How to burn subtitles into a video
Quick answer: To burn subtitles into a video, drop the video, get the captions, fix the lines, pick a style and a frame and burn and download.
- Drop the video. MP4, MOV or WebM. It's opened on your device.
- Get the captions. Press Transcribe on this device, or load an .srt or .vtt file you already have.
- Fix the lines. Click a line to jump there in the preview, correct the words or the times, add or delete lines.
- Pick a style and a frame. Font, size, outline, position and colours, with word-by-word highlight if you like. Choose 9:16 or 16:9, and fill or fit.
- Burn and download. The captions are drawn into the picture on your device. Then download the MP4.
Burned-in or separate subtitles?
Burned-in captions are part of the picture, so they show everywhere, including TikTok, Reels and Shorts, where most people watch muted. Separate .srt files can be switched off and translated, which is better for long YouTube videos. You can save the .srt here too.
Readable captions
Lines are kept to about 42 characters, at most two lines, and no caption stays longer than 7 seconds, following the Netflix and BBC subtitle guides. A thick outline keeps white text readable on any background.
Why it takes a while
The video is re-encoded in your browser, which is slower than desktop software: 720p takes about as long as the video, 1080p longer. Keep the tab open until it finishes.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a watermark?
No. Nothing is added except your captions.
Does the video get uploaded?
No. Transcription (Whisper) and rendering (ffmpeg) both run in your browser. The first time, the speech model and the video engine are downloaded, about 110 MB in total.
How does word-by-word highlight work?
The word being spoken changes colour. Whisper gives a time for each phrase, so each word's time is estimated from its length within the phrase: close, but not perfectly exact.
How long can the video be?
Free for files up to 10 minutes, one at a time. Creator Pro handles files up to 2 hours and several files in a row.
Which output format?
MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio, which every platform accepts, at 720p or 1080p for the presets, or the original size.