Reels Overlay Tester
Upload your media to see exactly how it will look inside the native Instagram player. Identify dead zones where buttons, captions, and feed crops block your hooks.
Drop your media here
Supports images (JPG, PNG) and MP4 videos (9:16 recommended)
Preview Format
Select the Instagram format to preview your media.
UI Overlay Layers
Toggle layers to preview how they cover your Reel's content.
Logo, back button, camera icon
Like, Comment, Share, Music Disc
Avatar, username, Follow button
Text caption, hashtags, audio track
Instagram main menu bar
Safe Zone Guide
Bottom Overlay
Instagram places the username, caption, and audio track in the bottom 25%. Avoid putting critical text here.
Right Action Bar
Engagement icons (Like, Comment, Share) sit on the right edge. Ensure subjects aren't framed too far right.
Preview Area
1080×1920 Reels Safe Zone Coordinate Blueprint
Exact exclusion margins based on Instagram's native mobile UI overlays for standard 9:16 vertical video exports.
Covers audio search, top camera controls, and native phone notch/Dynamic Island cutouts. Avoid headlines here.
Covers account handle, follow button, multi-line caption, audio attribution pill, and bottom app navigation bar.
Covers Like, Comment, Share/Send, Bookmark, and Remix vertical icon stack. Keep text and faces clear of the right 120px.
The guaranteed visible area across all mobile screen aspect ratios. Center your primary hook and subtitles here.
How Instagram Crops Reels Across App Surfaces
Understanding how a single 9:16 video asset is rendered across the Reels Tab, Home Feed, and Profile Grid.
1. Reels Tab (Full 9:16)
1080 × 1920Full-bleed vertical display. All native UI overlay icons sit directly on top of your video frame. Full safe-zone clearance required.
2. Home Feed (4:5 Crop)
1080 × 1350When Reels appear in follower and recommended home feeds, Instagram automatically crops 285px off the top and 285px off the bottom.
3. Profile Grid (1:1 Square)
1080 × 1080The profile grid displays a center square crop, removing 420px off top and bottom. Thumbnail titles must be positioned in the exact vertical center.
4 Rules for Safe Subtitle & Text Placement
1. Position Subtitles at Y: 1150–1350px
Place auto-captions and animated subtitles just above the bottom caption buffer. This keeps them readable in both 9:16 and 4:5 modes without overlapping username tags.
2. Limit Dynamic Text to 2–4 Words Per Line
Long lines of text will spread into the right 120px icon dead zone. Keep kinetic captions compact and centered to ensure complete visibility.
3. Add Contrast Shadow or Dark Box
White text with a 30–50% black stroke or soft drop shadow prevents your hooks from disappearing when footage passes through high-brightness scenes.
4. Check Device Aspect Ratio Variances
Taller phones (19.5:9 or 20:9 aspect ratios like iPhone 15/16 and Samsung Galaxy S24) expand letterboxing differently than standard 16:9 displays.
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Instagram Reels Safe Zone FAQ
Common questions about Instagram Reels safe zones, 4:5 feed crops, video export resolution, and device UI overlays.