# Putting a QR code on video

> A QR code burned into video must obey the 10:1 rule for the viewer's distance, not the screen's size. A viewer 3 m from a TV needs the code at least 30 cm wide on that screen, roughly a quarter of a 55-inch panel. Keep it in one fixed position for the whole time it is shown.

Source: https://useqr.app/docs/design/qr-code-on-video · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, no signup.

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## Size from the sofa, not the timeline

The [10:1 rule](/docs/print/the-10-to-1-distance-rule) (minimum code width ≈ scan
distance ÷ 10) does not care that your code lives in a video file. It cares how far the
viewer sits from the glass. A living-room viewer at **3 m** needs the code **≥ 30 cm wide
on the physical panel**. The design question becomes: what fraction of the frame is 30 cm
on the TVs your audience owns?

| 16:9 panel | Physical width | 30 cm as fraction of frame | In a 1920 px frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43-inch | 95 cm | 32% | ~610 px |
| 55-inch | 122 cm | 25% | ~470 px |
| 65-inch | 144 cm | 21% | ~400 px |

That is the uncomfortable arithmetic behind under-performing TV codes: a tasteful
100-pixel corner code on a 55-inch panel is about 6 cm wide, scannable from **60 cm**,
nobody's sofa. Budget **roughly a quarter of frame width** for living-room distances, or
accept that only viewers who walk up to the screen will scan. The full broadcast context
is covered in [QR codes in TV ads](/docs/marketing/qr-codes-in-tv-ads) and
[QR codes on TV broadcast](/qr-codes-on/tv-broadcast).

## Phones watching the same video

On a phone at 30 cm, even a modest on-screen code satisfies 10:1, but the viewer cannot
scan a code with the phone that is playing it. Their options are a second device, a
screenshot ([scanning from a screenshot](/docs/scanning/how-to-scan-a-qr-code-from-a-screenshot)),
or the share-sheet route described in
[scanning on the same phone](/docs/scanning/how-to-scan-a-qr-code-on-the-same-phone).
Since most of those paths end at a typed URL anyway, always show a
[readable short URL](/docs/design/qr-code-next-to-a-short-url-fallback) alongside the code.

## Keep it absolutely still

Aiming a camera is a closed feedback loop: the viewer raises the phone, finds the code,
steadies, and the decoder locks, typically 2–4 seconds end to end. A code that slides,
scales or drifts during that window resets the loop each time. The rules:

- **One fixed position** for the entire time the code is up. Pick it in the storyboard
  and never move it.
- **No scale pulsing, no position animation.** Styling animation is separately possible
  under strict conditions: see [animated QR codes](/docs/design/animated-qr-codes), but
  position and scale are off-limits while viewers aim.
- **A solid card behind the code.** Video backgrounds change luminance shot by shot; a
  white panel with the code's own ≥ 4-module [quiet zone](/glossary/quiet-zone) makes the
  code's contrast independent of the footage.

## Leave it up long enough

Duration is its own budget (unlock, aim, focus, decode), and it is the subject of
[minimum on-screen duration for a QR code](/docs/design/minimum-on-screen-duration-for-a-qr-code).
The short version: **15–20 seconds minimum**, or keep the code persistent in a corner for
the whole segment. And before the edit locks, [verify the burned-in code decodes](/validate)
from an exported frame at final render resolution: compression can soften module edges.

## FAQ

### How big should a QR code be on a TV screen?

Apply the 10:1 rule to the viewer's distance: at 3 m the code must be at least 30 cm wide
on the physical panel, which is about a quarter of a 55-inch screen's width. Frame
percentage, not pixel count, is the design unit.

### Where should a QR code go in a video?

One fixed position, conventionally a lower corner, on a solid light card with a full quiet
zone, held for the entire time the code is available. Never animate its position or size
while it is on screen.

### Can people scan a QR code from a video on their phone?

Not with the phone playing it. They can screenshot and decode the image, or use a second
device. Show a short readable URL alongside the code so single-device viewers still have
a path.

### Does video compression break QR codes?

It can soften module edges and speckle flat areas, especially at low bitrates. Keep the
code large, on a plain background, and verify by decoding an exported frame at the final
render settings before publishing.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/url
- https://useqr.app/validate