Facebook Videos vs Reels: What's the Difference When Saving Them?

What is a Regular Facebook Video?

A regular Facebook video is content that is posted to Facebook by a user in the form of a video.

There are many uses cases for a user to post a regular Facebook video. A user may post a video of themselves speaking to post a lecture. A user may post a video of a live concert. A user may post a video of themselves using a product to demonstrate the product.

There are very few constraints on a regular Facebook video. How the video is captured, edited and posted determines how the video is viewed.

A regular Facebook video may be:

Edited to be vertically or horizontally oriented

Of different lengths

Captured using a phone or camera

There are many constraints on a regular Facebook video, the main constraint is the decisions made by the video’s creator.

Facebook Reels are videos that are created to be viewed in a scrolling feed. Reels are designed to be viewed in a different format than traditional videos. Most Reels are designed to be viewed in a full-screen format. Because of this, many Reels are designed to be viewed in a vertical format. While most Reels are designed to be viewed in a vertical format, this does not guarantee that a video is a Reel. To determine if a video is a Reel, you need to look at the source code for the video. The source code will determine if the video is a Reel and will provide a special URL that is associated with the Reel.

While there are many different formats that can be used to upload a video to Facebook, there are some format differences that are associated with Reels.

Practical Differences

Traditional Video

Reel

Presentation

Can be presented in a variety of formats.

Is presented in a full-screen format.

Style

Can be any style of video.

Is usually a short, what’s trending, style video.

Orientation

Can be any format.

Is usually a vertical video.

Link

Link is determined by the parent Facebook post.

Contains a special Reel URL.

Availability

Can be downloaded if supported and allowed by the source.

Quality

Varies.

These are the general characteristics of both formats. There are exceptions to these rules.

Facebook changes the formats and presentations of videos over time. Because of this, the video formats that users see may be different from one another.

The 16:9 ratio is the standard aspect ratio for video in the horizontal orientation. The portrait orientation for video takes the 9:16 ratio.

Just because a video is vertical doesn't mean it is better than a horizontal video. A horizontal video can be low quality. It all depends on the factors such as editing, resolution, framerate, bitrate, etc.

Besides the aspect ratio, a vertical video has the same requirements for quality as a horizontal video.

The video downloader doesn't change the original video. Empty space may appear around the video when the downloaded Reel is played on a computer, unless the player is setup to adapt to the video size.

Facebook Reels, like TikTok, are often short. One way to save a video or a Reel is to take the source URL. The standard for Facebook videos isn't as good as Reels, so the source URL for a video may vary and be fairly long. For a Reel, the source URL is fairly short. Because tools to download videos and Reels can't tell the difference between different types of Facebook posts, the source URL has to be submitted to tell the tool what kind of post it is to be downloaded.

The source for standard Facebook videos can be fairly long, so it is easy to make a mistake when submitting it. To copy the source for a Facebook video, go to the video and click the share button. The source will be copied and can be submitted without changing it. The source for the video may vary if the page contains other types of posts. To ensure the source is for the video, using the sharing options is suggested.

The source for a Reel can be fairly short and is easy to submit, so using the sharing options is suggested.

Submit the address to the browser downloader, FBB Load.

The location of sharing controls depends on how Facebook is accessed (app, mobile site, desktop site).

Supported Links and FBB DOWNLOADER

To use FBB DOWNLOADER you have to enter a link.

Check if the Facebook link for the video or Reel is accessible. If it is, then you can use that link with FBB DOWNLOADER

There are cases where a Facebook video link is accessible, but the content cannot be processed or returned by the tool.

Just because a Facebook link is valid, does not mean that content can be downloaded.

There are a number of reasons why a video can be unavailable. It could be because of content restrictions, the link is old, or the video has been deleted.

Reels Are Not Always 1080p

Not all Reels offer the highest available quality.

Reels can be vertical and still maintain a low or high resolution.

Just because a Reel is vertical doesn't mean it is low quality.

A Reel can be low quality because of how it was recorded.

Not all Reels offer the highest quality. It depends on the source.

Does a Traditional Video Have Better Quality?

No.

The file type does not impact quality.

For example, some people may use their phone to create a Facebook video, and that may be the better quality recording than a Reel.

Also, a Reel may be created using a higher quality camera than a phone.

The true quality of a video is determined by a number of elements, including the camera and equipment used to create the video, the resolution and bitrate of the video, the lighting, the encoding, the compression, and the settings used to export the video.

Because of all of these factors, one format of Facebook video may not be of better quality than another.

Why Does a Reel Look Different When Downloaded? Because Reels are made to be viewed in a vertical format, when a person tries to view a Reel in a format other than vertical, there may be distortion.

The Reel may be designed to take up less space, and therefore may appear distorted to a greater or lesser degree when viewed in different formats.

