# Caption safe zones

Edit / Edit effect / Captions. Checked 2026-11-13.

Text stays readable because the platform's buttons do not sit on it.

- Use when: Every vertical video with text on it.
- Phrase: keep all text out of the top 160, the bottom 480 and the right 120 pixels of a 1080 by 1920 frame
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/effect/caption-safe-zones
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/effect/caption-safe-zones.json

## Watch out

- These are planning values from a 2026 research report, not figures published by the platforms, and the interfaces change. Check the preview in the app before posting. (unverified; Director Chair field notes on b-roll and the Director Chair hook framework (our 2026 synthesis of @marco.thecreative's TikTok series, OpusClip's hook formulas, a Brandefy article, Meta retention research and a Gemini research report))
- Keep text off the area where the captions sit, and away from the frame edges; devices crop differently. (practitioner; The Director Chair hook framework (our 2026 synthesis of @marco.thecreative's TikTok series, OpusClip's hook formulas, a Brandefy article, Meta retention research and a Gemini research report))

## Planning values on a 1080 by 1920 frame

| Platform | Top | Bottom | Right |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 160 px | 480 px | 120 px |
| Instagram Reels | 250 px | 320 px | 120 px |
| YouTube Shorts | 380 px | 380 px | 120 px |

Not published by the platforms. Treat them as a starting point and look at the in-app preview.

## Prompts

### Any chat model

```
Give me an edit brief: where it goes on the timeline, the exact settings, and what to check before export, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is caption safe zones: text stays readable because the platform's buttons do not sit on it. How it works: keep all text out of the top 160, the bottom 480 and the right 120 pixels of a 1080 by 1920 frame. It is right for: every vertical video with text on it. Keep text off the area where the captions sit, and away from the frame edges; devices crop differently. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.
```

## Goes well with

- Screen zones for vertical video: https://directorchair.ai/effect/screen-zones
- 9:16 vertical: https://directorchair.ai/ratio/ratio-9-16
- Text on screen first: https://directorchair.ai/hook/text-first-hook

## Source

Planning values our video QA checks, from Director Chair field notes on b-roll

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.