Experiment 001 · $0 workflow

Make a faceless Short without an external microphone.

Record a clean screen master in OBS, narrate with your phone, and turn both into a vertical video using a free editor.

Video coming with the first channel upload.

The complete written workflow is available now.

The short answer: record the screen horizontally, record clean narration separately on your phone, and crop the final edit vertically. Upgrade only after the workflow exposes a real limitation.

What you need

1. Choose a self-demonstrating topic

Your first topic should let the viewer see the process and the outcome. A recording tutorial is ideal because the screen recording itself proves that the workflow works.

2. Record a safe master in OBS

Create a 1920×1080 canvas and record the complete screen workflow. A wide master can support the long tutorial and several vertical clips; an aggressively cropped master cannot restore information removed during recording.

SettingStarting point
Canvas1920×1080
Frame rate30 fps for interfaces; 60 fps for fast gameplay
Recording formatMKV, then remux to MP4
Encoder presetHigh Quality

Run a ten-second motion test before the full recording. Confirm that text is readable and movement remains smooth.

3. Record narration on your phone

Move into a quiet space with soft surfaces. Put the phone 6–8 inches from your mouth, slightly off to one side, enable airplane mode, and record one paragraph at a time. Listen for hum, clipping, echoes, and clothing noise before continuing.

4. Build the vertical edit

Create a 1080×1920 sequence. Import the horizontal master and phone narration, synchronize the tracks, and crop the screen around the action. Keep captions away from the extreme top and bottom where platform controls can cover them.

5. Export and inspect

Export an H.264 MP4 at 1080×1920. Watch the entire file on a phone with sound on and off. Correct caption errors, remove private information, and confirm the opening makes sense immediately.

Rights check: use footage you recorded or assets you are licensed to publish. Save the source and license for every third-party element.

Sources

Sources last checked September 3, 2026.