Video Safe Zones & UI Overlays | Bounty_OS Docs

Video Safe Zones & UI Overlays

Every social platform overlays persistent UI elements on top of your video — profile icons, action buttons, navigation bars, and captions. If your key content (CTAs, brand mentions, product shots) falls behind these overlays, it can trigger content rejection during review. This guide maps out exactly where those overlays sit and how to keep your content visible.

General Safe Zone Rule

As a universal starting point, avoid placing critical visual elements in these regions of a 9:16 vertical frame:

TikTok UI Overlay Map

TikTok's interface places several persistent elements over your video:

• Right column (bottom half): Profile avatar, Like button (heart), Comment button, Bookmark, Share button, and rotating audio disc. These span roughly the right 12–15% of the screen from ~40% to ~85% height.
• Bottom bar: Navigation bar (Home, Friends, +, Inbox, Profile) occupies the bottom ~8% of the screen.
• Caption area: Username, caption text, and hashtags sit in the bottom-left quadrant, spanning ~20–25% height and ~70% width.
• Top bar: "Following | For You" tabs, search icon, and live badge occupy the top ~6% of the frame.

Instagram Reels UI Overlay Map

Instagram Reels overlays differ slightly from TikTok:

• Right column: Like (heart), Comment, Share (paper plane), and three-dot menu. These sit in the right 10–12% from ~45% to ~80% height.
• Bottom section: Username, caption preview, and audio attribution span the bottom ~20% on the left side.
• Bottom navigation: Home, Search, Reels, Shop, Profile tabs occupy the bottom ~7% of the screen.
• Top bar: Camera icon, "Reels" header, and notification bell in the top ~5%.

Text Placement Rules

When adding text overlays, titles, or on-screen CTAs to your video:

• Keep text horizontally centered or left-aligned — never place text against the right edge where action buttons sit.
• Place text overlays between 15% and 65% of the frame height for maximum visibility.
• Use a semi-transparent background or text stroke/shadow to ensure readability regardless of the video content behind it.
• If the brand name or CTA must appear as a text overlay, it cannot be in the bottom 25% or right 15% where platform UI will cover it.
• Test your video on both TikTok and Instagram before publishing — overlays differ between platforms.

What Triggers Rejection

During content review, posts may be rejected if:

• The brand name or logo is obscured by platform UI buttons.
• A call-to-action (e.g., "Link in bio", discount code) is hidden behind the caption or navigation bar.
• The FTC disclosure text overlay is placed where it's covered by the comment or share buttons.
• The product is only visible in a region occluded by the profile avatar or action buttons.
• Key text overlays are unreadable because they overlap with the platform's white UI icons on a light background.

Safe Zone Visual Reference

Imagine your 1080x1920 frame divided into a grid:

┌──────────────────────────────┐
│  TOP 10% — Status bar, tabs  │  ← AVOID
├──────────────────────────┬───┤
│                          │ P │
│                          │ R │
│      ██████████████      │ O │
│      ██ SAFE ZONE ██     │ F │
│      ██  (place    ██    │ I │
│      ██  content   ██    │ L │
│      ██  here)     ██    │ E │
│      ██████████████      │   │
│                          │ + │
│                          │ A │
│                          │ C │
│                          │ T │
│                          │ I │
│                          │ O │
│                          │ N │
├──────────────────────────┤ S │
│  BOTTOM 25% — Captions,  │   │
│  nav bar, audio info     │   │  ← AVOID
└──────────────────────────┴───┘
         RIGHT 15% →           ← AVOID

Related Guides

• TikTok Content Specs — full video dimension and format requirements.
• Instagram Reels Specs — Reels-specific dimensions, cover images, and format details.
• Content Standards — complete rejection criteria and quality requirements.