Open your frame
Open a vertical video or image, or start with the sample frame. Files of other shapes can be filled and cropped as a feed shows them, or shown whole.
Vertical Video Safe Zone Checker
Check the vertical video safe zone of your clip or image: the checker draws the top bar, the bottom caption area and the right-hand button column of short-form vertical feeds over your 9:16 frame. Type a caption to see where it lands, mark a face or a title and get a clear answer for each, then save the overlay as a PNG and the margins as a cheat sheet.
Open Vertical Safe Zone Checker →How to check the safe zone of a vertical video
Pick a feed layout
Choose a preset or set the margins yourself. Red areas are where app buttons and text may cover the picture; the yellow-green outline is the clear area.
Test and export
Type a caption, move the subject box over a face or a title, read the check, then save the overlay PNG and the margin cheat sheet.
Tips for captions and titles that stay visible
Keep captions above the bottom fifth
Most feeds stack a name, a description and a sound line over the lowest 15–25% of the frame. Place captions just above it, in the caption area.
Leave the right side to the buttons
Faces and text near the right edge end up behind the like and share buttons. Frame the subject in the middle or slightly left of centre.
Start titles below the top bar
Episode titles and hooks at the very top meet the status bar and the tabs. Start them below the top UI area.
Big, short lines read best
Two short lines of large outlined text read better on a phone than one long line. Try the size here on a 1080×1920 frame.
Generate with room to spare
When you prompt an AI video model, ask for the subject centred with headroom and space below, so captions have somewhere to go.
Check every shot
Subjects move. Scrub through the clip and check the frames where faces or text come closest to an edge.
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Vertical video safe zone FAQ
What is the vertical video safe zone?
It is the part of a 9:16 frame that app buttons, text and bars leave uncovered. Keep captions, titles and faces inside it and they stay visible when people watch in a feed.
What are the safe zone margins for 1080×1920?
With the safest preset, keep 14% (269 px) clear at the top, 25% (480 px) at the bottom, 6% (65 px) on the left and 16% (173 px) on the right where the buttons are. The cheat sheet lists every margin in pixels for 720×1280, 1080×1920 and 2160×3840.
Which preset fits TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts?
Use “Every vertical feed (safest)” when one clip goes to several apps. “Feed with a button column” is close to the TikTok layout, “Feed with a tall top bar” to Instagram Reels and “Feed with a compact overlay” to YouTube Shorts. They are conservative guides, not official specifications, and each app updates its layout from time to time.
Which edge is the riskiest?
The bottom edge. Names, descriptions, captions, sound lines and the progress bar all sit there, so it carries the most UI. The right-hand button column comes next, then the top bar.
Where should captions go in a vertical video?
In the band just above the bottom UI area, inside the edges and clear of the button column. Turn on Caption area to see it, type your line in Caption test and the check tells you whether any part is covered.
Can I use the overlay in my video editor?
Yes. Save the overlay PNG at your project size: it is transparent apart from the guides, so you can place it on a track above your edit and hide it before you export.
Does it work with horizontal videos?
Yes. A 16:9 or square file can be filled and cropped the way a feed shows it, or shown whole, so you can see what a vertical crop keeps.
Are my videos uploaded?
No. Files open in your browser, with no upload, no account and no watermark on anything you save.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Open a clip from your camera roll, drag the boxes with your finger and save the PNG or the cheat sheet.
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