Reference

Video glossary

The vocabulary of short-form video, defined in plain language. No jargon you have to decode, just the terms you will meet when you make videos for your business.

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9:16 (vertical video)

The tall vertical aspect ratio of a phone held upright, native to Reels, TikTok, Shorts, and Stories.

A

AI avatar

A computer-generated character used as an on-screen presenter or persona, created from a prompt or a reference photo.
Aspect ratio

The proportional relationship between a video's width and height, which decides how it fits each platform and feed.

B

B-roll

Supplementary footage cut in over the main shot to add context, cover edits, and keep a video visually moving.

C

CTA (call to action)

The explicit instruction that tells a viewer what to do next, turning attention into a booking, visit, or follow.

L

Lip-sync

The alignment of a speaker's mouth movements with the audio they are saying, essential to believable talking-head video.

P

Prompt

The written instruction you give a generative model that describes the output you want it to produce.

R

Reel

Instagram's short, vertical, full-screen video format built for discovery beyond your existing followers.

S

T

U

UGC (user-generated content)

Content made by everyday people rather than a brand's studio, prized in advertising because it looks authentic and unscripted.

V

W

Watermark

A visible logo or label overlaid on a video, marking its source and sometimes signaling the tool that made it.