn and the Instagram feed. Or export 16:9 and switch on Also export vertical: the 9:16 file comes out of the same run.
Settings that work, and what to avoid.
Recommended settings
- TikTok, Reels, Shorts
- 9:16, 1080p, 30 fps
- 1:1 or 4:5, 1080p
- X
- 16:9 or 1:1, 1080p (X preset)
- Captions
- On, burned in
- Length
- 15 to 45 seconds
Mistakes to avoid
- Starting with the setup. You get about a second; open on the result.
- Letterboxing a full Mac screen inside a 9:16 frame. It's unreadable on a phone; keep Follow the action on.
- Captions under the platform's buttons. Keep text away from the bottom and right edges.
- Posting 16:9 to a vertical feed. It shows up small, with empty space around it.
Vertical without re-editing
The usual way is to record wide, then crop and keyframe a vertical version in an editor, by hand, once per platform. In Dolly, switching to 9:16 is a setting, not a new edit. Follow the action fills the tall frame with your recording and moves it with what you do: the spot you zoom on, your cursor, or the text you type, on the same smooth springs as the zooms. Captions and keys stay clear of the strip where the platform puts its buttons. Need both shapes? Export 16:9 and switch on Also export vertical: the 9:16 file comes out of the same run. Dolly never exports a tall video above the detail your recording holds, so text stays crisp. See Vertical videos.
Make the first second count
Start on the result, not the setup, and put a zoom on the very first click. Platform limits for length and file size change, so check them before you post a long clip. The 9:16 guide has safe zones and zoom levels.
Social clips: questions
How do I post a Mac screen recording on TikTok or Reels?
Export it as a 9:16 MP4 at 1080p, which is 1080×1920. In Dolly, set the aspect ratio to 9:16 before export; your zooms, cursor and background adapt.
What's the best aspect ratio for LinkedIn video?
1:1 or 4:5 take up the most space in the mobile feed; 16:9 works but shows smaller. Dolly exports all three from one recording.
How long should a social media screen recording be?
15 to 45 seconds for most product clips. Platform maximums change, so check the current limit before posting anything long.
Does Dolly add captions to social videos?
Yes. Dolly transcribes on your Mac and burns captions into the video, with a box, font and word animation you choose. It can also translate captions on your Mac.
Can I make social videos with the free version?
Yes. Free exports up to 1080p, which is what social needs, with a small Made with Dolly logo in the corner. Pro removes it.
Related
Roll camera.
Screen Studio quality. Free. No 5-minute limit.
First time: open Dolly, click Done, then System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway (macOS 13–14: right-click Dolly → Open). Once only. Installation help