Safe zones for a TikTok texting-story video
Know which edges of a vertical frame get covered by buttons and captions, and arrange your chat so the key bubbles sit in the clear middle.
Try it: start from this sample
What covers your picture
On a vertical TikTok, the like, comment and share buttons run down the right edge, and the caption sits at the bottom. A good working rule is to keep important words out of the top 10 percent and the bottom 20 to 25 percent of the frame, and away from the right edge.
Do the sum for a 1080 x 1920 frame
On 1080 x 1920, ten percent of the height is 192 pixels, and 25 percent is 480. That leaves roughly the band from 192 down to 1440 for anything the viewer must read. In the parking sample, the four bubbles fit comfortably in that band, with a margin to spare on the right.
Lay out the chat inside the band
Keep bubbles short so the stack grows slowly and the newest line never slides into the bottom strip. If you add a burned-in caption, put it in the top of the band, below the top margin. Leave the very bottom for the posting app. If a conversation will run long, scroll behaviour matters: the latest bubble should rest above the bottom zone, not on it.
A quick habit: export a still frame, open it on your phone and cover the bottom quarter and the right edge with your hand. Whatever you can no longer read is in the danger area. Move it, shorten it, or cut it.
Test it and date it
Interface positions are typical as of November 2026 and the app changes its layout, so check the platform's own help page. Upload a private test, look at it on a real phone, and move anything that is touched by a button.
Tips
- Check the right edge: a long reply bubble can slip behind the buttons.
- Check the finished file on a phone, not only on a desktop preview.
- Keep names and avatars toward the left half of the frame.
- Test with the caption written, because a long caption covers more.
- Keep a margin even when a bubble feels too small.
Questions
Are these margins exact?
No. They are typical safe margins, not a rule from the platform. Layouts change, so test a private upload and move anything that is covered.
Does ChatsRat show safe zones in the preview?
The live preview shows the chat as exported. Leave space around it yourself and check on a phone. The 9:16 shape is a Creator plan feature.
What if my longest bubble reaches the edge?
Shorten the text or split it into two bubbles. Short bubbles are easier to read on a phone anyway.
Do the margins apply to square or wide video?
The numbers are for a vertical frame. For 1:1 or 16:9, the same idea holds: keep key text away from edges where the app draws its own controls.
Use it for simulated, labelled content. ChatsRat makes mock-ups and fictional conversations for creators, designers and teachers. Do not use it to pass off a made-up conversation as a real one, to impersonate a real person, or as proof of anything. See the Acceptable Use policy.
About the watermark. Exports on the Free plan carry a visible ChatsRat watermark, and every export carries an invisible mark that the verify page can read. Plans list what changes on paid plans.
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