Safe zone terms for vertical video
A social video safe zone is the part of a vertical frame that the app’s buttons, captions and top bar do not cover: for example, on a 1080 by 1920 TikTok frame this guide keeps text inside an 880 by 1280 px area, clear of the right-hand buttons and the caption at the bottom.
A vertical video can look perfect in the edit and still lose its headline under a like button once it is posted. Checking a frame against the safe zone before the client signs off saves a re-export after launch.
- Safe zone
- The area of the frame where text, logos, faces and calls to action stay visible once the app draws its own interface on top. Anything outside it may be covered on some phones.
- Interface overlay
- What the app draws over your video: a top bar or tabs, a column of buttons on the right, and the account name, caption and sound or title lines along the bottom.
- 9:16 frame
- The full-screen vertical shape these apps use, usually exported at 1080 by 1920 pixels. Other shapes are cropped or padded to fill it, which can cut off the edges of your design.
- Centre crop
- When a wide or square source fills a vertical screen, the middle is kept and the edges are cut. The preview shows the crop so you can see what a reused 16:9 frame loses.
- Grid or feed crop
- Profile grids and some feeds show a shorter crop of a vertical video, such as square or 4:5. Turn on a crop guide to check that the cover frame still reads in that shape.
- Guide overlay
- A transparent PNG with only the safe zone drawn on it. Place it on the top track of your edit as a visual guide, and switch it off before you export.
Safe zones on real frame sizes, worked through
These rows use made-up source sizes. The safe area comes from the same guide margins the tool draws, and the last column shows how much of a non-vertical source survives the 9:16 crop.
| Example | Source size | Guide | Safe area on 1080 × 1920 | Frame inside safe area | Source kept after 9:16 crop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: vertical edit for TikTok | 1080 × 1920 px | TikTok | 880 × 1280 px | 54.3% | 100% (already 9:16) |
| Example: vertical edit for Reels | 1080 × 1920 px | Instagram Reels | 900 × 1280 px | 55.6% | 100% (already 9:16) |
| Example: vertical edit for Shorts | 1080 × 1920 px | YouTube Shorts | 880 × 1340 px | 56.9% | 100% (already 9:16) |
| Example: one cut posted to all three | 1080 × 1920 px | All three apps | 880 × 1220 px | 51.8% | 100% (already 9:16) |
| Example: 16:9 frame reused as vertical | 1920 × 1080 px | All three apps | 880 × 1220 px | 51.8% | 31.6% (sides cut) |
| Example: 4:5 feed post reused as vertical | 1080 × 1350 px | Instagram Reels | 900 × 1280 px | 55.6% | 70.3% (sides cut) |
| Example: 720p vertical review copy | 720 × 1280 px | TikTok | 880 × 1280 px | 54.3% | 100% (already 9:16) |
Limits of any social video safe zone guide
The margins are cautious guides, not official numbers
The apps change their layouts often, and the overlay differs between phones, languages, ads and organic posts. The margins here are set wide on purpose. Edit them if your own checks on a real phone show something different.
Long captions grow upwards
A long caption, a location tag or a product link can push the bottom text higher than usual. If the client plans a long caption, keep key text further from the bottom than the guide shows.
Safe is not the same as readable
Text inside the safe zone can still be too small, too thin or too low in contrast to read on a phone. Look at the preview at phone size, and at the real export on a phone, before you send the round for approval.
Your image stays on your device
The frame is drawn in your browser only. Nothing is uploaded, so the preview and the exported PNG never leave your computer unless you send them.
Questions about TikTok, Reels and Shorts safe zones
What is the TikTok safe zone on a 1080 by 1920 video?
This guide keeps 160 px clear at the top, 480 px at the bottom, 60 px on the left and 140 px on the right, which leaves an 880 by 1280 px area. These are cautious margins, not an official figure, so edit them to match your own checks.
What is the Instagram Reels safe zone in this guide?
The Reels guide keeps 220 px clear at the top, 420 px at the bottom, 60 px on the left and 120 px on the right of a 1080 by 1920 frame. The bottom band covers the account name and caption, which can grow when the caption is long.
How do I make one vertical video safe on TikTok, Reels and Shorts at once?
Pick the all three apps guide. It uses the largest margin from each guide on every side, so anything inside it clears every app’s interface. It is smaller than any single guide, so plan your text sizes around it early.
Can I check safe zones on a frame from a video?
Yes. Export a still from your edit, or grab one with the video frame extractor, then load that PNG or JPG here. The tool works on images so it stays fast on phones.
How do I use the safe zone overlay in my editing app?
Download the guide overlay PNG, place it on the top video track at full frame size, and lower its opacity if you like. It is a guide only, so hide or delete the track before the final export.
Why does my 16:9 video lose its edges in the safe zone preview?
A wide frame has to be cropped to fill a vertical screen, so the sides are cut. The preview shows the centre crop and how much of the source is kept. Reframe the shot or build a vertical version for the client to approve.