What is lower third in video editing?

In editing it is any graphic that sits in the lower part of the frame, most often a name and title for the person speaking. Editors build them as separate graphics layers on top of the footage.

Why is it called a lower third?

It is named for where it sits: in roughly the bottom third of a landscape frame, below the main action.

How long should a lower third stay on screen?

Long enough to read once without hurrying, and then gone. For a name and a short title that is a few seconds, and it should clear before the next idea starts.

Is a lower third the same as a caption?

No. A caption transcribes what is being said, while a lower third labels who is speaking or what is shown. Both can appear together if they are kept out of each other's way.

Where does a lower third go on a 9:16 clip?

Above the area the platform covers with its own interface, and clear of the captions. Because the safe area is not published in pixels for organic video, check the clip in the app.

Glossary

What is a lower third in video?

By the KeyMo team · Updated October 11, 2026

A lower third is a graphic placed in the lower part of the video frame, usually a name with a short title or topic. It tells viewers who is speaking or what they are looking at without interrupting the picture. The name comes from its position: roughly the bottom third of a landscape frame.

Lower third meaning in news, film and video editing

News broadcasts made the lower third familiar: an interviewee appears, and a name and job title slide in near the bottom of the screen. Documentaries and interview films use the same device. In video editing the term covers any graphic in that zone, from a plain name card to an animated bar with a logo.

It is a kind of text overlay, but a specific one. A lower third identifies, while a general overlay can say anything.

Lower thirds on vertical clips

On a landscape screen, the lower third sits in a calm strip under the speaker's chest. On a phone the same area is crowded: the platform draws its own buttons, caption and account name over the bottom of a vertical video.

Safe-area guidance that exists, and what it covers
Source	What it says	Scope
EBU R 95	Action safe area 3.5% and graphics safe area 5% of the frame, at the top, bottom and sides	16:9 television, not social video
Meta, ads in Stories and Reels	Keep the top, bottom and sides free of key text and logos; leave the bottom 40% free if the ad has disclaimers	Ads, no pixel sizes given
TikTok, in-feed ads	The safe zone depends on dimension and caption length; downloadable safe zone files are offered	Ads, no numbers in the text

None of these is a rule for organic Shorts or Reels, so test your own clip. The practical point is the same: do not place a name card where the app will cover it. See the safe zone entry and the safe zone specs.

A worked example

A guest clip opens on a close face. In the first moments the name card shows "Maya Ortiz, sleep researcher" (an invented example), set higher up the frame than the captions will run. It stays up until the guest finishes her first sentence, then leaves. The captions take over the lower area for the rest of the clip, so the two never share a strip.

Common mistakes

Stacking the lower third and the captions in the same band, so neither can be read.
Leaving the name on screen for the whole clip. After the viewer has read it once, it is clutter.
Text too long for a phone. Name and one short line is enough.
A typo in the name. It is the one word the guest will notice.
Using a 16:9 position on a 9:16 frame without moving it.

Where KeyMo touches it

This page does not claim that KeyMo adds lower thirds. KeyMo adds word-by-word captions in one of 12 styles. If you put a name card on a clip in your own editor, leave space for the caption style you picked.

Sources: EBU R 95: Safe areas for 16:9 television production (EBU Tech) (checked 11 October 2026); About text overlays and the safe zone for ads in Stories and Reels (Meta Business Help Centre) (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads (TikTok Ads Manager) (checked 11 October 2026).