diff --git a/libavcodec/libaribcaption.c b/libavcodec/libaribcaption.c
index a5121b6eb7..6b6345e2ef 100644
--- a/libavcodec/libaribcaption.c
+++ b/libavcodec/libaribcaption.c
@@ -346,19 +346,8 @@ static int aribcaption_trans_bitmap_subtitle(ARIBCaptionContext *ctx)
         return 0;
 
     case ARIBCC_RENDER_STATUS_NO_IMAGE:
-        ff_dlog(ctx, "no image\n");
-        /* A caption carrying an explicit clear screen (CS) produces no
-           image. Report an empty subtitle so that the previously displayed
-           bitmap is erased; the TEXT path already does this by emitting "".
-           Do not treat every regionless caption as a clear: a statement
-           containing only TIME also decodes to zero regions but must not
-           erase the display. */
-        if (ctx->caption.flags & ARIBCC_CAPTIONFLAGS_CLEARSCREEN) {
-            sub->format = 0; /* graphic */
-            sub->num_rects = 0;
-            return 1;
-        }
-        return 0;
+        /* the result holds no image, handled below */
+        break;
 
     case ARIBCC_RENDER_STATUS_ERROR:
         av_log(ctx, AV_LOG_ERROR,
@@ -373,8 +362,14 @@ static int aribcaption_trans_bitmap_subtitle(ARIBCaptionContext *ctx)
     }
 
     if (!ctx->render_result.image_count || ctx->render_result.images == NULL) {
-        aribcc_render_result_cleanup(&ctx->render_result);
         ff_dlog(ctx, "no image (%d)\n", ctx->render_result.image_count);
+        aribcc_render_result_cleanup(&ctx->render_result);
+        /* A caption carrying an explicit clear screen (CS) may produce no
+           image. Report an empty subtitle so that the previously displayed
+           bitmap is erased; the TEXT path already does this by emitting "".
+           Do not treat every caption without image as a clear: a statement
+           containing only TIME also decodes to zero regions but must not
+           erase the display. */
         if (ctx->caption.flags & ARIBCC_CAPTIONFLAGS_CLEARSCREEN) {
             sub->format = 0; /* graphic */
             sub->num_rects = 0;