> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rewatch.studio/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # On-screen overlays > Counters, cards, banners, stamps, choices: the animated text you write in your script with markers. Overlays are all the text displayed on top of the video: a counter at the top of the frame, a full screen card with a shocking number, a stamp that slams down, two buttons to get people commenting. They are **added at editing time**, never drawn by the image model: the font, the position and the spelling stay identical from one shot to the next. Nothing appears unless you write it. One marker per line, in square brackets, in your script or your idea. ## The principle A marker applies to **the line that follows it**, the one spoken while it is displayed. It is never read aloud. ```text theme={null} [CARD] RULE #1 | Never say *how much* | not even to your mother Narrator: Rule number one: never say how much. ``` * The bar `|` separates the pieces of a single element. * A word between `*asterisks*` turns pink (in cards and titles). * Several markers in a row all apply to the same line. ## All the markers | Marker | What is displayed | Syntax | | - | - | - | | `[COUNTER]` | At the top of the frame, 1 to 3 values that change as the story goes | `LABEL value \| LABEL value` | | `[CARD]` | A full screen moment on a cream background, while the voice keeps going | `small title \| text \| detail` | | `[DARK CARD]` | The same, on a black background | same | | `[BANNER]` | A pink label laid on the moment | `text \| subtext` | | `[CHOICE]` | Two buttons and a small label, to get people commenting | `OPTION 1 \| OPTION 2 \| label` | | `[STEP]` | A small pink label under the counter, until the next one | `PROBLEM 1` | | `[STAMP]` | A tilted pink stamp that slams down | `FLAGGED` | | `[GAUGE]` | A bar that fills up, under the text of a card | `SUSPICION 35%` | | `[RECAP]` | A card with 1 to 4 “label: value” lines | `small title \| LABEL: value \| …` | | `[LABEL]` | A white label in the middle of the frame, whose value counts | `text \| value` | | `[TITLE]` | A title over the darkened image | `small title \| text` | | `[GRID]` | A grid of bills that fills up, under a card | `100,000 bills` | | `[BARS]` | Bars that stack up under a threshold line, on a card | `$9,000 × 4 \| threshold $10,000` | | `[PROGRESS]` | The steps of a mechanism at the top of the frame, the current step highlighted | `LAMP \| *DOTS* \| CAMERA` | | `[MASCOT]` | The mascot's pose from that moment on | `surprised` | Markers are written in English, but the app also understands the French names, so a script pasted from a French project keeps working. The equivalents: `[COMPTEUR]` (`[COUNTER]`), `[CARTON]` (`[CARD]`), `[CARTON NOIR]` (`[DARK CARD]`), `[BANDEAU]` (`[BANNER]`), `[CHOIX]` (`[CHOICE]`), `[ÉTAPE]` (`[STEP]`), `[TAMPON]` (`[STAMP]`), `[JAUGE]` (`[GAUGE]`), `[BILAN]` (`[RECAP]`), `[ÉTIQUETTE]` (`[LABEL]`), `[TITRE]` (`[TITLE]`), `[GRILLE]` (`[GRID]`), `[BARRES]` (`[BARS]`), `[PARCOURS]` (`[PROGRESS]`), `[MASCOTTE]` (`[MASCOT]`). ## A complete example ```text theme={null} [COUNTER] CASH $50,000 | FRIENDS 12 | DAYS 30 [TITLE] DAY 1 | You have *30 days* Narrator: You just won fifty thousand dollars in the lottery. Narrator: Your cousin heard about it before you did. [CARD] RULE #1 | Never say *how much* | not even to your mother Narrator: Rule number one: never say how much. [STAMP] MISTAKE Narrator: Too late. He asks you for five thousand dollars. You say yes. [COUNTER] CASH $45,000 | FRIENDS 12 | DAYS 29 [DARK CARD] DAY 2 | The whole family *knows* [GAUGE] REGRET 40% Narrator: The next day, twelve messages. [RECAP] DAY 2 · WHERE YOU STAND | CASH: $45,000 | FRIENDS: 3 Narrator: You have three friends left. [CHOICE] PAY | BLOCK Narrator: What do you do? One word in the comments. ``` The counter stays displayed from one line to the next; you only rewrite it when a value changes. When no label is written, the choice shows “COMMENT ONE WORD” in the language of the video. ## Special cases * **A card followed by another card**, with no line between them, becomes a silent shot of its own. The same goes for a card written after the last line: that is your end card. * **`[COUNTER] off`** removes the counter, **`[STEP] off`** removes the step. The words `none` and `hide` work too. * **After the last line**, a banner, a choice, a stamp, a label or a title are laid on it. A counter or a step written there is ignored. * **A choice, a white label or a title** are laid on a filmed moment, never on a card. * **The gauge, the grid and the bars** are displayed under the text of a card: write a `[CARD]` just before. * **Mascot poses**: explains, surprised, thinking, thumbs up, laughs, shocked, secret, waves. Write them in English. ## In an idea, without a script Markers also work in “Describe your idea”. Two uses: * **A filled in marker** (`[CARD] 1 bill ≈ 1 g`): your text is used as is, in order. * **An empty marker** (`[CARD]`, `[STAMP]`, `[COUNTER]`): you ask for that type of overlay and the AI writes it for you. Only markers count, not words: writing “with a title card” does not ask for any card. ```text theme={null} You just stole 10 million dollars in cash. How do you clean it without getting caught? [COUNTER] CASH $10,000,000 | SUSPICION 0% [CARD] [STAMP] [CHOICE] ``` > [!NOTE] > > The “Explained story” and “How it works” formats place their overlays on their own, without markers. Your written markers keep priority. See [Explained story](https://docs.rewatch.studio/formats/explainer.md) and [How it works](https://docs.rewatch.studio/formats/how-it-works.md). ## Lengths to respect Text that is too long gets cut, and the font shrinks to fit its box. Guidelines to stay readable: | Element | Maximum length | | - | - | | Counter label / its value | 14 / 16 characters | | Card text / its detail | 90 / 70 characters | | Small title (card, recap, title) | 40 characters | | Banner / its subtext | 28 / 48 characters | | Choice button | 16 characters, one or two words | | Step | 28 characters | | Stamp | 22 characters | | Title text | 60 characters | At most: 3 values in a counter, 4 lines in a recap, 6 bars, 5 steps in a progress bar. ## Common mistakes > [accordion] Putting the marker after the line it goes with > > A marker applies to what **follows** it. Written after, it shows up one line too late. When a pattern repeats (option 1, option 2, option 3), keep the same order every time: card, then line. > [accordion] Too much information in the hook > > A three box counter in the very first second drowns the stakes. Set up the hook, then bring in the counter. > [accordion] A card that flashes by > > A card needs time to be read: at least 3 seconds for a card with a grid or bars. Attach it to a line that is long enough. > [accordion] Showing a wrong value at that point in the story > > The counter and the stamps must tell the truth at the moment they are displayed. Update the counter at the right time, not early. > [accordion] Writing the on-screen text in the style > > The style field goes into every image prompt. The text would be drawn there, distorted. Always use a marker. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.