What Is a Lower Third? Sizes, Timing, and Real Examples
The definition of a lower third is easy and every source has it. What is harder to find in one place is the stuff you actually need when you are building one: how big it should be, how long it should stay up, how it should move, and where to get a good animated one. This page answers those, with a template you can watch.
What is a lower third?
A lower third is a text overlay that sits in the lower area of a video frame, usually a name, a title, or a label, that adds context without covering the main shot. In news, interviews, and YouTube videos it tells you who is talking or what you are looking at. The name comes from the position, the bottom third of the screen, not the size of the graphic itself. You will also see it written as "lower 3rd" or "lower third graphics," and broadcast crews call it a chyron.
What editors actually ask about lower thirds
Spend time in editing communities and the same three questions come up, which is a good map of what actually matters:
- What do you even call these? One editor asked whether there is an official term for intro, outro, and lower-third graphics, because nobody agrees. There is not one. Chyron, lower third, and bottom third all point at the same on-screen name tag.
- When should it appear, and for how long? A common question, asked plainly as when a lower third should appear in a three-person interview.
- Where do I find a specific animated style? A recurring one, like this editor hunting for a "Golden Light" lower third their client wanted, who could not find it even with a stock subscription.
The rest of this page answers those three, because that is where the real work is.
The specs that actually matter
Size and safe area. Design on a 1920 by 1080 canvas. Keep the whole graphic inside the title safe area, the inner 90 percent of the frame, so nothing gets clipped on TVs or different players. In practice, keep text about 100 pixels in from the left edge and 100 pixels up from the bottom. On vertical 1080 by 1920 video, the same safe rule holds but you have less width, so short names win. A blank lower third is just that shape and position with no text yet, which is what most templates hand you.
Timing. Bring it in a beat after a new person starts talking or a new scene begins. Hold it long enough to read twice, which is roughly three to five seconds for a name and title. Then take it out. The most common mistake is leaving it up the entire time someone speaks, which turns a label into clutter.
How a lower third animates: the four styles
The definition never covers this, and it is the difference between a flat caption and something that looks produced. Four motion patterns cover almost everything you will see.
- Slide in. The bar and text move in from the left or bottom, then settle. Clean, fast, the safest default.
- Fade. The graphic eases from transparent to full, no movement. Calm, good for documentary or serious tone.
- Mask reveal. A shape wipes across to expose the text, as if it is being drawn on. This is the one that reads as high production value.
- Typewriter. The text types on character by character. Great for a single name or handle, easy to overuse on anything longer.
Here is one of our animated lower-third style templates, so you can see the motion instead of just reading about it. It is a subscribe bar with an avatar and live stats, a lower third doing its actual job: it labels and prompts without covering the shot.
Lower third vs chyron vs caption vs title card
| Term | What it means | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Lower third | Name or label graphic in the bottom area | Interviews, YouTube, docs |
| Chyron | Broadcast word for the same thing, after the Chyron company | TV news |
| Caption / subtitle | Spoken words transcribed for accessibility | Bottom center, full sentences |
| Title card | Full-screen text between scenes | Section breaks, intros |
A chyron is a lower third by another name, a caption is for what people say, and a title card takes over the whole frame.
Making one without After Effects
Two honest paths. If you want full control and already live in After Effects or Premiere, build it there, and our guide on how to make lower thirds for YouTube walks through the keyframes. If you just want a finished animated lower third in a few minutes, a template is faster: pick a motion style, type the name, export.
That second path is where AutoAE fits. AutoAE is a video creation platform where you brief a motion template in plain language and get a finished lower third back, no keyframing, starting at $2.90 per export. That is the honest disclosure: we make these, which is also why we can show you real ones and how they move.
FAQ
What is a lower third in simple terms? The text at the bottom of a video that names the person talking or labels what is on screen, placed low so it does not block the shot.
What size should a lower third be? Design on 1920 by 1080 and keep everything inside the title safe area, the inner 90 percent, with text about 100 pixels from the left and bottom edges. For vertical video, keep names short.
How long should a lower third stay on screen? Long enough to read twice, roughly three to five seconds for a name and title. Bring it in a beat after the person starts, then take it out. Do not leave it up the whole time.
Is a lower third the same as a chyron? Yes, in practice. Chyron is the broadcast term, named after the company that made the early hardware. Lower third is the more common word among editors and creators.
How do I make an animated lower third? Animate one in After Effects or Premiere with keyframes, or use a template that already has the motion built in and swap the text. Our how-to guide covers the first, and a Motion Agent like AutoAE covers the second.