Most social media videos are played without sound, making subtitles an essential feature for your audience. This guide will walk you through how to add them to your video projects.
Subtitles are text files added to a video to display the audio as text. The most popular file format for subtitles is an—file, which some support.
Create a Text File
Creating captions or subtitle files adds another layer to your video file. They are often text-based and can be used on many platforms. Many companies offer a subscription-based service where they create captions for you and then upload them to your video platforms of choice. While these services are helpful, they can be more expensive than independently creating a single subtitle file.
Moreover, add subtitles to a video is a great way to increase engagement and key viewers into the most important parts of the content. They also help to make the video more accessible for deaf and hard-hearing audiences. And if you’re looking to reach an international audience, they can allow you to provide your video content in multiple languages.
You must transcribe your video’s audio to start creating your subtitle file. A transcription service will enable you to transcribe your audio with state-of-the-art speech recognition software and create a text file in seconds. Captioning feature works with most video platforms and allows you to make any necessary edits while retaining accurate timestamps that match the original video content.
Transcribe the Audio
The process of manually transcribing your audio into subtitles is lengthy and tedious. Luckily, there are many tools available that will help you automatically transcribe your audio for you. These are great options if you need more time or the budget to hire someone for human transcription services.
Once you’ve uploaded your file, select the language and click ‘Start Transcription.’ Depending on the size of your video, this process may take some time to complete. However, it’s worth the wait. Once your file has been transcribed, you can edit the text file and choose where to place it within your video.
Adding captions/subtitles to your videos is crucial for several reasons. 85% of Facebook videos are watched on mute, and people who are deaf or hard of hearing need to be able to understand your content.
Whether you decide to do the work yourself before exporting, use an automated transcription tool or a human subtitling service, making sure your video has subtitles will ensure it is more accessible to everyone who views it.
Import the Text File
Import the text file into a video editing program to prepare your subtitles for upload. Most programs can import files, a file format containing the text of your captions and timing information. Subtitles are usually timed to appear on the screen for a specific duration, between two and seven seconds.
Next, transcribe the audio and set the timings to match your transcript with the video. Selecting the timings can take a while, but the results will be worth it.
You can also use a service that will automatically transcribe your video. It’s a bit more expensive but can save you a lot of time.
Once you’ve finished preparing your subtitles, you can upload them to YouTube. To do this, log in to YouTube and navigate to your videos. Select “My Channel” on the left sidebar or your account icon, then select “Video Manager.”
Set Timings
Captions (or subtitles) are an essential part of your video content. With 85% of people watching videos on social media with the sound off, captions help your content reach its full potential. They make it accessible for deaf or hard-of-hearing audiences, and they also help to keep viewers engaged while they scroll through their feeds.
Creating a subtitle file is a relatively simple if you use the right tools. There are a variety of options available for both free and paid services that can create subtitles for your video.
One option uses IBM Watson to transcribe your audio and automatically generate the text file. Another option takes a different approach to transcription by combining editing and translation in one tool.
Lastly, tools will help you add subtitles to your videos in just a few clicks. They provide a wide range of text styles and animation effects that can be added to your video. They also allow you to upload your transcript and adjust timings to ensure the subtitles are in sync with the video.
Add the Text File
Adding text to videos can add extra context and improve the viewer experience. You can use text for titles, subtitles, captions and more. Whether you’re preparing a video for a class or want to give your video a more polished look, text can help your viewers understand the content and follow along easily.
A free video editor makes adding text to your videos easy. Select the Titles tab in the timeline panel to open a gallery of text effects, such as opener, lower third and end credits. Choose one and drag its edges in the timeline to adjust when it should appear and disappear. Double-click on the title and enter your text in the open preview window.
You can also edit the text style, font, size and color with a text tool. Choose a different text color and style to match the theme of your video. Then, apply effects and animations to create engaging titles. Alternatively, you can use an online video editor like Kapwing to add text to your videos without complicated software tools.
