Why subtitles matter
On phones, a big share of viewers watch muted, in public or late at night. If the first seconds have no text, they never hear your hook. Subtitles also help people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people watching in a second language, and anyone in a noisy place.
On YouTube, an uploaded subtitle file is also text the platform can read, so it can understand what your video is about.
Two kinds of subtitles
- Subtitle files (SRT or VTT): plain text with each line and its timing. The viewer can turn them on or off, and YouTube can translate them. Best for regular YouTube videos.
- Burned-in captions: the words are part of the picture. They always show, can be styled big and bold, and are the norm on Shorts, Reels and TikTok, where viewers rarely turn captions on.
TipFor short vertical videos, use burned-in captions. For long YouTube videos, upload an SRT file; you can do both.
How to make an SRT file
Typing subtitles by hand takes longer than the video itself. An AI transcription does it in seconds, with every line already timed to the speech.
- Open the free subtitle generator and drop your video (up to 3 minutes).
- Pick the spoken language, or let it detect it.
- Download the SRT (or VTT) file and read it once: fix names and words that sound alike.
Add the file where you need it
- YouTube: in YouTube Studio open the video, go to Subtitles, add the language, choose Upload file and then With timing.
- Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve: import the SRT like any media file and drag it onto the timeline above the video.
- CapCut and other editors: most have an import captions option that accepts SRT.
- Web players: use the VTT version.
Captions that keep people watching
On short videos, how captions look changes how long people watch. Keep lines short (a few words at a time), make them large and easy to read, keep them away from the bottom where the app's buttons sit, and highlight the key word of each sentence.
Frequently asked questions
What is an SRT file?
A plain text file with numbered subtitle lines, each with a start and end time. Almost every video platform and editor can read it.
SRT or VTT?
SRT works almost everywhere. VTT is the same idea for web players. If you are not sure, use SRT.
Do subtitles help views?
They help people who watch muted keep watching, which matters on Shorts, Reels and TikTok, where most scrolling happens without sound.