StreamLive Pro

Safe-zone guides for vertical and square viewers

Safe-zone guides in the browser studio: three dashed frames for 9:16, 16:9 and 1:1 that only you see, what each one marks, and how to place titles and logos inside them.

Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read

Safe-zone guides are dashed frames drawn over the studio's monitor to show which part of your 16:9 picture survives a vertical (9:16) or square (1:1) crop, and where the edges of a horizontal screen are. Only you see them: they are drawn on a layer above the monitor that is never sent to the networks or recorded. Switch them on from Layout in the studio bar, and keep faces, titles and logos inside the frame that matters to you.

Why a 16:9 broadcast gets cropped

The browser studio sends one horizontal 16:9 picture. Parts of your audience may see it narrower:

• Shorts cut from the broadcast. After a live, StreamLive Pro cuts vertical 9:16 Shorts and the crop follows the speaker: How to make Shorts from a live stream automatically. A title at the far left edge is not in them.
• Phone screens. A horizontal video on an upright phone is small, and network apps place their own buttons and text over the edges of the picture.
• Square places. A square crop keeps less than half of the width.

The guides do not change the picture. They show you where to put what must be seen.

The three frames

The labels name where each shape is commonly seen. They are guides, not rules published by those networks.

Steps

1. Open the studio. Choose Live stream, start a new live and pick Browser Studio.
2. Open Layout. In the bar under the picture open Layout (guest layout, safe-zone guides).
3. Switch on Safe-zone guides. The studio says Guides ON — only you see them. The three dashed frames appear over the monitor.
4. Place what matters. Keep the face of whoever speaks inside the 9:16 frame, the logo and titles inside the 16:9 frame, and anything that must survive a square crop inside 1:1.
5. Switch them off. Press the same switch again (Guides OFF). Viewers never saw them either way.

Placing things, for example

The Shorts crop follows the speaker, so it is not always the centre. The 9:16 frame shows the centred case; treat it as the minimum.

What can go wrong

• I do not see the frames. They are drawn over the studio's monitor only while the studio runs. Start the studio, then switch the guides on again.
• A title is cut in the Shorts. It sat outside the 9:16 frame. Move it toward the centre, or accept that Shorts get their own captions instead.
• The logo is covered on phones. It sits too close to the edge. Keep it inside the blue 16:9 frame.

Going live straight to a vertical network

For Instagram and TikTok lives with a stream key, the network decides how it shows a horizontal picture: Live on Instagram and TikTok with a stream key. If most of your audience watches there, keep everything important inside the 9:16 frame.

Frequently asked questions

Do viewers see the safe-zone guides?

No. They are drawn on a separate layer over your monitor that is never sent to the networks or recorded.

What does the 9:16 guide show?

The part of a 16:9 picture that a centred vertical crop keeps: full height, a little under a third of the width.

Does the browser studio broadcast vertically?

The studio sends a horizontal 16:9 picture. Vertical Shorts are cut from it afterwards, following the speaker.

Where do I switch the guides on?

In the studio bar, under Layout, with the Safe-zone guides switch.

Keep reading