How to Uncrop Images for Reels (1:1 to 9:16) with AI Outpaint
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Create your first videoCropping deletes pixels. Outpainting manufactures them. That difference is why people repurposing one asset across TikTok, Reels, Shorts, Pinterest and paid ads reach for outpaint instead of the crop tool. This guide covers what it does, how Viralance's version works, the exact math for turning a square into a vertical, and how to avoid artifacts.
What is AI outpaint, and how is it different from uncrop?
Outpaint extends an image beyond its borders by generating content that blends with what already exists. "Uncrop" describes the same operation from your side of the screen: you're reversing a crop, revealing scene that was never actually photographed.
The model reads the existing pixels — lighting direction, perspective, texture, color — and predicts what continues past the frame. A beach gains more sand and sky; a product shot gains more tabletop. Unlike a stretch (which distorts) or a crop (which removes), outpainting adds plausible detail. That detail is invented: it is a guess about what could be there, not a recovery of what was.
Related questions: Is uncrop the same as outpaint? Can AI invent background that wasn't in the photo?
How does AI outpainting actually work?
Outpaint models are diffusion-based inpainting systems pointed outward. You hand them the original image plus an empty extension region, and they fill that region conditioned on the surrounding content. Three factors drive the result:
- Edge context: the model samples the existing borders to match lighting and texture, so a clean edge produces a clean extension.
- Expand amount: how many pixels you add per side. Small extensions usually blend well; very large ones give the model less context and more room to invent things that don't fit.
- Optional prompt: a short description ("sandy beach, overcast sky") steers what appears in the new area.
For big jumps, you can work in passes — extend a moderate amount, then run Expand again on that result — at 3 credits per pass.
Related questions: Why does AI outpaint sometimes look blurry? Should I outpaint in one pass or several?
How do I outpaint an image in Viralance?
Outpainting (see the AI image outpaint feature overview) lives on the Edit Image page (sidebar → Edit Image), next to Remove Background. The flow:
- Open Edit Image and select the Expand tool ("Make the image bigger — AI paints in the new edges").
- Upload a photo, or click Choose from My Photos to reuse an image you generated in Viralance.
- Set Expand amount (each side). The slider runs from 50 to 700px in 50px steps (default 200px), and the same value is applied to the left, right, top and bottom.
- Optionally fill in Guidance prompt (optional) to describe what should appear in the expanded area.
- Click Outpaint Image and download the result (PNG).
Each Expand run costs 3 credits; Remove Background costs 1. The page shows the cost and your balance before you run it. New accounts get 4 free credits after email verification — enough for one Expand run plus one Remove Background. After that, credits come in one-time packs from $9 for 30 credits (Mini) up to $299 for 1,650 (Business), with no subscription and no expiry, so one Expand run costs roughly $0.54–$0.90 depending on the pack. See pricing.
Related questions: Where is the outpaint tool in Viralance? How many credits does outpainting cost? Can I outpaint images I already generated?
How to uncrop images for Reels
Instagram Reels are 9:16 (1080×1920). To uncrop a square or landscape image for a Reel without cutting the subject:
- Open Edit Image and pick Expand.
- Upload the image and set the expand amount: about 40% of the image width per side for a square (450px for 1080px), more for a landscape shot.
- Optionally describe the new area ("more sky above, wooden table below") so the extension matches the scene.
- Run it (3 credits), then center-crop the result to 9:16 and resize to 1080×1920.
- Keep text and stickers inside the middle of the frame: Reels covers the bottom with the caption and buttons.
How does uncropping compare to other ways of fitting a Reel?
| Method | What happens to the image | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| AI uncrop (outpaint) | New scene is generated above and below; nothing is cut | The subject fills the frame and you need headroom for text |
| Crop to 9:16 | Keeps about 56% of a square's width | The subject is small and centered |
| Blurred or color background | Image stays small in the middle with bars around it | Speed matters more than a full-screen look |
| Reframe (video) | Generates the new edges of a clip | You are posting a video, not a still |
How do I turn a square image into a 9:16 vertical without cropping the subject?
This is the most common reason people uncrop. A 1:1 square is 1080×1080; a 9:16 vertical is 1080×1920. Cropping the square straight to vertical keeps only about 56% of its width — often slicing into the subject.
Viralance's Expand adds the same margin on all four sides, so the result is still square. The trick is to make it large enough that a full-height 9:16 crop still contains the whole original:
- A 9:16 crop of a square of side L is 0.5625 × L wide.
- To keep the original width S inside that crop, you need L ≥ 1.78 × S — so expand each side by at least about 40% of the original width.
- For a 1080px square, that means 450px or more per side: 1080 + 2×450 = 1980px, and a 9:16 crop of 1980px is about 1,114px wide, which fully contains the original 1,080px.
Then center-crop to 9:16 in any editor and resize to 1080×1920. You've gained generated background above and below the subject — useful headroom for hooks and captions — without losing any of the original frame. Because 450px is a large extension, review the new areas closely; if they look muddy, do two smaller passes (for example 250px, then 250px on the result).
Related questions: How do I make an Instagram post fit a Reel? How do I convert 1:1 to 9:16? Can I add space above a photo for text?
When should I outpaint vs. crop vs. generate fresh?
- Outpaint when you have a strong shot in the wrong aspect ratio, or the subject sits too tight to the edge.
- Crop when the extra background is just distraction and your subject already fits safely inside the frame you want. It's free and lossless.
- Generate fresh when the background needs to be completely different — outpaint continues a scene, it doesn't replace it. On the Create Image page, Nano Banana costs 1 credit per image and Nano Banana Pro costs 2 credits at 1K or 2K and 4 at 4K.
Rule of thumb: if cropping would cut your subject or leave no room for text, outpaint instead.
Related questions: When is cropping better than outpainting? Should I regenerate or extend my image?
What about video? Use Reframe instead
Expand handles still images. For clips, the equivalent is Reframe on the Edit Video page: it changes a clip's aspect ratio and generates the newly exposed edges, using Luma Ray 2 Reframe. Targets are 9:16, 16:9, 1:1, 4:3 and 3:4. Reframe accepts source clips up to 10 seconds and costs 2 credits per second of source video, with a 6-credit minimum — so 6 credits for a 3-second clip and 20 for a 10-second one. Trim longer clips first.
Related questions: How do I change a video from landscape to vertical? Does Viralance outpaint videos?
How do I get clean, artifact-free results?
- Extend gradually. Two moderate passes often beat one maximum jump.
- Prompt the background, not the subject. Describe the scene that should continue ("more ocean, grey sky") so the model doesn't add a second subject.
- Mind the edges. Skies, walls and tabletops extend cleanly; foliage, crowds and text are harder — generated text in the new area is usually unreadable.
- Check product details. If the image is a product shot, confirm that nothing about the product itself changed near the border.
- Upscale after, not before. Expand first to lock composition, then upscale the final frame if needed.
A typical Viralance run: generate an image on Create Image, expand it for 3 credits, then animate it in Create with an image-to-video model — all from one credit balance. Viralance does not post to social platforms; download the result and upload it yourself.
Related questions: How do I avoid outpaint artifacts? What images outpaint best? Can I outpaint and then animate the same image?
