How to add subtitles to a video (free, in your browser)

On social feeds, most of your audience sees the video before they hear it. Captions are not an accessibility afterthought — they are the difference between a clip that lands and a clip that gets scrolled past.

The short version

1. Get an automatic transcript with timings.
2. Fix names, jargon and numbers — that's where machines miss.
3. Export an SRT and keep it; it's the reusable asset, not the burned-in text.
4. Translate the SRT for other languages instead of re-recording.

Burned-in versus subtitle files

A subtitle file can be switched off, restyled, translated and indexed. Burned-in text is permanent and safe from platforms that ignore uploads. For social clips, burned-in wins; for anything you'll reuse or translate, keep the file too.

Caption style that actually reads on a phone

• One or two short lines, never three.
• High contrast with a soft shadow or plate behind the text.
• Keep captions clear of the bottom third — platform interfaces cover it.
• Break lines at natural pauses, not at the edge of the screen.

Translating without re-recording

Because the timings already fit the footage, translating the caption file gives you a second, third and fourth market version of the same clip in minutes. It is the cheapest reach you will ever buy.