This may give the appearance of a loss of quality when, in fact, there may be no quality loss at all.

A viewer may experience quality loss when a video made in a vertical format is played on a desktop, where the video takes up less space than the desktop's wide format.

Issues with Traditional Videos and Reels

Not all videos and Reels can be saved.

For example, a video may not be able to be saved because of the structure of the coding used in that particular video.

Make sure to paste the Facebook link directly rather than using a proxy.

The Video is Private

There was a problem processing the selected content.

A workaround to Facebook’s privacy settings using a downloader is prohibited.

The Video is unavailable.

If the post or Reel is deleted, the link will no longer be available.

Check the post on Facebook before attempting the link again.

The Link is Unavailable.

A link may no longer be available in its entirety if it is manually copied or written out.

Go to the post and use Facebook’s link copy feature to share it again.

Video Quality is Low

Facebook limits the quality of Reels to be downloaded.

Can FBB DownloaDER Both Regular Videos and Reels?

FBB DownloaDER is able to download the Reels that are supported by Facebook.

This does not mean that all Reels will be supported.

There are many reasons as to why supported Reels will not be accessible to FBB DOWNLOADER

What is the Difference in Ease of Use Between FBB DOWNLOADER and other Downloaders?

This also depends on the reason why supported content will not be processable.

The best alternative is to use the direct link to content and take advantage of features provided by FBB Load.

The essential element in determining whether a given URL is processable is the nature of the content itself and not whether it's a Reel or a regular video.

 A public regular video is processable, especially if a direct URL is provided.

Reels are also processable if provided with the appropriate URLs.

Both types of content may not be processable if the content is removed, blocked, or restricted, or if the URLs provided are not accessible or usable by the content capturer.

Process ability of a content is the key determinant as to whether a given video can be captured, and the label, "reel" or "video" is of no consequence.

What happens to the video after it's downloaded?

 After a given video is downloaded, how it's saved is dependent on the browser, and the settings of the device it's saved to.

For a computer, it may be saved to the "Downloads" folder.

For a phone or tablet, the location may vary, depending on the browser.

Is the orientation of the content changed?

Reels are saved as vertical videos. To change a vertical video to a horizontal one would require editing the video file.

For what purposes should one consider using a different format for Reels?

The format and quality of Reels may vary. One may consider the format and quality of content before downloading if they intend to edit the content.

Don’t pick a higher resolution because it seems better. Pick the smallest file size with the most detail.

Usage of Facebook Videos and Reels

Mistakenly believing that you are allowed to use someone else’s Facebook video just because you can see it and it’s not behind a private wall, is a common mistake. Publicly visible video content is not always free to be edited and/or published by someone else.

Always check with the content owner to make sure you have permission to use their content the way you want to.

You should always check to see if you are allowed to edit and post someone else's video to your social media, use it in an advertisement, post it to your social media to promote your business, post it to your social media to advertise your business, post it to your social media to advertise your business, use it in your business video, post it to your website, or share it and post it to your social media as your own video.

 You should always check your legal rights to do the above to someone else's video. FBB Load is a website that helps process videos. Users are legally and ethically responsible for checking their rights and the rights of others when using processed and downloaded videos. Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a Facebook Reel and a Facebook Video?

Facebook Reels are a specific type of short video, and regular videos can encompass a variety of video content.

Are all Reels vertical?

No. A Reel can be Horizontal. A video’s aspect ratio determines if the content is a Reel.

Are all vertically filmed videos Facebook Reels?

No. A video can be filmed vertically and still not be a Reel.

Can FBB DOWNLOADER extract a Reel?

 Yes. FBB DOWNLOADER can extract Reels that are supported by Facebook.

Why do some Reels have better quality when extracted?

The various versions of a video filmed by the user allow for different quality settings.

Why do some Reels have black bars on the sides?

Black bars on the side of a video occur when the video is played on a larger screen. This occurs because the video is filmed in a vertical aspect ratio.

Can I post other user’s Reels?

You can only repost a Reel if you have permission or if there is some other legal reason that permits you to do so. Posting a Reel that you do not have permission to repost is against Facebook’s policy.

I have explained the differences in presentation, orientation, and viewing experience of Reels and Facebook videos, and how different links are generated for each. Reels, as expected, are in a vertical format, and Facebook videos can be in any format and of any duration.

When saving Reels or Facebook videos, the best way to proceed is to assess the links and the sources. Copy the links of the contents in question, go to FBB Load, and paste the links to save the contents in the format and quality of their choice.

The format and quality of the contents saved in this manner vary. Reels can be of better or worse quality than Facebook videos.

It is important to understand that just because a video can be easily saved, it does not mean it can be shared or re-distributed. People save videos all the time, but sharing and re-distributing them requires one obtain the appropriate permission or legal right to do so.