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CheckSafe.Zone
for marketers
CheckSafe.Zone
for marketers
A safe zone is the area of your 9:16 vertical video or image that remains fully visible without being covered by the platform's native UI elements — such as like buttons, comment icons, profile names, captions, progress bars, or navigation overlays. TikTok's algorithm uses OCR to index on-screen text within the first three seconds; if your text falls outside the safe area and is covered by UI elements, organic reach and social SEO are directly impacted.
For a 1080x1920px TikTok video: approximately 200px from the top, 130px from the left, 250px from the right (action button column), and 330–480px from the bottom (captions and CTA). For TikTok Ads, the bottom danger zone expands further due to Shop cards and disclaimer overlays.
Reels have a larger bottom danger zone (~20% or ~380px) and a right edge (~11%) occupied by action icons. For Ads, the top and bottom margins expand significantly. Stories use a more symmetrical layout with ~13% top and bottom margins and ~5–8% side margins. Instagram's Smart Zoom crops 6–8% from the sides on tall devices.
YouTube Shorts has approximately 20% danger zones at both top and bottom (~380px each) and an 18% right-side action column. The optimal safe area is approximately 960x1160px within the full 1080x1920 frame. Blind cross-posting from TikTok is risky due to different button layouts.
Action Safe is a 5% margin from all edges where important visual action must remain. Title Safe is a stricter 10% margin where all text, logos, and lower thirds must be placed. CheckSafe.Zone renders both zones as overlapping outlines following the Adobe Premiere Pro convention.
No. CheckSafe.Zone processes everything entirely inside your browser using native Web APIs and HTML5 Canvas. Your file never leaves your device. The tool works fully offline once the page has loaded — ideal for agencies handling confidential or pre-launch client content.
Video: MP4 (H.264/H.265), MOV, WebM. Images: JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, AVIF. The tool auto-detects aspect ratio (9:16, 16:9, 1:1, 4:5) and pre-loads the relevant platform overlays. Frame export saves a high-quality JPEG at up to 1920px on the longest side.
For TikTok Ads (Spark Ads, In-Feed Ads), the bottom danger zone expands to approximately 370–480px to accommodate the CTA button ("Shop Now", "Learn More") and any Shop card overlays. The right-side action column remains at ~130–164px. TikTok Ads also add an ad label near the top, increasing the top danger zone slightly to ~220px. Organic content has a smaller bottom margin (~330px) since there is no CTA button. CheckSafe.Zone shows both modes — switch between Feed and Ads using the toggle above the platform buttons.
For a 1080×1920px Instagram Story: approximately 250px from the top (profile bar, time indicator) and 250px from the bottom (reply bar). Side margins are smaller at ~55px each, giving a safe area of approximately 970×1420px centered in the frame. For Stories Ads, the bottom margin expands due to the CTA button and disclaimer bar. Instagram's Smart Zoom can also crop 6–8% from the sides on certain tall devices, making the side margins important even for organic Stories.
Drop your 9:16 video or image into CheckSafe.Zone. Once the aspect ratio is detected, click the YouTube Shorts button in the platform grid. The overlay shows approximately 380px danger zones at both the top and bottom, and an 18% (~195px) right-side action column for like, dislike, comment, and share buttons. The safe area is approximately 885×1160px within the full 1080×1920 frame. Blind cross-posting from TikTok is risky — YouTube Shorts places its action buttons differently, and content that looked clean on TikTok may have key elements covered.
For a 1080×1920px Snapchat snap: approximately 210px from the top (Snapchat UI with username, timer, navigation) and 320px from the bottom (reply, send, navigation elements). Side margins are approximately 60px on each side. For Snapchat Ads, the bottom margin expands for the CTA swipe-up panel, which can add another 100–150px to the danger zone. Keep all essential text, faces, and logos in the center 960×1390px zone for organic content.
Yes. Once the page has loaded, CheckSafe.Zone works entirely offline. All processing uses native browser APIs (HTML5 Canvas, File API) — no server communication is required at any point. If you close and reopen the tab while offline the page may not reload, but if it is already open it will continue to work. This makes it suitable for use on set, in edit suites, or in secure agency environments without internet access. The Export Frame function also works offline.
After loading a file and selecting a platform, click the Export Frame button at the bottom of the preview area. The tool draws the safe zone overlay onto a full-resolution canvas and saves a JPEG at up to 1920px on the longest side (95% quality). The exported file is useful as a reference for motion designers, editors, or clients who need to see exactly which areas of the frame are at risk of being covered by UI elements on a specific platform.
An aspect ratio describes the proportional relationship between width and height — for example, 9:16 for vertical video or 16:9 for widescreen. A safe zone is the specific area within that frame that remains unobstructed by the platform's native UI elements such as buttons, captions, and profile bars. Two videos can share the same 9:16 aspect ratio but have completely different safe zones depending on which platform they are published to — TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts all overlay their UI in different positions and sizes.