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# How to Place Captions Differently Per Scene in Riverside
- URL: https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-place-captions-differently-per-scene-in-riverside/
- Published: 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-01T11:19:06.000Z
- Author: Cristi Cotovan
- Tags: Riverside.FM Articles

When you're editing a video in [Riverside](https://cotovan.com/riverside) that switches between layouts — solo speaker, two-person interview, screen share — you probably don't want captions in the same position for every scene. A caption that looks great centered on a solo shot might overlap someone's face in a side-by-side layout.

Riverside lets you reposition captions on a [per-scene basis](https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-save-and-reuse-scene-layouts-in-riverside/), so each layout gets the right placement. Here's how it works.

## The Editor Overview

When you open an edit in Riverside, the right sidebar gives you access to the [**Brand** panel](https://cotovan.com/post/apply-branding-with-one-click-in-riversidefm-brand-kit/), which includes your logo, color palette, text styles, design, and — importantly — **Captions**. The video preview shows your current scene with captions overlaid, and the timeline at the bottom displays all your scenes.

![Riverside editor showing the full interface with video preview displaying captions, the Brand panel on the right with Logo, Color palette, Text Styles, Design, Captions, Intro, and Outro options, and the timeline at the bottom with scene thumbnails](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/04/riverside-editor-brand-panel-captions-overview-v2.jpg)

The Riverside editor with the Brand panel open — Captions settings are accessible from here

## Understanding Scene Scope: This Scene, Similar Scenes, All Scenes

This is the key feature. When you make changes to captions (or other design elements), Riverside asks you **which scenes should be affected**. At the bottom of the video preview, you'll see three options:

- **This scene** — changes apply only to the current scene
- **Similar scenes** — changes apply to all scenes with the same layout (e.g., all solo speaker scenes)
- **All scenes** — changes apply everywhere

![Riverside editor showing the scene scope selector at the bottom of the video preview with three options: This scene, Similar scenes (highlighted), and All scenes. A tooltip reads 'Applies the changes to captions to all scenes with the same layout'](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/04/riverside-caption-scope-this-similar-all-scenes-v2.jpg)

The scope selector — "Similar scenes" applies changes to all scenes with the same layout

This is what makes per-scene caption placement work. You select "This scene" or "Similar scenes" before repositioning, and the change only affects the scenes you intended.

## Repositioning Captions

To move captions on a specific scene:

1. Navigate to the scene in the timeline
2. Click on the captions in the video preview — they become selected with drag handles
3. A **styling toolbar** appears with options for font, size, color, line count, alignment, and more
4. Drag the captions to your desired position
5. Choose the scope: **This scene** for just this one, or **Similar scenes** to apply the position to all scenes with the same layout

![Riverside editor with captions selected on the video preview, showing drag handles around the caption text and a styling toolbar above with font (Poppins), size (L), line count (2 lines), color options, and alignment controls](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/04/riverside-caption-styling-toolbar-drag-reposition-v2.jpg)

Click captions to select them — drag to reposition, use the toolbar to adjust style

## Different Positions for Different Layouts

The real power shows when your video has multiple layouts. For example:

- **Solo speaker scene** — place captions in the lower third, centered
- **Two-speaker scene** — move captions to the middle so they don't cover either person's face
- **Screen share scene** — position captions at the top or bottom, wherever they don't obstruct the content

![Riverside editor showing a solo speaker scene with captions repositioned to the center of the frame, drag handles visible, and 'Similar scenes' selected at the bottom](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/04/riverside-captions-repositioned-solo-scene-v2.jpg)

Solo speaker scene with captions centered — "Similar scenes" ensures all solo shots match

![Riverside editor showing a two-speaker layout with both participants visible and captions positioned in the middle between them, with the Brand panel visible on the right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/04/riverside-captions-two-speaker-layout-middle-v2.jpg)

Two-speaker layout — captions placed in the middle where they don't overlap either person

## The Workflow

Here's the recommended approach for multi-layout videos:

1. **Start with "All scenes"** — set your baseline caption style (font, color, size) across the entire video
2. **Switch to "Similar scenes"** — navigate to each distinct layout type and reposition captions for that layout
3. **Use "This scene" sparingly** — only for one-off adjustments where a specific scene needs unique placement

This way, you set the global style once, then fine-tune position per layout type — efficient and consistent.

## Tips

- Use the **Layout** panel to see which layout types exist in your video — Solo speaker, One-on-one, etc.
- The **Brand** panel lets you save caption styles as part of your brand kit, so your preferred look carries across projects
- If captions overlap a logo or other element, reposition for just that scene type using "Similar scenes"
- Caption styling (font, color, background) can also be scoped per scene, not just position

## Related Riverside Guides

[How to Save and Reuse Scene Layouts in Riverside![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/icon/Cristi-2-31.jpeg)Cristi CotovanCristi Cotovan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/02/riverside-scene-layouts-thumbnail.jpg)](https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-save-and-reuse-scene-layouts-in-riverside/)

[Crop, Reposition, Reframe: Video Editing in Riverside.fmAdjust the framing and cropping of individual videos during editing in Riverside.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/icon/Cristi-2-31.jpeg)Cristi CotovanCristi Cotovan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2025/09/151_crop-reposition-reframe-video-editing-riverside-1.jpg)](https://cotovan.com/post/crop-reposition-reframe-video-editing-riverside/)

[How to Adjust Scene Break Location in Riverside![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/icon/Cristi-2-31.jpeg)Cristi CotovanCristi Cotovan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5b/aa/5baa4306-14e9-442c-8242-49463a36912f/content/images/2026/02/Adjust-scene-break.jpg)](https://cotovan.com/post/how-to-adjust-scene-break-location-in-riverside/)

If you're eager to learn more about Riverside and wish to have a one-on-one Riverside coaching session, feel free to book a call with me. I'm here to help you with any questions you have and to guide you through the best workflows, tips, workarounds, or just answer any questions you may have!

[Book a session ](https://cotovan.com/coaching) 

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