You shoot a great vertical clip, post it, and the caption sits right across the subject’s face. The bottom third of a phone screen belongs to the app, not to you. TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts stack their captions, buttons and bars over your video, and each one covers a different slice of the frame. This guide shows how to see those safe zones before you post.
TL;DR: Drop a 9:16 frame into the safe zone checker, switch between TikTok, Reels and Shorts, and keep faces, text and logos inside the clear central area.
Why safe zones matter
Every vertical app draws its interface on top of your video:
- Bottom left holds the username, caption and audio name.
- Right side holds the like, comment, share and profile buttons.
- Top and bottom bars hold tabs, search and the navigation row.
Put a subtitle, a logo or someone’s face in one of those spots and viewers never see it. On a small phone screen the covered area is larger than most people expect, so the safe middle is narrower than it looks in your editor.
Where each app covers the frame
The covered regions differ by platform:
| App | Heaviest coverage |
|---|---|
| TikTok | Right button rail and a tall caption block at the bottom left |
| Instagram Reels | Bottom caption and audio ticker, plus the nav bar |
| YouTube Shorts | Title and channel row at the bottom, right action buttons |
Because the shapes differ, a caption that reads fine on Shorts can slide under the Reels audio ticker. Checking each app takes seconds and saves a reshoot.
Step by step: check your frame
- Open the safe zone checker and drop in a 9:16 image or a still from your video.
- Pick a platform to see its buttons, bars and captions drawn over your frame in red.
- Read the green outline, the recommended area to keep faces, text and logos inside.
- Switch platforms to compare TikTok, Reels and Shorts on the same frame.
- Download the preview to share with an editor or keep as a shot guide.
Tip: If a subtitle has to sit low, nudge it above the caption block rather than centring it at the very bottom, where it competes with the app’s own text.
Design once, post everywhere
The simplest habit is to keep the middle of the frame clear on all three apps at once. Frame your subject a little high, hold captions in the upper two thirds, and leave the right edge free for the button rail. Do that and the same clip travels between platforms without anything important getting clipped.
Where to go next
- Crop an image: trim a frame to a clean 9:16 before you check it.
- Resize images for web: get to 1080 by 1920 for a full-screen video frame.
