What you’ll learn
- Why captions lift watch time, accessibility and comprehension
- How to auto-generate accurate, time-aligned subtitles in a few clicks
- The difference between burned-in captions and SRT/VTT files — and when to use each
- Styling rules that keep captions readable over any footage
Why captions matter
A majority of feed video is watched on mute, especially on mobile. Captions keep those viewers engaged, make your content accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, and help comprehension for non-native speakers. They also tend to lift watch time — the metric most algorithms reward — which is why nearly every high-performing short is captioned.
Auto-generate vs manual
Adding subtitles to a video by hand is slow and error-prone. AI transcribes the speech, times each line to the audio, and lets you fix any word — turning an hour of manual work into a couple of minutes of review. You stay in control of accuracy without doing the tedious part.
Generate captions step by step
The whole flow takes a few clicks.
- 1Upload your video to the subtitle generator.
- 2AI transcribes the audio and time-aligns each caption.
- 3Read through and fix any names, jargon or numbers.
- 4Style the font, size, colour and position.
- 5Burn the captions into the video, or export an SRT/VTT file.
Burned-in vs SRT files
Burned-in captions are baked into the video — best for social feeds where the player won’t show a separate track, and where you want full control of the look. An SRT or VTT file is a separate sidecar the player toggles on and off — best for YouTube, Vimeo and accessibility, and easy to translate into other languages later.
Styling that stays readable
Use a bold, high-contrast font with a subtle background or outline so captions read over bright and dark footage alike. Keep one or two lines on screen at a time, size them generously for mobile, and avoid the very bottom edge where platform UI overlaps. Match the style to your brand and keep it identical across videos.
Caption styles that perform
On short-form, animated or word-by-word captions (sometimes called “karaoke” captions) tend to hold attention better than static blocks, because motion keeps the eye on the screen. Whatever style you choose, prioritise the first sentence — that caption is doing the work of a hook on a muted feed.
Quick tips
- Caption the first sentence especially carefully — it’s the hook on muted feeds.
- Match caption style to your brand for a consistent look across videos.
- Keep to one or two lines on screen; long blocks get skimmed or ignored.
- Proof names, numbers and jargon — those are what auto-transcription gets wrong.
- Translate the captions to reach viewers in other languages (see the translation guide).
Frequently asked questions
Are the subtitles accurate?
AI transcription is highly accurate across accents; you can edit any line before exporting.
Can I download an SRT file?
Yes — export SRT/VTT, or burn the captions directly into the video.
Can I translate the captions?
Yes — generate captions in the original language, then translate them into 30+ languages.
Which languages are supported?
Transcription and captions support 30+ languages and many accents.
Do animated captions help?
On short-form they often do — motion keeps attention. Keep them legible and on-brand.
