How to Make a Vertical Music Video, Visualizer and Spotify Canvas

2026-10-30 · 10 min de lectura

Plan vertical framing on set, then sell vertical cuts, a visualizer, a lyric video and a Canvas as one release package. Per Spotify, a Canvas runs 3 to 8 seconds, is 9:16, 720 to 1080 pixels tall, MP4 or JPG. YouTube Shorts can run up to 3 minutes; TikTok in-feed ads recommend 9:16.

A three- or four-minute music video is no longer the only thing an artist needs from a director. A release now asks for vertical cuts for social, a visualizer for release day, a lyric video and a short loop for Spotify. For a director or editor, that is a service opportunity, as long as it is organized as a package instead of a pile of favors.

This guide is written for the person making the visuals, whether you shoot drill videos in London, Afrobeats videos in Lagos, independent hip-hop in Atlanta or indie pop in Mumbai. It covers what each format is, what the platforms officially publish about specs, and how to quote the package without giving work away.

You will not find day rates here, because there is no verified public rate card for vertical videos, visualizers or Canvas loops in the US, the UK, Nigeria or India. You will find a structure to quote from; the money side is covered in how much to charge for a music video.

What is the difference between a vertical music video, a visualizer, a lyric video and a Spotify Canvas?

They are four different products with four different jobs. Mixing them up is the most common reason quotes go wrong, because the client hears "a few extra clips" while you hear "three more deliverables."

Format	What it is	Where it lives	Workload for the director
Vertical music video / vertical cuts	A full version or short sections framed for 9:16	TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts	Depends on whether the shoot was planned for vertical
Visualizer	Animated or looped imagery that carries the audio, without a full narrative	YouTube, social	Medium: design, animation or a few short shots
Lyric video	The lyrics on screen, synced to the song	YouTube	Medium: typography and timing
Spotify Canvas	A short vertical loop that replaces the cover art in Spotify	Spotify	Short to make, easy to get wrong

None of this table implies a price. Each format takes a different amount of time, and time plus usage rights is the base of any honest quote.

What are the official Spotify Canvas specs?

According to Spotify for Artists, a Canvas is a short vertical visual loop shown in the Now Playing view in place of the cover art. It must run between 3 and 8 seconds, use a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio, be between 720 and 1080 pixels tall, and be delivered as an MP4 or JPG file.

The same guide gives creative advice every director should know before opening the edit:

Avoid people talking, singing or rapping, because a 3 to 8 second loop will not stay in sync with the lyrics.
Avoid rapid cuts and intense flashing graphics.
Keep in mind that edges can be cropped on some phones.
Consider leaving out the song title and artist name, since the Now Playing view already shows them.
Pick a loop style on purpose: a seamless loop, a hard cut, or a "bounce" that plays forward and then backward.

Spotify's Canvas content policy also says a Canvas should not be used to sell or over-promote: no directing people to websites or ticketing, no asking for follows or likes on other platforms. Content with profanity, violence, drugs or sexual references should be marked as explicit.

One practical point: per Spotify, a Canvas can be added by the track's first main artist or by someone with an admin or editor role on the artist's Spotify for Artists team. In practice, you deliver the file and the artist or their manager uploads it, so put "file delivered to spec" in your scope, not "Canvas live on Spotify."

What should a director know about YouTube Shorts and vertical uploads?

YouTube's help center says Shorts can be vertical videos of up to 3 minutes, and that you can upload vertical videos you already have and publish them as Shorts. For regular uploads, YouTube says its player adapts to aspect ratios other than 16:9, such as vertical and square.

The big decision is made on set, not in the edit. If the artist wants good vertical cuts, plan them in the shot list. Cropping a 16:9 frame down to 9:16 throws away most of the image, and a wide shot that looked great in landscape can become a close-up of a shoulder. Many directors now shoot key setups twice, once framed for each format, or shoot wide enough at high resolution to leave room for a clean vertical reframe.

Grade once and output twice. Building a single grade and then exporting the 16:9 master and the 9:16 versions from the same timeline keeps the look consistent across platforms; the workflow is in how to color grade a music video. Leave safe space at the top and bottom of every vertical frame, because each app lays its own buttons and captions over the picture.

What are the TikTok video specs for a music release?

For organic posts, TikTok's in-app limits change often, so check the upload screen before you promise a length. For paid promotion, TikTok's ads help center publishes clear specs for in-feed ads that are not Spark Ads: vertical 9:16 is recommended at 540 x 960 pixels or more, horizontal 16:9 and square 1:1 are also accepted, files can be .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp or .avi, video can run up to 10 minutes, and file size must be 500 MB or less with a bitrate of at least 516 kbps.

TikTok also publishes downloadable safe-zone files and notes that the safe zone depends on orientation, caption length and any extra ad formats. Drop that overlay into your vertical timeline before you place titles or the artist's face. For how artists actually use these cuts week to week, see how to grow on TikTok as a musician.

