Auto-Reframing

When you render a video in a different aspect ratio than the original source, StarZero Agents automatically reframes the content to keep the important parts visible. This happens behind the scenes every time you change the aspect ratio.

How It Works

Auto-reframing keeps what matters -- faces, key objects, the action -- in view, even when the frame shape changes dramatically.

Your project always has an aspect ratio available for reframing — either one you set explicitly or one that's automatically computed from your source media. You no longer need to set an aspect ratio before reframing.

For example, if your source video is a wide 16:9 shot and you render it in 9:16 (vertical), the system won't just blindly center-crop the frame. It follows the action.

Speaker Tracking

When you ask StarZero Agents to "focus on the speaker" or "reframe on the person talking," auto-reframing keeps the currently speaking person in frame. You don't need to describe who the speaker is or set manual focus hints -- just ask to focus on the speaker and the system handles it automatically.

"Reframe all clips to 9:16 and focus on whoever is speaking."

This is especially useful for interviews, podcasts, and panel discussions where the camera captures multiple people but you want the vertical crop to follow the conversation.

Combining Auto-Reframing with Focus Hints

Auto-reframing works on its own, but you can override or refine its decisions using focus hints.

• Without focus hints: StarZero Agents uses its automatic detection to decide what to keep in frame. This works well for many scenes, especially those with a clear main subject.
• With focus hints: Your focus hint takes priority. If you say "focus on the person on the left," the reframing will center on that person regardless of what the automatic detection would have chosen.

Use focus hints when you want to target a specific non-speaker visual element -- for example, "focus on the red car" or "keep the logo in frame." For speaker-tracking requests, auto-reframe handles it without needing a focus hint.

For the best results on important projects, set focus hints for each clip. The automatic detection is good, but you know your content best.

When Reframing Matters Most

The more extreme the aspect ratio change, the more reframing matters:

• 16:9 to 9:16 -- A dramatic change. A lot of the original frame gets cropped. Focus hints are strongly recommended here.
• 16:9 to 1:1 -- A moderate change. The sides get cropped. Usually works well with auto-reframing alone.
• 16:9 to 16:9 -- No change. Reframing doesn't apply.

Zooming Out Instead of Cropping

If you'd rather see the full frame instead of cropping, you can ask StarZero Agents to zoom out. This preserves the entire original frame and fills the extra space with black bars (or blurred bars) instead of cutting content.

This is useful when every part of the frame matters -- for example, a wide shot with important elements on both edges.

"Render in 9:16 but keep the full frame visible."

If you'd rather guarantee the opposite -- that reframing never zooms out past the source and never introduces black bars -- just say so:

"Reframe to 9:16 but don't zoom out, I don't want any black bars."

StarZero Agents will clamp the zoom so the viewport always stays within the source frame.

Previewing Your Reframe

Reframing is applied at render time. The best way to check if it looks right is to do a quick low-quality preview render:

"Render a quick preview in 9:16."

Review the result, adjust your focus hints if needed, and then do your final high-quality render when everything looks good.

Stable Holds and Smooth Transitions

Auto-reframing doesn't just track subjects -- it also knows when to hold still. When the subject stays put, StarZero Agents locks the framing in place with a hold keyframe instead of introducing subtle, distracting drift; when the subject moves, it transitions smoothly. This keeps auto-reframed footage feeling natural and steady.

You can see and adjust these keyframes in the visual editor. Right-click a keyframe to change its type between Ease, Linear, and Hold. See Keyframe-Based Pan and Zoom for details.

Tips

• Always preview reframed videos before doing a high-quality render, especially for extreme aspect ratio changes.
• When converting landscape content to portrait, take a moment to add focus hints for each clip. It makes a real difference.
• Auto-reframing handles scenes where subjects move around.
• For static shots (like a locked-off interview), auto-reframing and focus hints together give you very consistent results.