Safe Zone Template for TikTok, Reels and Shorts: Where to Put Faces, Text and Logos
A simple mental template for the three zones of a vertical screen, and how to use it when you reframe wide footage to 9:16.
Quick answer: think of a vertical screen in three bands. The top band holds account names and controls, the bottom band holds captions, descriptions and navigation, and the right edge holds action buttons. Keep faces, key action and on-screen text in the center band, slightly left of center.
Every platform draws its interface on top of your video. The exact layout differs by app and changes with updates, so check current guidance before major campaigns. The pattern below holds across TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
The top band
Profile name, follow button and sometimes a search or live bar. A rough rule is to keep important content out of the top tenth or so of the frame. Do not place a face's eyes right at the top edge.
The center band
This is your canvas. Faces, the product, the trick, the headline text: all of it belongs here. Leaving a little space on the right also keeps content clear of the button column.
The bottom band
Username, caption text, music credit, call-to-action and navigation take up a large part of the lower screen, often the bottom fifth or more. Keep your own captions above it, and never put a key moment at the very bottom of the frame.
The right edge
Like, comment, share and more buttons stack here. Do not let a face or important text run underneath them.
Using the template when you reframe
When you move the vertical frame over wide footage, keep the subject in the center band. If the subject is low in the wide shot, move the frame down so they rise into the safe area. This is easier when you guide the frame yourself rather than rely on a fixed crop.
Compose for the phone screen
Cropper puts the vertical frame in your hands so faces and text land where viewers can see them.