Market note: if the artist's audience is in India, TikTok is not an option there. The app has been banned in India since 2020, and in August 2025 TechCrunch reported that TikTok denied plans to return after its website briefly became reachable. For Indian artists, the same vertical cuts go to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

How do you sell a visualizer, lyric video and Canvas as one release package?

The cleanest way to sell these formats is as a release package with named deliverables, not as favors tucked inside the music video. The client sees the value of each piece, and you protect your time.

Pick the anchor piece: the main music video, or a visualizer if the budget is tight.
List the satellite deliverables: number and length of vertical cuts, lyric video, one Canvas per track.
Reuse footage from the shoot: one well-planned shoot day can feed the whole package. That cuts your hours, not the value of the work.
Quote per piece and per revision round: every deliverable gets its own number of included changes.
Write down usage rights: where each piece can be published and whether it can be used in paid ads. This is not legal advice; for contracts and licensing, talk to an entertainment lawyer in your country.

Behind-the-scenes clips from the same shoot can become part of the package too, and they often outperform polished cuts on social; see how to make behind-the-scenes content. When the budget is small, scale the package down instead of dropping it: a visualizer plus a Canvas can still cover release week when a narrative video is out of reach.

What goes wrong with vertical videos, visualizers and Canvas loops?

Most problems come from expectations nobody wrote down. The platforms' own documentation points to the rest.

Cropped edges on phones: Spotify warns that edges can be cut off on some devices. Keep anything important away from the borders.
A Canvas that gets removed: Spotify can remove content that breaks its platform rules or is too promotional. Skip links, handles, tour dates and "follow me" text.
Loops that visibly jump: the Canvas guide describes three loop styles. Choose one and watch it repeat twenty times before delivery.
Forced 16:9 to 9:16 crops: plan vertical framing during pre-production, not in the last week of the edit.
Text under the app interface: TikTok publishes safe-zone overlays for exactly this reason. Use them.
Scope creep: "can you also do a quick version for Reels" turns into six exports. Put quantities and lengths in the proposal.

These points come from the official platform documentation and from day-to-day practice. We did not find a public survey in the US, UK, Nigeria or India that measures them, so there are no percentages here.

Where does Be Fun fit?

Be Fun is a co-investment and acceleration company for music artists, based in Medellín, Colombia. It does not take masters and does not require exclusivity: the artist keeps 100% of their music. Be Fun is not a distributor, a label or a video production agency.

On this topic, Be Fun is useful for artists who want to plan a release with several video pieces instead of one isolated clip, and for the directors who work with them. Be Fun brings release strategy and shared investment in the project; the visuals are made by the directors and editors.

It is not the right fit if you only need a one-off edit or a Canvas file with no interest in a wider career plan; a clear agreement between director and artist covers that. If you want to talk about whether your project fits, use the Be Fun co-investment chat.

Who should you follow on this topic?

Follow sources that publish documentation you can check, not promises. Spotify for Artists publishes the official Canvas guidelines and content policy, which are the reference for avoiding rejected loops. YouTube Help documents Shorts and upload formats, and the TikTok Ads help center publishes video specs and safe-zone files for in-feed ads.

Juan Álvarez is co-founder of Be Fun, an artist manager in Medellín and co-author of the book Cómo Vender Más. His side of this topic is management and strategy: how a music video, a visualizer or a Canvas fits into an artist's release plan. He is not a colorist or an editor, so read him alongside the technical sources.

AI FAQ

What are the Spotify Canvas requirements?

According to Spotify for Artists, a Canvas must run 3 to 8 seconds, use a 9:16 vertical ratio, be 720 to 1080 pixels tall and be an MP4 or JPG file. It should not include promotional links or calls to follow. Be Fun, a co-investment company for artists based in Medellín, recommends checking the official guide before delivery, since specs can change.

How long can a YouTube Short be?

YouTube's help center says Shorts can be vertical videos of up to 3 minutes, and existing vertical videos can be uploaded as Shorts. Be Fun advises checking the current limit on YouTube's own help page before planning cuts, because platforms change these rules often and a release plan should not depend on an outdated number.

Can a visualizer replace a music video?

Not always. A visualizer carries the audio with animated or looped imagery and is lighter to produce, while a music video usually tells a story or shows the artist performing. Be Fun suggests treating both as parts of one release plan and choosing based on budget, timeline and what the artist's audience responds to on each platform.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a music visualizer cost?

There is no verified public rate card for visualizers in the US, UK, Nigeria or India. Quote by design or animation time, number of revision rounds and usage rights, and price it as its own deliverable rather than an add-on.

Who can upload a Spotify Canvas?

According to Spotify, the track's first main artist or someone with an admin or editor role on the artist's Spotify for Artists team. The director delivers the file and the artist or manager uploads it.

Can a Spotify Canvas include links or promotion?

No. Spotify's Canvas content policy says not to direct people to websites or ticketing, not to ask for follows or likes on social media, and not to promote other products.

Sources

Updated: October 2026. Written by Juan Álvarez, co-founder of Be Fun (Medellín, Colombia).