University

Mastering YouTube Shorts Sizes and Layouts: The Ultimate Guide

What Are the Pixel Dimensions for YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts are vertical videos under 60 seconds, a short-form media format beloved alongside TikTok and Instagram Reels. They're the dynamic trio of short-form content, ruling the internet one swipe at a time!

<The Big 3 of Short-Form - YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Instagram Reels>

YouTube recommends a 9:16 aspect ratio for Shorts. In pixels, that’s 1080 X 1920—your go-to size for sharp, snappy Shorts!

But Wait—What About Smartphone Screens?

Most Shorts creators set their projects to 1080 X 1920, since that’s the official YouTube Shorts size. But there’s a sneaky variable we often overlook: not all smartphone screens are created equal! (And they just keep getting taller…)

<From 9:16 to even 9:20... Smartphones are stretching up!>

If you jump into editing at 1080 X 1920 without any guides, you might run into two common issues.

<(Left) 9:16 smartphone, (Right) 9:19.5 smartphone>

1) YouTube Shorts’ Default Buttons Get in the Way

When you start a project at 1080x1920 in your favorite video editing tool, it’s easy to get lost in your creative flow and forget a sneaky little detail: the YouTube Shorts app will cover up parts of your masterpiece with those pesky like, comment, and share buttons!

That means you should deliberately avoid putting important content—like text or key visuals—on most of the right side and at the bottom of your video. These areas are prime real estate for YouTube’s buttons, not your killer captions. In the example above, you can see how some text is awkwardly hiding under a YouTube button. Oops!

2) Cropped Shorts: How Newer Smartphones Zoom in on Your Videos

Here’s the plot twist: On smartphones with extra-tall vertical screens, your video gets zoomed in so it fills the display—and suddenly, that safe margin you thought you had? Gone. The phone on the right above is an iPhone 13. Even though you edited in 9:16 and left some breathing room, your precious text could still get chopped off. (No wonder "YouTube crop problem" is trending on Google…)

Draw Safe Zones on Your 9:16 Canvas and Dodge the Dead Zones

To help you outsmart today’s ultra-tall smartphones, we’ve created a handy guideline. Check out the image below—we’ve included the exact coordinates for each corner, so you can use them as a reference while editing.

< The Ideal Layout for YouTube Shorts Videos >

Smartphone aspect ratios aren’t all identical, so you can usually play it safe by leaving an extra 10px on each side. But when it comes to the top edge, stick to the guideline! Notches and even taller screens (looking at you, iPhone) can mess with your main title if you’re not careful. Keep your content safe—don’t let your headline disappear into the void!

Feeling overwhelmed? There’s an easier way!

No need to worry about coordinates or complicated stuff—wouldn’t it be awesome to see exactly how your Shorts video will look as you create it? That’s exactly what Videostew offers. Videostew is hands-down the ultimate solution for making YouTube Shorts.

When you’re in Videostew’s editor, you’ll notice a [Hint] button. With just a click, you can instantly preview how your video will appear on YouTube Shorts—no more guesswork!

And thanks to our safety lines (that handy red dotted border), you can rest assured your video will display perfectly on any smartphone! Just keep your text and key elements inside the safety lines, and you’ll never have to worry about your message getting cut off, no matter the device.

It’s time to dive into YouTube Shorts!

The doors to YouTube Shorts monetization are officially open. The YouTube Partner Program guidelines now include eligibility for Shorts!

If you’ve got 1,000 subscribers and rack up 10 million views in three months, you’re eligible to join the YouTube Partner Program and start earning ad revenue. Exciting, right?

With Videostew, there’s no need to fear getting started with YouTube Shorts. Want to know how you can make Shorts just by entering your script? Check out our detailed guide right here: How to create YouTube Shorts with just your script!

And finally... To all our readers tuning in, may your success skyrocket! 🚀