A curated library of social content inspiration.
Save references, organise them by tag and share with your team. Used by creative teams worldwide.
Sign up, it's freeWhat is 9by16
A searchable library of short-form video references.
9by16 collects short-form social video from Instagram and TikTok and tags every reference by what is in it. The camera move, the location, the edit, the product, the mood.
Search for a handheld one-shot in a night market and you get handheld one-shots in night markets. Your boards stay organised and searchable, and you can share any of them with your team.
Features
01
Curated social content inspiration
Discover references for innovative techniques, emerging trends and striking visuals, organised so you can actually find what you need.
02
Save from Instagram and TikTok
Bookmark references directly from Instagram and TikTok. Everything lands in one place, tagged and searchable.
03
Boards for your team
Create boards, curate references into collections and share them with your creative team, keeping everyone aligned on the vision.
04
Save without leaving your browser
The 9by16 Chrome extension lets you save posts directly from your feed. One click and it is tagged and stored.
Built for
For people who have to find the reference, then show it to someone else.
Editors
Pull cutting references by pace, transition and technique before a timeline is open.
Motion designers
Find typography, VFX and graphic treatments that are working in the wild right now.
Directors
Build the visual language for a pitch in one board. Framing, light, location, movement.
Social & content teams
See what a format looks like when it lands, then brief it in with the reference attached.
Agencies & studios
Give the whole team one reference library they can all search.
Brand & in-house teams
Track what category leaders are posting, week to week, in one place.
How it works
01
Describe what you are looking for
Write the brief in plain language. "Slow-motion product reveal, warm light, close on hands." 9by16 builds a board from the library. Name a brand and it will pull that account’s latest or most-liked posts.
02
Save from anywhere you browse
The Chrome extension saves a post straight from your Instagram or TikTok feed. It arrives tagged, thumbnailed and searchable.
03
Share the board with your team
Boards are links. Send one to a client, or bring your whole team into a shared workspace and brief from the same references.
Search by
Every reference is tagged, so you can search the way you would describe a shot.
Camera & technique
Edit & pace
Look & light
Subject & setting
Format
Questions
What is 9by16?
9by16 is a curated library of short-form social video references from Instagram and TikTok. Every reference is tagged by technique, subject and setting, so you can search for the one you need. The name comes from the 9:16 vertical frame.
Who uses 9by16?
Editors, motion designers, directors and social teams, along with the agencies, studios and in-house brand teams they work in. Anyone who has to find a visual reference and show it to someone else.
How is this different from saving posts on Instagram or TikTok?
Saved posts sit in one long untagged list that only you can see, and they break when accounts change or go private. A 9by16 reference keeps its tags and its thumbnail, groups into boards, and can be shared with your team.
How are references tagged?
Every reference is tagged by camera technique, subject, setting and edit, then reviewed before it goes live. That is what makes the library searchable by what is in a video.
Can I find references from a specific brand?
Yes. Ask for a brand by name and 9by16 will pull that account’s most recent posts, or its most-liked ones, and build a board from them.
Can I save references while I am browsing?
Yes. The 9by16 Chrome extension saves a post directly from your Instagram or TikTok feed in one click, tagged and stored in your library.
Is 9by16 free?
Yes. It is free to sign up and start building a reference library.
Ready to build
your reference library?
Join creative teams using 9by16 to stay inspired, organised and ahead of the curve.
Sign up, it's free