Teleprompter included
Read your script while you look at the lens.
Takes Vertical video
Record vertical video on your Mac.
One switch: Vertical. Use the MacBook camera or your iPhone, read your script, and get a 9:16 video for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
Cameras
Three ways to get 9:16.
iPhone, held uprightsharpestContinuity Camera. Takes turns the picture upright and keeps 1080 real pixels across.
A camera with a vertical formatnativeSome cameras, like many MacBook cameras, have one. Takes uses it when it is there.
Any camera, sidewayscroppedTakes crops the middle to 1080×1920. Good for a test, but softer: about 810 real pixels across.
In the app
Made for short videos.
Hooks as tabs
Try three openings. Keep the one that works.
Safe zones on review
See where TikTok, Reels and Shorts put their buttons.
One caption, three apps
Takes drafts it for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
Guide
How to record vertical video on a Mac.
Camera setup, framing and posting, step by step.
Use your iPhone as the camera
Takes uses Continuity Camera, which is built into macOS. You need an iPhone XR or later with iOS 16 or later, both devices signed in to the same Apple Account, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on.
- Put the iPhone on a stand or a clip mount just above your screen.
- Point the back cameras at you. They are much sharper than the front camera.
- Hold it upright for vertical video. Takes turns the picture for you.
- In Takes, pick the iPhone in the camera list.
Turn on Vertical
On the record screen, click Horizontal to switch it to Vertical. The preview turns 9:16, and Takes picks the best way for your camera:
- iPhone upright: the full picture, turned upright, 1080 pixels across.
- A camera with a vertical format: that format, as the camera sends it.
- Any other camera: a 1080×1920 crop from the middle of the picture.
The setting stays until you switch it back, so a day of Shorts is one click.
Frame for TikTok, Reels and Shorts
The apps put their own buttons and text over your video: the like and share buttons on the right, the caption and your name at the bottom. Keep your face and anything people must read in the middle.
- Put your eyes about a third of the way down the frame.
- Leave the bottom fifth clear. Captions and the app's text go there.
- Keep text away from the right edge.
When you review a vertical edit in Takes, you can lay these safe zones over the video and see what the buttons will cover.
Read your script without looking away
With the iPhone above the screen, move the Takes window to the top, right under the phone. Your eyes then stay close to the lens. Use large text and sit back a little. More teleprompter tips.
Short videos live or die in the first seconds. Ask the chat for three opening lines: each one becomes a tab. Record each, then keep the strongest.
Already recorded wide? Reframe it
Ask the chat: "Make a 9:16 version of my keeper." Takes crops around your face, not the middle of the frame, and keeps your head and shoulders in every shot. The result is a new file in the edits folder; the wide take stays as it is.
One honest limit: a 9:16 crop from a 1920×1080 take is only about 608 pixels wide, so it looks softer. When you know a video is for Shorts, record it vertical.
Post it
Takes drafts one caption for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, plus a title for Shorts, and shows each the way the app will. Pick the vertical edit as the video, check the preview, and post. Edits, captions and cuts.
Is it for you?
When Takes fits, and when it doesn't.
Takes fits if you…
- record Shorts, Reels or TikToks at your desk
- read from a script and want eye contact
- want the cut, captions and caption text done for you
- work on a Mac with Apple silicon
Pick another app if you…
- want to film on the go, away from your MacTakes records on the Mac. Use the iPhone camera app for that.
- want TikTok-style effects and filters while you record
- use Windows or an Intel Mac
Get started
One line in Terminal.
It installs Takes, ffmpeg and Claude Code, signs you in and opens the app. Run it again to update.
NeedsApple silicon, macOS 15+, and a paid Claude plan (Pro or Max) for the AI parts.
Rather click?Download the .dmg, then click Finish setup in the sidebar.
Free and openMIT licensed. Read the code on GitHub.
Questions
Vertical video questions.
Can a Mac record vertical video?
Yes. In Takes, switch the record screen to Vertical. With an iPhone held upright or a camera that has a vertical format, you get a true 9:16 video. Other cameras get a 1080×1920 crop.
What resolution are the vertical videos?
1080×1920 (9:16). With an iPhone held upright, Takes keeps 1080 real pixels across. A camera with its own vertical format records at that format's size.
Do I need an iPhone?
No. Any camera works. An iPhone held upright gives the sharpest result, and some MacBook cameras have a vertical format of their own.
Why does my vertical video look soft?
It was probably cropped from a wide picture. A camera held sideways only has about 810 real pixels across for a 9:16 frame. Hold the iPhone upright for full detail.
Can I turn a horizontal video into a vertical one?
Yes. Ask the chat in Takes for a 9:16 version. It crops around your face and saves a new file. It looks softer than a video recorded vertical.
Can I use a teleprompter while I record vertical video?
Yes. The teleprompter works the same in both shapes. Put the text right under the camera to keep eye contact.
Is it free?
Yes. Takes is free and open source, with no account. The AI parts (scripts, edits, captions, post drafts) need a paid Claude plan, Pro or Max.
Does Takes post to TikTok, Reels and Shorts for me?
Takes drafts the caption and the Shorts title and previews them. You post the video in each app.
More about Takes
One app, from script to post.
Takes homeStoryboard, record, edit and post, in one app.
TeleprompterRead your script while the camera records.
Screen recorderYour screen and your camera, as two synced files.
AI video editorCuts, captions and 9:16, when you ask in plain words.
Teleprompter apps comparedEight Mac apps, side by side, with our gaps.