How do you add captions and translations to your videos?

Premiere Pro & Da Vinci are the staples of best-practice video editing and colour grading without a doubt. Although for AI driven animated captions with emoji's submagic.io is a clear favourite.

Descript and Capcut are among two of the most user-friendly, free options for auto-captions. You don't need to invest the money in (or time to learn) higher-end software like Final Cut or Premiere.

What I’ve been doing is uploading a video to Vimeo first and then letting the built in automatic caption engine within Vimeo do all the heavy lifting for me. It’s not perfect, but it’s WAY better than what YouTube comes up with. From there, I can export a .srt file and viola; upload it to YouTube and then make any necessary subtle tweaks manually from there.

In my experience I edit in premiere pro and add let premiere generate the captions. There is a minimal amount of cleanup. Mainly you have to capitalize words, the beginning or sentences and add punctuation. Add who is talking. I make medical documentaries so sometimes it has trouble with medical terminology. Otherwise it works very well. Most accurate I’ve used so far.

I use Premiere Pro for all video edits. It has built in tools to add captains and translations that you are able to edit. Another free option is to upload your video to YouTube (as a private video) and Google will automatically generate captions in which you can edit and export in YouTube Studio.

What I love using is Edius. It's the most intuitive in my opinion. One of my favorite options and chormakey and mask. It also has a tracking feature so I don't have to keyframe forever.

To add captions and translations to a video using a video editor, start by importing the video clip. Next, create or import captions and sync them with the spoken words in the video. For translations, generate a separate set of captions in the desired language. Some editors offer built-in translation tools. Then, provide language options for viewers to select their preferred language. Finally, preview the video to ensure accuracy and synchronization before exporting it with captions and language options, making your content more accessible and inclusive.

Captions are crucial for making video content accessible to all audiences. I use Premiere Pro's built-in captioning tools which make adding captions and subtitles easy. First, I transcribe my video and edit the transcript into proper captions with timecode. I make sure captions are synced to the audio. To add translations, I repeat this process to create a separate caption file for each language. I can display different language captions easily by toggling caption tracks in Premiere. The final step is to export the videos with embedded caption data. On export, I check the box to include captions. Let me know if you have any other questions! I'm happy to help explain how I leverage Premiere Pro for streamlined subtitling.

Capcut is a great tool for easy use and is free if you're creating short videos for LinkedIn or TikTok. If you need more stickers or synchronized images, you can consider Canva (also a free tool). When you have a larger budget and require higher video quality, you can consider Premiere. However, it requires more technical expertise.

I record my video interviews using Riverside.fm and download the transcript and subtitles files from there. I use the srt file with Premiere Pro on my video and shorts. I have used Descript as well. It does a good job. I have been doing more with Premiere Pro lately.

After Descript or Capcut generates your auto-captions, if you need to make any changes, it's very easy to do so. There's no need to hire a professional captioner nor to write them out yourself.

If you are getting video at scale, then editing captions can be a chore. But it's worth a brief look to correct spelling of names or other things that auto-captioning often gets wrong. At the same time, tools like LinkedIn have high-quality auto-captioning for uploaded video. So you don't always need to burn-in your captions.

I like the level of accuracy in Descript. Regardless of the software used to generate captions, proofreading is recommended. Synchrimedia's MovieCaptioner is inexpensive but not as easy to use as Camtasia.

I believe it's more creative to put up your own captions going by what is trending and what will catch the audience's attention,

Writing captions yourself can be very demanding, especially for long form video contents, and the automatic transcription services may not be so accurate especially if the speakers are not speaking in a native accent. I always advise hiring a pro to do it in this case. But if they’re short videos, the cheaper and more efficient option is to use auto transcription services like capcut, or Premiere pro, etc

The ability to add captions has been a great addition to editor's tools in software like Premiere, or as others have mentioned Capcut and Descript. These tools are all great for creating web based captions. But when we think about all of the other mediums that captions are used for, it starts to get tricky and complicated. As the article mentions, some may require compliance with government mandates from either the ADA or the FCC (this specifically relates to the U.S. only, other countries might have their own standards). If you are captioning for Broadcast Television, you'll have to adhere to specific standards and it may make more sense to hire a professional captioner.

