Inspiro – Setting Up the Video Background in Slideshow

This article refers to Inspiro Premium

One of the standout features of Inspiro is the ability to display an autoplaying video background in the homepage slideshow (hero area). This feature brings motion and visual impact to your site’s header, making it ideal for creatives, filmmakers, and businesses that want to showcase video content in a bold way.

How to Add a Video Background to a Slideshow Item

To enable a video background:

1. Go to Slideshow → Add New Slideshow Item (or edit an existing one).

2. Scroll to the Video Settings section under the content editor.

3. Click the Video Background tab.

4. Choose the video source you want to use and paste the link in the appropriate field.

Supported Video Sources:

Self-hosted video – Upload or link to an MP4 file
YouTube – Paste the full YouTube URL
Vimeo – Paste the full Vimeo URL

Examples of valid video URLs:

✅ Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/295116835
✅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvNw15W_EK8

Note: Shortened URLs or URLs with additional query parameters may not work.

❌ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXxpsKog2FU~~&t=287s&ab_channel=WPZOOM~~
❌ https://youtu.be/tXxpsKog2FU?si=8sSHwn4FREu1fB_h

💡 Tip: If you’re using a video background, we recommend setting a featured image that matches the first frame of your video. This provides a smooth experience while the video is loading.

Video Background Support on Mobile Devices

Inspiro supports video backgrounds on mobile devices. The best options for video background mobile support are self-hosted videos and Vimeo videos.

❗ YouTube does not support autoplaying background videos on mobile devices due to limitations outside our control.

Self-hosted Videos

Requirements for Self-Hosted Videos to Play on Mobile

To ensure smooth playback on mobile devices, make sure your videos comply with these requirements:

File format: MP4 with H.264 encoding
Muted: The video must be muted
File size: Keep it between 5–20MB for fast loading over mobile connections

💡 Use tools like Handbrake to compress and convert your video files.

Optionally, you can upload a different video which will be displayed on mobile devices.

For example, it can be an optimized video with a smaller resolution, or in a different orientation like portrait.

Vimeo Videos

Vimeo videos work best with Vimeo Plus, Pro, and Business accounts.

Upgrade to Vimeo PRO Today!

Even though Inspiro supports self-hosted videos, it’s much better to host them on a dedicated video platform like Vimeo. With Vimeo PRO, your videos will load faster, and you will not have to deal with issues like server bandwidth or slow-loading videos.

Upgrade to Vimeo PRO →

Video Not Playing on Mobile?

If your video background isn’t working on mobile, check the following:

Your phone might be in Low Power Mode (iOS), which disables autoplay in mobile browsers.
Your video format or encoding may not meet the requirements listed above.

Don’t Want the Video to Play on Mobile?

You can disable video backgrounds on mobile devices entirely.

Go to Appearance → Customize → Homepage Slideshow → Mobile Options and uncheck “Play Background Video on Mobile?”

This will show the featured image instead of the video on phones and tablets.

See More:
Tips for Optimizing Self-Hosted Video Backgrounds

Last updated on April 9, 2025