Glossary
Lower third
Also called: Lower-third graphic, Name strap, Chyron
Definition
A lower third is a graphic overlay placed in the lower part of the frame, traditionally the bottom third, that shows information such as a speaker’s name, a title, a location or a topic.
What “lower third” means
Lower thirds come from television news and documentaries: the name and role of the person speaking, a headline, a location. In corporate and YouTube videos, they introduce speakers, label chapters or show a handle or URL. They typically animate in, stay a few seconds and animate out.
Designers keep them simple: one or two lines of text, a background bar or shape for contrast, and a short, consistent animation. Brands often have a lower-third template so every video looks the same.
Why it matters for short explainer videos
In vertical short-form video, the bottom of the screen is the worst place for a graphic: the platform shows the account name, the post caption, the sound and the navigation there. A classic lower third in the bottom of a 9:16 frame is likely to be covered.
The function still matters, though: a viewer often needs a label to understand what they’re looking at. In vertical explainers, that label usually moves to the upper or middle part of the frame, inside the safe zone, or becomes part of the animated title.
Example
A horizontal interview has a lower third reading “Dr. Ana Ruiz, epidemiologist”. When the clip is reframed for Shorts, the same bar would land under the channel name and the subscribe button. The vertical edit puts the name as a small label just above the speaker’s head, in the central area of the frame, where nothing covers it.
In Motiongist
How Motiongist handles it
Motiongist doesn’t use classic lower thirds. Labels, titles and key terms are placed within the safe zones of TikTok, Reels and Shorts and animated with the narration. With the brand look (from the Solo plan), your name and colors appear on titles, diagrams and captions.
You can’t add a custom lower-third template or position overlays manually. If you need one, add it afterward in an editing app, keeping it out of the bottom interface area.