Spotlight is Snapchat's short vertical video surface, shown full-screen in the Snapchat app similar to other short-video feeds. Snapchat's own support pages list current file requirements and length guidance for Spotlight submissions, and those have shifted before as the feature has developed, so treat any specific number as something to reconfirm in-app rather than fixed. What is stable is the shape of the format: 9:16 vertical video, uploaded as an MP4.
Resolution and duration
Export your ReelWorkshop compilation at 1080x1920 for the sharpest look in Spotlight's full-screen vertical player; 720x1280 is available if you want a smaller file. For length, ReelWorkshop's 60, 75 and 90-second edit plans are all reasonable starting points, but check Snapchat's current Spotlight submission guidelines for any minimum or maximum duration before you commit to one, since Snapchat has historically encouraged fairly short, punchy clips for this particular feed.
Configuring the export
| Setting | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 1080x1920 | Best clarity in Spotlight's full-screen player |
| Length | Start with 60s | Confirm Snapchat's current Spotlight guidance for exact limits |
| Audio | Keep source audio if usable | Snapchat can add its own sounds later, so avoid pre-mixing extras you don't want doubled |
| Container/codec | MP4, H.264/AAC (ReelWorkshop default) | Standard format accepted for upload |
On-screen safe areas
Snapchat's interface places its own icons and text — creator name, caption, sound attribution, and the like/share/more icon column — over the video, generally toward the bottom and right edge, in keeping with the layout most vertical video apps use. Keep burned-in text and any logo watermark centered and away from those margins so the app's overlay doesn't cover it.
Check your edit plan in ReelWorkshop's live preview for where captions or on-screen text sit relative to the frame edges before rendering, since each render counts toward your monthly export minutes on the Starter plan.
Common mistakes
- Assuming Spotlight's current length guidance matches TikTok's or Instagram's without checking Snapchat's own documentation.
- Placing a logo or watermark in the bottom-right corner, a common spot for Snapchat's own UI elements.
- Uploading footage that's still landscape and letting Snapchat crop it, rather than exporting 9:16 from ReelWorkshop first.
- Not reviewing audio levels across clips before exporting, since Spotlight is a sound-on feed for most viewers.
When this isn't the right fit
ReelWorkshop doesn't add Snapchat-native lenses, filters, stickers or sound library tracks — those are applied inside Snapchat itself, either before or after you post. If your Spotlight submission needs those effects baked in, plan for that step separately; use ReelWorkshop for the underlying job of turning your raw clips into a clean, correctly paced vertical MP4.
Does ReelWorkshop upload directly to Snapchat?
No. ReelWorkshop renders and downloads an MP4 file; you upload it to Snapchat's Spotlight submission flow yourself.
What resolution should I use if my connection is slow?
720x1280 gives you a smaller file to upload, at some cost to sharpness compared with 1080x1920.