As mobile-first vertical video formats (9:16) dominate TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, visual safe zones have become critical. Unlike traditional widescreen formats where content occupies the full canvas unimpeded, social apps overlay interactive buttons, profiles, and captions directly on top of the content.
The TikTok & Instagram Reels UI Overlay Boundaries
If you place titles, logos, or primary visual subjects too close to the borders, they will be covered by interface details. Let's look at the standard margins:
- Top Header UI (15%): Contains tabs like 'Following' and 'For You', search bars, and live headers. Keep text elements below this line.
- Right Button Sidebar (12%): Holds follow profile pictures, like counts, share links, and audio tags. Avoid placing text or small details on the right margin.
- Bottom Caption & Music Details (25%): The captions area can take up to 25% of the screen height. Title cards or subtitles placed in the bottom quadrant will be unreadable.
Visual Overlay Guidelines
Our tool generates transparent templates that map these constraints directly. By loading a 1080x1920 canvas in the Workspace and activating the 'TikTok Overlay' safe zone, you can see where your subjects sit. You can export these grids as transparent overlays or SVG artboards to ensure your edits are always safe.