I love Adobe Premiere’s caption feature. The best part about it is the ability to export your captions to .srt files if necessary. Another plus is being able to edit your captions to whatever format and style you’d like. Premiere allows you to change the typeface and colors of your captions. This allows you to get creative with how your captions look to the viewer.

I found a hack for generating the text for captions for free using YouTube. Just upload a video (privately) and wait for YouTube to automatically generate the captions. YouTube gives you the option to edit the captions, which it presents as a block of text from which you can copy and paste. You'll still need to proof the text thoroughly but letting YouTube do the heavy lifting can be a huge timesaver.

It is important to make sure you understand how to use your software to ensure captions are placed at the correct time signature. Do a test before doing a full video. Automatic transcription services are used commonly now in the transcription/translation industry to help human translators save time. But a word of advice: always proofread your captions before you post them even if they are human generated.

Always proofread your captions for accuracy. Decide whether you are using 'open' (burned into the video) or 'closed' captions (optional). Consider their placement on screen when planning your filming. Leave room for them to appear when you record, so they don't obscure important information. Make sure they won't be overlapped by the UI of your platform/player - so use a template if you need to. The trend of single-word, over-produced, highly animated, distracting 'karaoke' captions are not accessible for deaf/hard-of-hearing viewers who may also rely on lipreading. If there are multiple speakers: label them, especially if there is a change in speaker that isn't visible on screen. And be sure to use inclusive language.

The trend of single-word, over-produced, highly animated, distracting 'karaoke' captions are not accessible for deaf/hard-of-hearing viewers who may also rely on lipreading. Also, consider the colour contrast of your text. White text on a black background might seem boring, but it's more easily readable. Some neurodivergent viewers report that animated captions can help with their attention (especially for ADHD). So consider how you can compromise, and still include full or partial sentences (using natural, linguistic breaks). 42 characters per line (with a maximum of two lines) is considered industry standard. Readability is key and accessibility should be your priority.

Descript and Capcut will add auto-captions to your video with the click of a single button. No need to "add" them yourself. Both options are fast, easy, and free.

Echoing what Tiffany Hendricks said, don't play around with captions. The point of them is so that people can engage with your content. If you make captions that are unreadable, that defeats the whole purpose. Not to mention that you are telling part of your audience that they do not matter to you.

The next step is to import the video and the .srt file into Ooona tools - it's a very user-friendly online tool that allows me to reposition the subtitles on the screen so that they don't cover baked-in text information, like speakers' introduction or definitions, which are often displayed at the bottom of the screen. This reduces users' effort to move the captions manually or to turn them off to read the content.

In broadcasting, the safe areas to broadcast must be respected, this can vary depending on whether the video will be 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio, normally professional programs provide a guide on the monitor of the areas of action/logos and text, because some channels compress the signal and this is reflected in a cropped image. Although I always respect these safe areas, it is not a straitjacket to keep them for social networks, streaming and platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo and the like, on computer screens and smartphones the image is not cropped. It is very important in all cases to take into account the color contrast of the text with the background image, as well as to use a legible font.

The optimal start point to a good translation is an accurate caption and transcript start point. Edit your captions carefully to ensure your translation will be localized with accuracy. There are many free auto translation services but all will fall short if your source is inaccurate.

It is always good to translate your captions into one or more languages to reach a wider audience. Do not rely too much on Google Translate because the translations are approximate at best. It is always preferable to ask a native speaker of the language or someone who is fairly proficient in the target language to translate. That way, the cultural nuances and subtleties that might get lost in translation can be conveyed properly.

The best way is to select the automatic translator. Why? Because you may know a language or two. But we are looking at it worldwide. The automatic one will translate better and conveniently.

I think this still has a lot to be desired as it relates to auto translation. The tools are advancing, but they're not yet as accurate or nuanced as needed. And for global organizations I would be weary of using auto translation software. Spotify recently launched it's translation service for podcasts and the tool seems really powerful and exciting—it has a ton of promise. We should be celebrating these technological advancements as they will create higher accessibility standards across the board. However, I don't think this means you can fully automate the work, nor should you. If you do, there should be a disclaimer that makes clear the captions are auto-generated in different languages.

