Are these exact pixel-perfect safe zones?

No — they're rounded, illustrative approximations based on commonly published guidance. Different sources cite slightly different exact numbers, and all three platforms update their UI overlays periodically, so always preview your actual export inside the real app before finalizing paid creative.

Why is the bottom zone so much bigger than the top?

Captions, sound/audio attribution, and (on Reels and Shorts especially) creator info and subscribe buttons stack up at the bottom of the frame — that's consistently the most crowded zone across all three platforms.

Should I always design for the combined zone?

Only if you're repurposing one video across all three platforms. If you're creating platform-specific creative, using each platform's individual (larger) safe zone gives you more usable frame space.

Does my uploaded image get sent anywhere?

No — it's read directly in your browser and never uploaded to a server.

Social Media Video Ad Safe Zone Overlay Visualizer

Marketing

New

See exactly where TikTok, Reels, and Shorts UI blocks your video.

Preview your creative

Optional — upload a frame to check against the overlay.

Upload a still frame or cover image

Top: Top nav (Search, Following / For You)

Bottom: Caption, hashtags, sound title

Right: Profile, like, comment, share, bookmark

9:16 frame preview

Red = typically blocked by platform UI · Dashed green = safe zone for text, faces, and CTAs

These are rounded, illustrative approximations based on commonly published guidance — not exact pixel specs. All three platforms update their UI overlays periodically (each has shifted at least once in the past year), so always preview your actual export inside the real app before finalizing paid creative.

About this tool

Preview your vertical video creative against approximate safe-zone overlays for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, plus a combined view showing the zone that clears all three platforms' UI at once — so captions, faces, and CTAs never end up hidden behind buttons.

How to use Social Media Video Ad Safe Zone Overlay Visualizer

1
Optionally upload a still frame or cover image from your video.
2
Switch between TikTok, Reels, and Shorts to see each platform's approximate blocked zones.
3
Use "All 3 (combined)" to see the single safe zone that clears every platform at once.
4
Keep captions, faces, and calls-to-action inside the dashed green boundary.

Frequently asked questions

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