TikTok, Reels, Shorts: aspect ratios explained without the jargon

Vertical video is supposed to be simple. Pick 9:16, hit post, done. In practice every platform has its own ideas about what is inside the visible frame and what is not, and getting it wrong means your captions land behind the like button.

Each major platform has a "safe area" — the part of a 9:16 frame where UI does not overlap. Captions that look perfect in your editor can disappear behind the username, the comment count, or the share sheet on mobile.

TikTok places its UI on the right edge and the bottom 15% of the frame. Anything important should sit between roughly 8% from the top and 18% from the bottom, with the right 12% kept clear of text.

Instagram Reels takes more space at the top for the user pill and more at the bottom for the caption preview. Plan for ~12% top and ~22% bottom margins, especially when captions are long.

YouTube Shorts is the most generous of the three but leaves the bottom-right corner reserved for the channel avatar and "Subscribe" button.

The pragmatic answer: render for the most restrictive platform you target, then reuse the same export everywhere. ClipForge does this automatically when you pick your target platforms.