This is another area that I would use an automated online service. Adding multiple language support to your content means more people will be able to engage with it. But I understand there's also an upward limit to what we can afford as independent filmmakers and video creators. If you translate your captions to the key markets you expect, you cover enough of your audience to justify the cost.

My suggestion: don't rely only on translation programs, it is advisable to adapt to the language. In Latin America there are words that have very different contexts between countries and the final message can be misinterpreted. Sometimes what is spoken on the screen can be summarized up to a third of the way in text and this helps to read it. So it's best to always check the translation and try to summarize it.

Having worked with Adobe Premiere-pro for over 8 years, I found I like to create the text for the Video in and from the Text input I can make the text in Photoshop for more creative control and input I can add to the video or with adobe after effects motion graphics and then the text usually is a .png file and file/import it or drag and drop it the Media box usually in the bottom left corner of P/P. Creative input to any product is my inner bread & butter. Yeah, creatives "We like it".

98% of video editing programs allow you to add texts without resorting to external programs, this is highly recommended because in case you need to make changes or corrections, the time saved is considerable. To make multilingual versions of the same video I use Adobe Premiere, which allows me to make several subtitles of the same sequence and be able to export them in annex format such as SRT or stamped on the video

There are some devices that won't play certain videos, so when editing using Adobe, one should ensure that when saving the video or during the editing process you select an option that the video can play on all devices. This is to ensure it reaches a large number of people... because what's the use of posting the video if it won't play on some devices?

Each platform is different and your captions will need to change accordingly. If you're creating content that's meant for mobile first, then you're most likely creating vertical video. Those captions will need to be positioned within the frame at different points than something that is going to be posted to YouTube. I suggest creating safe margins in your editing software that is platform specific so that you can spec your deliverables correctly.

Definitely play your video on a few different devices to see how it looks. Test your video on your phone, on your laptop or desktop computer, and then also test it on a television if you can. Each display format will look slightly different and though it doesn't need to be perfect, it should be consistent.

Our videos are published on YouTube so to leverage the repositioning of the subtitles on the screen, I use the .vrt format - it retains the position on the screen and our viewers are very appreciative of the automatic repositioning.

As a producer who works with audiences who are deaf, it's imperative that videos have captions or at a minimum the option to view closed captions. Without captions, you're automatically eliminating a portion of your perspective audience. Additionally, captions provide an easy way to convey the message for viewers who are watching on their phones with the volume turned off. The captions may be an extra step in video, but it's an important one.

If you're creating a short video, consider using a brief caption of 1-3 words to make it catchy and stunning. More, you can combine words with illustrating images like stickers to make different and easier understanding.

Always proof watch your video at least 2 times and have a second pair of eyes watch them too, before you distribute them to any channel.

Premiere Pro is one of my favorite tools to use for captioning videos as it gives you a lot of control over the way your captions are generated. The added benefit being that it creates transcripts too. Let's say you have six interviews with thought-leaders at your company. You need to include them in your approvals process, along with various other stakeholders. What I will typically do is mark-up the transcript with highlights around soundbites that could make up the narrative and run this by the team before crafting my edit. It's saved me countless hours in editing as I don't need to go back and remove things or reshuffle music to fit those edits in seamlessly.

Captions are an essential accessibility tool for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. But they're also valuable to people watching in busy environments, or who might have English as a second language. Accessibility, readability and accuracy should be your top priorities. Your aim should be to recreate the viewing experience as close as possible. Don't censor or alter the transcription from what was said. If there's time/space, add brief captions for other non-speech sounds. If you can, describe the source and nature of the sound. E.g. [Ada scoffs in disbelief], [robot beeps frantically] Test it for yourself by watching the video on mute. Importantly, captions shouldn't be an afterthought - plan and budget for them in your production.

Proof read your captions no matter how they’re created. Even with automatic transcription services, the results generally won’t be perfect and definitely require review before publishing.