Media accessibility · 4 minute lab

Place captions without covering the action

A right caption in the wrong spot can hide a label the viewer needs. Compare two moments in the same imaginary workshop video and move its captions without dropping any words.

Both the warning and the caption are readable.

Try it

1. Start with the warning on the wall. Switch the caption to the top, then return it to the bottom. Identify the words that disappear when the two occupy the same place.
2. Switch to the input label at the bench. It now sits at the bottom. Move the caption out of the way and keep the speaker’s name and the sound cue in the caption. Listen for relevant sounds when you do this with real media.
3. Replay at the smallest size people will use. Check the start and end of each caption, not only the still frame. Then check a different scene: the best position can change from shot to shot. If a player will not honor custom positions, reframe the shot or move the essential label in the source edit.

For a room screening

Test the rendered video first. Then check the projector from a viewer’s seat. If labels near a corner blur, the X500 picture setup guide shows which physical alignment and focus checks to repeat before changing the edit.

Two simulated stills, not a real recording or a projector test. The exercise illustrates placement; it does not test a media player’s WebVTT positioning.