Subtitle Positioning: Top, Bottom and Custom Placement

Where you place subtitles matters for readability and platform compatibility. Bitcut provides both quick presets and fine-grained control to position your text exactly where it works best.

Top vs. Bottom

The subtitle settings panel includes a segmented picker to quickly switch between two positions:

  • Bottom (default) — places text near the bottom of the frame. This is the standard position viewers expect for subtitles and captions.
  • Top — places text near the top of the frame. Useful when important visual content (a product, a face, an action) is at the bottom of the video.
Gradient auto-flips: When using the gradient background, it automatically adjusts for the selected position. Bottom position fades upward from the bottom edge; top position fades downward from the top edge.

Drag to Fine-Tune

For precise control, drag directly on the video preview to set the exact vertical position. The subtitle group moves to wherever you drag, letting you place text at any point between the top and bottom of the frame.

This is especially useful when you want subtitles at a custom height — for example, just above a lower-third graphic, or right below a face in a vertical Short.

Safe Margins for Platforms

Different social media platforms overlay their own UI elements (profile icons, like buttons, descriptions) on top of your video. Placing subtitles in these zones means they get covered.

Keep these guidelines in mind:

  • YouTube Shorts — keep subtitles above the bottom ~15% of the frame (title and action buttons)
  • Instagram Reels — avoid the bottom ~20% (username, description, music info)
  • TikTok — avoid the bottom ~25% (the most cluttered UI of the three)
Tip: If you post to multiple platforms, position for the most restrictive one (TikTok). A position that works on TikTok will also work on Reels and Shorts.

Keeping Consistent Position

Subtitle position is saved per clip. If you want all clips in a project to have the same subtitle position, set it once and it applies to that clip's subtitles. When you use Generate Shorts, each generated project inherits the default position, which you can then adjust individually.