Find the smallest useful proof region
Mark the control viewers must recognize and the result they must read. If they sit on opposite sides of a dashboard, one portrait crop may not contain both. In this fictional reporting-app example, select This week and read the resulting date range. Decorative charts are unnecessary evidence.
Removing clutter from composition is different from changing a product result. Preserve qualifications and validation messages that affect its meaning.
Calculate what a phone preview does to the source
Consider an illustrative 1280 × 720 recording. A 9:16 crop at full source height is 405 pixels wide. Fitting the entire width into a 360-pixel preview produces about 360 × 203 pixels. A 16-pixel source label appears about 4.5 pixels high.
These are example calculations, not upload requirements or universal readability thresholds. Use your actual source and destination preview. They explain why a technically complete desktop view can fail a phone reading test.
Fit
[ Full desktop view ] Labels may shrink
Crop
[ This week ▾ ] Preserve the selection
Sequence
[ Choose range ] → [ Read result ]
| Decision or state | Example | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Overall layout is the subject | Reject if critical labels become unreadable. |
| Static crop | Action and result share a region | Reject clipped menus or qualifications. |
| Sequential close-ups | Evidence spans distant areas | Preserve the cause of the change. |
| New recording | Source text is soft | Re-record rather than invent detail. |
Choose fit, crop or a sequence
Fit the entire screen when overall arrangement matters and small labels are unimportant. Crop when action and result share a compact region. Use sequential close-ups when the workflow crosses distant regions.
Show the date selection before moving to its result. Keep an orientation cue through the move. A finished result alone does not establish which action produced it.
Review causality and the actual export
Let a selection complete before moving the frame. A sudden pan during a click can hide the chosen option. If a menu extends beyond the crop, widen it or record another pass. Enlargement cannot recover absent source detail.
Open the export at normal phone viewing size. Ask someone to name the option and changed result without zooming. Record their answer and revise the failing interval. This is a comprehension check, not evidence of improved campaign performance.
Copy the planning worksheet
Use this worksheet in your own notes. Fill it with verified product details and actual review observations before sharing an asset.
Source dimensions:
Destination preview size:
Control and result regions:
Fit / crop / sequence choice:
Orientation cue:
Reviewer named option / result:
Retake needed:Browse the founder guide library for the next task in your workflow.