Vertical video safe zones by platform (2026)

A 9:16 clip is not fully visible on any platform — the interface covers the edges with buttons, captions, usernames, and calls to action. Content placed in those zones gets obscured.

Rough guidance: keep essential text and faces out of the bottom ~15% (caption text, progress bar, username, description) and the right ~10% (like, comment, share, follow buttons). The top ~10% can carry a search bar or 'following/for you' tabs. TikTok's right-side stack and bottom text area are the most aggressive; Reels is similar; Shorts covers slightly less but still hides the bottom strip.

Practical rule: compose your important visual and your burned-in captions in the center 70% of the frame vertically, and slightly left of center horizontally.

Test by posting an unlisted or trial version and viewing it in the actual app, not just the editor preview — the preview rarely shows the real UI overlay.

OptimaClip positions burned-in captions inside the cross-platform safe area by default, so the same clip stays readable whether it lands on TikTok, Reels, or Shorts.