How to add a logo to a video: size, position and opacity for vertical studio videos, with a logo-free master
How to add a logo to a video: where it sits in a 9:16 frame, size and opacity, transparent PNG prep, the steps in CapCut, Canva and Resolve, and a clean master.
In this article
A logo on a project video does one job: it tells a viewer who made the work after the video has been shared, saved or downloaded without its caption. Put it in the wrong place and it disappears under Instagram's buttons; make it too big and the film starts to look like an ad; burn it into the only copy you have and you can't send that copy to an award program or a magazine. This guide covers placement in a vertical frame, size and opacity, transparent PNG prep, the steps in CapCut, Canva, DaVinci Resolve and Edits, and why to keep a logo-free master.
Key takeaways
- Choose one placement per video: a short end card works for most project films, a small corner logo suits videos likely to be reposted, and an opening card is rarely worth the first two seconds.
- In a 1080 × 1920 frame, Meta's safe-zone guidance keeps logos out of roughly the top 270 pixels, bottom 670 pixels and 65 pixels at each side, so a "corner" logo sits a little lower and further in than you'd expect.
- Prepare the logo as a transparent PNG trimmed to the artwork, at about twice the size it will appear, in a light and a dark version.
- A corner logo of about 120 to 200 pixels wide at 70 to 85 percent opacity is a reasonable starting point; an end-card logo can fill a third of the frame width.
- Export a logo-free master alongside the branded version, because publications, award programs and clients' own channels may want a clean file.
How to add a logo to a video
To add a logo to a video, export your logo as a transparent PNG, import it into your editor, and place it on a track above the video, either as a small corner mark for the whole video or as a centered end card for the last two or three seconds. Size and position it inside the platform's safe zone, set its opacity, and export two versions: one with the logo and one without. Every common editor, including CapCut, Canva, DaVinci Resolve and Instagram's Edits, handles a PNG overlay this way.
The details that make it look right are placement, size, and the file you start from.
Three placements: opening card, corner logo, end card
| Placement | When it fits | Size on a 1080 × 1920 frame | Duration | Opacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End card | Most project films; posts on your own account | About 300–400 px wide, centered | Last 2–3 seconds | 100% |
| Corner logo | Videos likely to be reposted, shared in messages or downloaded | About 120–200 px wide | Whole video | 70–85% |
| Opening card | Rarely; a series format where the brand is the hook | About 300–400 px wide | Under 1.5 seconds | 100% |
These are starting points, not rules; judge them on a phone, not the editor preview.
End card. The least intrusive option. The building gets the whole film, and the logo arrives when the viewer is deciding whether to look you up. On a dark closing frame or a plain color background, with the studio name or website below the mark if your logo is a symbol on its own.
Corner logo. A small, semi-transparent mark that stays on screen the whole time, sometimes called a bug. It earns its place when a video travels without its caption: a client forwards it on WhatsApp, a builder reposts it, someone screen-records it. Keep it small and quiet; it should be legible if you look for it and forgettable if you don't.
Opening card. A logo before the first image costs the most valuable two seconds of a vertical video, when viewers decide whether to keep watching. Open on your strongest frame instead; if you want the brand early, a corner logo does that without delaying the building.
Pick one. A corner logo plus an end card plus a watermarked frame reads as anxious.
Where a logo fits in a vertical frame
Reels, TikTok and Shorts lay their own interface over your video: the caption and audio label at the bottom, the like, comment and share buttons on the right, the account name and sometimes a top bar. Meta's creative specs for Reels ads put a number on it: leave "at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% on each side of your asset free from text, logos, or other important creative elements" (Meta, as of October 2026).
On a 1080 × 1920 frame that works out to:
- Top: about 270 pixels clear.
- Bottom: about 670 pixels clear.
- Sides: about 65 pixels clear on each side.
So a corner logo in a vertical video doesn't sit in the corner. The upper-left position, just below the top margin and inside the side margin, is the usual choice, because the right edge is crowded with buttons further down. An end card sits in the center of the frame or slightly above it, never in the lower third. TikTok and YouTube Shorts arrange their buttons a little differently, so post a test as private or check the preview on each platform before you rely on one layout. Instagram Reels for architects covers the rest of the Reels specs.
Preparing the logo file: a transparent PNG done right
Most logo problems in video come from the file, not the edit.
- Start from the vector original (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG) if you have it, not a logo saved from your website.
- Export a PNG with transparency. JPG has no transparency, so a JPG logo always arrives with a white or black box around it.
- Trim the canvas to the artwork. Extra empty space around the mark makes it hard to size and align, and can push it off-center.
- Make it about twice the size it will appear. For a 160-pixel corner logo, export it about 320 pixels wide; for an end card, 800 pixels or more. Editors scale down cleanly but scale up badly.
