# Keep the captions clear of my face and the Reels buttons

Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/prompts/keep-captions-off-my-face
Last updated: 2026-10-08

> TL;DR: Type "Keep the captions clear of my face and the Reels buttons" and Vidiyo moves every caption group out of the way of measured faces, on-screen text, titles and the Reels, TikTok and Shorts interface. Lines beside the right-hand buttons get narrower, and quality checks confirm nothing still overlaps.

## What to say

> Keep the captions clear of my face and the Reels buttons

Category: Captions

## What Vidiyo does

1. Reads measured face boxes, on-screen text and title positions for each moment.
2. Moves each caption group into a clear band, away from faces and platform buttons.
3. Narrows caption groups that sit beside the right-hand button rail.
4. Splits or shortens groups that would wrap into the bottom overlay.
5. Runs checks for captions over a face, off frame, under platform UI or too long.

A caption over your mouth or under the Like button is the most common way a good vertical video looks careless. Vidiyo measures where your face is in every shot and knows where the platform puts its buttons, so it can place captions where nothing covers them.

## What does Vidiyo do when you say this?

Vidiyo moves every caption group into a clear band, using measured face boxes, detected on-screen text, title positions and the known interface areas of Reels, TikTok and Shorts. Groups that sit beside the right-hand button rail get narrower. Groups that would wrap into a third line and drop under the bottom overlay are split or shortened.

Then the quality checks run: captions over a face, off frame, under platform interface, over on-screen text or wrapping past two lines. The assistant fixes what they find before it reports back. You can see the overlay areas outlined in red on the contact sheet it uses to review the cut.

## How do you phrase it?

Say what has to stay clear, or where you want the captions:

- "Keep the captions clear of my face and the Reels buttons"
- "Move the captions above my head for the whole video"
- "The caption at 0:22 covers the product screen, move it"
- "Make sure nothing sits under the TikTok buttons"
- "Put captions in the lower third, but never over my mouth"

Naming the platform helps when it matters, but the safe areas for Reels, TikTok and Shorts are close enough that one pass covers all three.

## How would you do this by hand?

By hand, you'd lay a safe-zone overlay over the preview, scrub through every caption and drag the ones that collide, then re-check each time you move the speaker or add a title. If you reframe a shot later, you do it again. Here placement is recalculated from measurements whenever you ask.

## What should you check afterwards?

Scrub through any section where the framing changes, like a punch-in or a split screen, since those move your face. Check titles and motion graphics too, which follow the same safe-area rules. For a quick visual check before posting, the free [safe zone checker](https://getvidiyo.app/tools/safe-zone-checker) shows the overlay on any frame.

## Honest limits

- Platform interfaces change. Vidiyo uses fixed safe areas for Reels, TikTok and Shorts, so check a final export in the app if a platform redesigns its layout.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which parts of the screen does Vidiyo treat as unsafe in vertical video?

The top strip with the status bar and account name, the bottom area with the username, caption and audio label, and the right-hand rail of buttons. It keeps captions and titles out of all three.

### What if there's no clear space on a shot?

Faces win. The assistant shrinks the captions, uses fewer words per line or moves picture layers rather than cover a face.

### Does it work for landscape videos too?

Yes. For 16:9 and square videos it keeps a margin from the edges and still keeps captions off faces and on-screen text.

## Related

- [Auto captions that are transcribed on your Mac](https://getvidiyo.app/features/auto-captions)
- [Safe zone](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/safe-zone)
- [Vertical video](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/vertical-video)
- [The best caption styles for Reels and Shorts](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/caption-styles-for-reels-and-shorts)
- [Make it vertical for Reels](https://getvidiyo.app/prompts/make-it-vertical-for-reels)

Download Vidiyo for Mac (free during the beta): https://getvidiyo.app/download