# CAPTIONS.md: Caption and subtitle style system Two modes. Pick one per video and say which in the job. ## Mode A: Subtitles (accessibility, long form, client work) - Max 42 characters per line, max 2 lines. - Reading speed: max 20 characters per second for adult viewers. - Duration: min 0.83 s (20 frames at 24 fps), max 7 s. - Gap between captions: at least 2 frames. - Position: bottom center inside title safe. Move to top only when it would cover burned in text or a face. - Style: [sans serif], white, 2 px black outline or a 60% black box, no animation. - Line breaks: after punctuation, before conjunctions and prepositions. Never split a name, a number and its unit, or an article and its noun. - Include [MUSIC] and speaker labels only when the speaker is off screen or unclear. - Spelling: use the term list below exactly. ## Mode B: Social captions (Shorts, Reels, TikTok) - 1 to 4 words at a time, one line, max 28 characters. - Size: 7 to 10% of frame height on 1080x1920. - Position: center or just below center. Never in the bottom 20% or the right 12% of the frame. - Style: heavy weight [typeface], [white] fill, 6 to 10 px dark outline, active word in [accent #FFE600]. - Timing: word appears 1 to 2 frames after it starts in the audio. Never before. - Motion: entrance pop 90% to 100% scale over 4 frames, or none. Choose one and keep it for the whole video. - Emphasis: max one highlighted word per caption. Numbers and names first. ## Shared rules - Never change what the speaker said, except removing filler words (um, uh) in Mode B when asked. - Keep captions off faces and off on screen text. - Deliver the caption file ([SRT / VTT / ASS]) next to any burned in version. ## Term list | Spoken | Write | |---|---| | [agent cut] | [AgentCut] | | [resolve] | [DaVinci Resolve] | | [add yours] | |