- Make a light and a dark version. A dark logo vanishes over a night exterior; a white one vanishes over a bright gallery. Use whichever contrasts with the frame behind it, or add a very soft shadow.
- Simplify for the corner. Fine lines and small type in a logo lockup break up at 150 pixels wide on a compressed phone video. A symbol-only version or the studio name in one weight usually reads better.
If your logo lives in Canva, its Brand Kit recommends uploading logos as "PNG files for flexible use, and SVGs for scalable vector use, especially for print," with "variations for different backgrounds" (Canva Help Center, as of October 2026). Note that Canva lists transparent PNG and SVG downloads as paid-plan features (Canva Help Center), which matters if you're exporting the logo from Canva to use elsewhere.
Adding the logo in CapCut, Canva, DaVinci Resolve and Edits
The method is the same everywhere: logo on a layer above the video, positioned, sized and set to the right opacity.
CapCut
Import the PNG with your video and drag it onto a track above it, then stretch it to the length of the video for a corner logo or to the last few seconds for an end card. Set Position, Scale and Opacity in the right-hand panel; the same panel's keyframe diamonds let you fade the logo in by animating Opacity from 0 to 100 percent over half a second (CapCut, as of October 2026). The full edit is in how to make an architecture reel in CapCut.
Canva
Add the logo from your Brand Kit inside the editor, or upload the PNG, and place it on the last scene for an end card or on every scene for a corner logo. A gentle entrance animation from the Animate menu lets it arrive rather than pop in. Making a video from renderings in Canva covers the setup and download settings.
DaVinci Resolve
Drag the PNG onto Video 2, above your footage on Video 1, and use the Inspector's Transform controls to size and position it. The Composite controls include an Opacity slider that runs "from 0 (totally transparent) to 100 (totally opaque)" (DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual, p. 788, Blackmagic Design, as of October 2026). To export a clean master, disable the Video 2 track and render again. Editing vertical video in DaVinci Resolve has the timeline and export settings.
Instagram Edits
Add the logo as an overlay on top of the clip; Edits' keyframes work on overlays as well as clips (Edits by Instagram, as of October 2026), so you can fade or gently scale an end-card logo. Precise placement is harder on a phone screen, so check it against the safe zone before exporting.
Keep a logo-free master
Burned-in means permanent: once the logo is part of the pixels, nobody can remove it cleanly. Keep a version without it, because the same film may go places where your mark is unwanted or redundant:
- A publication or blog that credits you in its own text.
- An award program or competition with its own rules on identifying the entrant; read the brief (how to prepare an award submission covers images and program rules).
- A client, builder or developer who wants to post the film on their own channels, possibly with their own branding.
- A future edit where you'll add a new end card or a narrated intro.
Some tools build this in. Arch2Video, which turns six images of one project into a 30-second vertical film, takes an optional studio logo, and a film made with a logo also comes in a no-logo version. If you change your mind after the film is ready, you can switch the logo and re-export without paying again. Whatever tool you use, name the files clearly (project, version, "logo" or "clean") so nobody posts the wrong one.
Mistakes that make a logo look amateur
- A white box around the logo. The file was a JPG or a PNG without transparency.
- A blurry or jagged edge. The file was too small and got scaled up.
- A logo under the caption or buttons. It was placed in the bottom third or on the right edge.
- A logo that moves. Animated spins and bounces pull attention from the building; a simple fade is enough.
- A logo on someone else's work without permission. If the photography, renderings or project belong to a collaborator, agree on credit and branding before you post.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a logo be on a vertical video?
For a corner logo on a 1080 × 1920 video, about 120 to 200 pixels wide is a reasonable starting point, roughly 11 to 18 percent of the frame's width; for an end card, 300 to 400 pixels wide or about a third of the width. These aren't platform rules, so judge them on a phone. Export the logo file at about twice the size it will appear so it stays sharp.
Should my logo be on every frame of the video?
Not necessarily. For a project film posted on your own account, an end card in the last two or three seconds is often enough, because your account name is already on screen. A small corner logo for the whole video makes sense when the file is likely to travel without its caption, such as reposts, forwards and downloads. Use one approach per video rather than stacking them.
How do I make my logo background transparent?
Export it from the original vector file as a PNG with transparency enabled, rather than saving it as a JPG, which can't hold transparency. Trim the canvas to the artwork and export at about twice the size you'll use. If you only have a JPG, ask your designer for the source file; automatic background removers often leave a fringe that shows on dark frames.
Can I remove a logo from a video later?
Not cleanly once it's burned into the pixels; cropping or AI removal leaves traces or damages the frame. Keep a logo-free master instead: in an editor, disable the logo track and export again, and keep that file with the branded one. Some services do this for you; Arch2Video, for example, delivers a no-logo version alongside a film made with your logo.