diff --git a/app/components/alchemy/ingredients/picture_view.rb b/app/components/alchemy/ingredients/picture_view.rb
index 2caa647fbe..d32ab0ab99 100644
--- a/app/components/alchemy/ingredients/picture_view.rb
+++ b/app/components/alchemy/ingredients/picture_view.rb
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ def call
       def caption
         return unless show_caption?
 
-        @_caption ||= content_tag(:figcaption, ingredient.caption)
+        @_caption ||= content_tag(:figcaption, ingredient.caption.html_safe)
       end
 
       def src
diff --git a/app/models/alchemy/picture_variant.rb b/app/models/alchemy/picture_variant.rb
index 64035ada22..8e2f291d75 100644
--- a/app/models/alchemy/picture_variant.rb
+++ b/app/models/alchemy/picture_variant.rb
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ def initialize(picture, options = {})
 
       @picture = picture
       @options = options
-      @render_format = options[:format] || picture.default_render_format
+      @render_format = (options[:format] || picture.default_render_format).to_s
     end
 
     # Process a variant of picture
diff --git a/spec/components/alchemy/ingredients/picture_view_spec.rb b/spec/components/alchemy/ingredients/picture_view_spec.rb
index b8ebabf9e2..22d3c901a8 100644
--- a/spec/components/alchemy/ingredients/picture_view_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/components/alchemy/ingredients/picture_view_spec.rb
@@ -52,6 +52,22 @@
       expect(page).to have_content("This is a cute cat")
     end
 
+    context "having html tags" do
+      let(:ingredient) do
+        stub_model Alchemy::Ingredients::Picture,
+          role: "image",
+          picture: picture,
+          data: {
+            caption: "This is a<br />cute cat"
+          }
+      end
+
+      it "should show the caption" do
+        render_view
+        expect(page).to have_content("This is acute cat")
+      end
+    end
+
     it "does not pass default options to picture url" do
       expect(ingredient).to receive(:picture_url).with({}) { picture_url }
       render_view
diff --git a/spec/models/alchemy/picture_variant_spec.rb b/spec/models/alchemy/picture_variant_spec.rb
index 7711f435f5..679c6164c5 100644
--- a/spec/models/alchemy/picture_variant_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/alchemy/picture_variant_spec.rb
@@ -231,6 +231,18 @@
         end
       end
     end
+
+    context "passed as symbol" do
+      let(:options) do
+        {format: :gif}
+      end
+
+      it "converts the format" do
+        step = subject.steps[0]
+        expect(step.name).to eq(:encode)
+        expect(step.arguments).to include("gif")
+      end
+    end
   end
 
   context "requesting a not allowed format" do