Record Horizontal and Vertical Video Simultaneously with Ecamm Live – Dual Mode Explained

Recording horizontal and vertical video at the same time used to require extra cameras, messy crops, or painful editing. Ecamm Live’s Dual Mode simplifies the process, producing platform‑ready widescreen and portrait files in a single workflow. This saves time in post‑production and eliminates fiddly cropping.

Below is an AI‑assisted summary of the key points covered in the video. For full detail, watch the time‑stamped video above.

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What Dual Mode in Ecamm Live Actually Does (and Why It Matters)

Ecamm Live now offers a Dual Mode video shape that runs horizontal and vertical layouts side‑by‑side.

• It records a dedicated widescreen feed and a separate portrait feed, rather than cropping a single video later.
• Each format is built with purpose‑designed layouts, ensuring the content looks native on its intended platform.
• The feature works for recording, streaming, or both simultaneously.

Dual Mode is currently in beta and will roll into the main release later. Paying Ecamm Live customers can access the beta now.

Turn on Horizontal + Vertical Dual Mode in Ecamm Live

1. Open Ecamm Live and go to Options. Under Video Shape, choose Dual Mode (Horizontal and Vertical). Two canvases will appear—one widescreen and one portrait—ready for customization.
2. Select your desired action: stream, record, or both. For a recording‑first workflow, set it to record.

Fix the Framing Problem (so both formats look great)

When a single camera feed is split across both canvases without adjustment, framing can become a pain point. Dual Mode gives you the flexibility to fix it.

1. Add a duplicate copy of the camera source. This creates an independent version that can be positioned differently for portrait.
2. Drag the duplicate into the portrait canvas and resize or move it to fit the vertical frame. Keep the widescreen framing unchanged.
3. Record once while both layouts are correctly framed. The presenter can stay in a natural widescreen composition while the vertical version looks intentional, saving significant editing time.

Build Different Scenes for Each Format (Powerful Customization)

Dual Mode doesn’t limit you to a single static shot. Ecamm Live scenes still work, and each scene can contain format‑specific design.

1. Open the Scenes window and duplicate an existing scene or create a new one. Duplicating is quick when you want a similar base layout.
2. Optionally use different cameras for horizontal vs. vertical. For example, a dedicated portrait camera can run alongside a separate widescreen camera.
3. Create a designed scene with backgrounds and framing. Add a background image, scale it, duplicate it for the portrait side, bring in the camera, add a border, and style it with rounded corners.
4. Crop and reposition the portrait camera. Duplicate the camera element for the portrait canvas, crop it to suit vertical composition, and position it so it looks clean and deliberate.

Once the dual canvases and scenes are built, Ecamm Live behaves the same way—just with two outputs. You can include guests, text placeholders, on‑screen comments, screen sharing, and videos in each scene.

Stream in Both Formats at Once (Including YouTube)

Dual Mode also supports live streaming in multiple shapes simultaneously.

1. Enable streaming and set up your destination as usual. Start a new stream or schedule one, then choose the platform destination.
2. Choose output format per destination. For YouTube, Ecamm Live offers Horizontal, Vertical, or Both. Selecting Both creates two separate streams—one portrait and one widescreen—managed from the same Ecamm Live setup.
3. Use the same approach for other platforms. Dual‑format streaming works with Facebook, Instagram, and more, keeping the layouts controlled inside Ecamm Live’s canvases.

Record Once, Get Two Finished Files (Widescreen + Portrait)

For recording workflows, this feature is invaluable if vertical content is part of the plan.

1. Turn streaming off (if only recording is needed) and hit Record. Present the content using pre‑built scenes and layouts, switching scenes as needed.
2. Stop recording and review the saved files. Ecamm Live saves two separate recordings:
   • One widescreen file
   • One portrait file

That’s the “done is better than perfect” principle in action—create once, publish in more places, with minimal fiddling.

Set Different Quality Levels for Horizontal and Vertical

Each format can have its own resolution settings.

1. Go to Options and check the canvas sizes for both outputs. The horizontal canvas might default to 1080p, but you can bump it to 1440p if needed.
2. Set vertical quality independently. For example, the portrait output can be set to 720p while the widescreen remains at 1080p or higher. Ecamm Live treats the dual outputs almost like two separate instances inside one app.

Make the Content Workflow a Win‑Win‑Win

If your content needs to work across widescreen and portrait platforms, Dual Mode removes much of the usual hassle. Build proper layouts for each format, record or stream once, and walk away with two platform‑ready outputs that don’t rely on ugly cropping later.

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