The reel feature of Facebook is available for both Android and iOS. Unfortunately, desktop users can’t use this feature since this is only available on mobile phones. In today’s blog, we are going to look at the features of reels, and have a walkthrough on how we can use our Doodly video as Facebook’s reel.

Sometimes we can’t afford to just edit portions of our video. Especially if it is a collection of photos, we want everything in one video. If that is the case, you may want to speed it up a bit until you finally hit that 60 seconds maximum video length requirement.

Facebook reel also provides different types of effects that you can apply to your video. From the glitters, sparks, and filters, you can apply these effects and make your video stand out. There is even an option to save an effect you like so you don’t have to keep on looking for it every time you need it. The next time you record a reel, you will see the saved effects on the left side of the record button ⏺️. To choose an effect, simply tap effects then choose from the available options that will appear at the bottom of your phone beside the record button.

Last on the list is the green screen. The green screen allows you to upload a background image or video as you try to record yourself. There are also presets available that you can use if you don’t want to upload your own background. This effect is commonly used by someone who needs to present sample scenarios or clips as they speak, like those who do movie reviews, sports reviews, teachers, other professionals, those who do spoofs, or just about anyone who wants to have a custom background.

Reels are best executed when planned. Planning requires directing. Thus, before you can even push that record button, you should have a clear plan on how you want to execute your video. If you are into digital marketing, or you are growing followers on social media, we’re pretty sure you are very keen on how your videos look after it has been uploaded. Each of the features mentioned plays an important role in making sure that your uploaded reel video is a hit.

Here’s how the planning works:

Think of your background music. If you are promoting your products and services, or just want to attract more followers, you may want a background song that is catchy, lively, and easy to listen to. You can select from the songs listed under For You or find songs from other categories. If you have a song in mind, you can just type in the title and search for it.

The green screen effect gives you tons of possibilities you can make with your video. It creates that interactive vibe and it makes your video fun to look at. As you use the green screen effect, plan how you are going to enter the screen, the spiel you will use or the movement you are going to do as you record your video.

Once you are done recording the video, you have an option to add more effects to it. You can add texts, stickers, gifs, and video effects. You can even trim the video, speed it up, make it a slow-mo video, change background music, and others.

Making your video stand out is really easy with reels. Now that you know how you are going to execute your video, it’s time to work on our Doodly clip. Here are some of the things you need to do to properly execute a Doodly video as a Facebook reel.

Your video’s orientation should be vertical. First on the list is the video size. To create a vertical video that fits perfectly for a Facebook reel, you need to choose Custom as Doodly’s video resolution. After that, set the width to 1080 and the height should be set to 1920.

Depending on your theme, choose the best board style for your video. You can choose from a whiteboard, chalkboard, glassboard, and custom. For our sample Doodly video, we picked a whiteboard.

Don’t forget to give your video a title. If you are planning to create a series of reels, you can add a number on your title or add a date. You can set the title right after you choose the resolution of your video or via the edit video page.

After choosing your video frame size and board style, you can now start creating your video by adding assets. You can use the pre-installed assets in Doodly or get some props and characters from websites that provide royalty-free images like pixabay, freepik, and others.

We won’t be adding an audio track this time since we will use the music available on Facebook.

After adding all the assets you like, it’s time to adjust the timing. Remember that Facebook reel only allows up to 60 seconds of video. As we have mentioned, you can trim your video or just capture portions you want within the maximum allowed time which is 60 seconds. Since you will be creating your Doodly video, you might as well set the correct timing already.

By default, the animation of each asset added in Doodly is set to 3 seconds. To adjust the length of your video, you need to change the animation duration of your asset. You can do CTRL + A and select the gear icon to change the animation duration of the assets all at the same time, or just update the duration of a selected asset from the Layers menu.

You can also adjust the extra time at the end of your scene to create that perfect timing.

Choose your preferred hand style for your video. You can select a cartoon effect or a real hand. If you write on the left, you can choose left-handed. You can also use either a man’s or a woman’s hand for your presentation.

Once you have completed working on your video, you can start the export process. If you must, you can change the destination of your exported video too.

Since Facebook reel is only available on mobile and not on a computer, we need to transfer the exported Doodly file into your phone. There are several ways you can import your video into your phone but we will show you the most commonly used method.

One of the most preferred ways of transferring files from mac to iPhone is via the airdrop app. To use the app, simply open the Doodly video using the Quicktime app on your mac computer. Click the share icon at the bottom right side of the app and select airdrop. Select the name of your iPhone when prompted to start the file transfer.

Lastly, accept the airdrop notification once received on your iPhone. If you are using the same Apple ID on your computer and the iPhone, you will not see an option to Accept or Decline. The transferred file will automatically get sent to your device.

For Android devices, you can use ShareIt to transfer the video from your computer to your phone. Make sure you have ShareIt installed on both of your devices. To transfer files, open the ShareIt app on both mobile phone and PC. Make sure that both are connected to the same network. On the mobile phone, tap the “+” sign at the upper right side of your ShareIt app and select Connect to PC. Your phone should be able to detect the laptop with the ShareIt app.

On the PC, you will receive a notification to either Accept or Refuse the connection request. Click Accept. When you are already connected, select the File folder from ShareIt, locate the Doodly video from your computer then transfer it to the phone.

The file is now saved on your phone. Remember to move it to your Camera roll so you can easily access it when you import the video to Facebook.

Now that you have the Doodly video saved on your phone, it is time to upload it on Facebook. Let’s go through the upload process one by one:

1. Tap reel from your Facebook account and select the imported Doodly video.

2. After selecting the reel image, you can add some other features like music, effects, texts, gifs, and a lot more. When you are happy with your video, hit next then Share reel.

You can also use the green screen effect and use the Doodly video as background as you take your own video. Here are some more Facebook reel sample videos:

We hope you enjoy today’s walkthrough. Try working on your own Doodly video and start creating those Facebook reels. Use them to promote your products and services, or just use them for personal use. Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy Doodling. 🙂