TikTok, Instagram Reels and Stories, YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels all play full-screen vertical video. One well-made file can be used on all of them.
The format that works everywhere
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical, full screen).
- Resolution: 1080×1920 pixels. Lower resolutions upload fine but look soft on modern phones.
- File: MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio — the most widely accepted combination.
- Frame rate: 30 frames per second is smooth and standard.
- Length: for ads, 9–15 seconds is a sweet spot. Platforms allow longer videos, but short ads are watched to the end more often and loop naturally.
Viral Ads Maker exports exactly this: 12-second, 30 fps, 9:16 MP4 files — 720×1280 on the free plan and 1080×1920 in HD.
Safe zones: where app buttons appear
Each app draws its own interface over your video: tabs at the top, captions and the music label at the bottom, like/comment/share buttons on the right. Text placed there gets covered. As a rule of thumb on a 1080×1920 frame:
- Keep the top ~200 px free of important text.
- Keep the bottom ~420 px for nothing more than decoration.
- Avoid the right-hand ~160 px in the lower half, where the action buttons sit.
Switch on the safe-zone button (the phone icon under the preview) in the editor to see these areas in red. Every template keeps its key text inside the safe area.
Check before you post
Platforms update their limits from time to time, especially for paid ads. Before a big campaign, check the current specifications in TikTok Ads Manager, Meta Ads Manager or YouTube’s help centre.