How to burn captions into a video

The short answer

Make an accurate subtitle file first (SRT is the usual format), proofread it, then render the video with the subtitles drawn onto the frames. You can do that in a video editor, in HandBrake, with ffmpeg, or in MediaFind's free Create editor, which transcribes and burns in captions on your computer.

Burned-in or a separate file?

A separate subtitle file (SRT or VTT) keeps captions switchable, searchable and easy to correct, and one video can carry several languages. Most video platforms accept one. Burned-in captions are better where a file isn't supported or is usually off: social feeds where people watch muted, a clip shared in a chat app, or a video played on a screen at an event.

Many creators do both: a clean master with a subtitle file, and a burned-in copy for social. For the difference between the terms, see captions vs subtitles.

Free ways to burn in captions

• ffmpeg. ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf subtitles=captions.srt output.mp4 draws an SRT onto the video and re-encodes it. It needs an ffmpeg build that includes subtitle rendering, and styling is done through extra options.
• HandBrake. This free converter can add an external subtitle file and burn it in during conversion.
• Your video editor. Most editors can import an SRT as a caption track, let you style it, and render it into the picture.

How to do it in MediaFind

1. Add the video to your library. It's transcribed on your computer with word-level timing.
2. Add names or terms the speaker uses to the names and terms list, so they're spelled right.
3. Open the video in Create, the free timeline editor, and proofread the transcript. Fix wording now; burned-in errors are permanent.
4. Turn on captions and burn them in. Add a title or reframe for vertical if the video is going to social.
5. Render to MP4 or ProRes. Want a switchable version too? Export the transcript as SRT or VTT from the same file.

Caption style that people can read

• Keep lines short, one or two per caption, and break at natural phrase boundaries.
• Use a plain sans-serif with an outline, shadow or background box so it reads on bright and dark shots.
• Place captions where they won't cover faces, on-screen text or, for vertical video, the app's own buttons.
• Check timing on fast talkers. A caption that disappears before anyone can read it is worse than a longer one.

Accessibility and next steps

Open captions help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, people watching muted and non-native speakers. Where a platform supports a proper caption file, providing one as well lets viewers resize or hide it. Related: making SRT subtitles locally, the free subtitle converter and turning a video vertical.

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean to burn in captions?

The captions are rendered into the video frames, so they always show and can't be turned off. They're also called open or hard-coded captions.

How do I burn an SRT file into a video for free?

Use ffmpeg with the subtitles filter, HandBrake's burn-in option, or MediaFind's free Create editor, which also makes the captions for you.

Can I edit burned-in captions later?

No. You have to fix the subtitles and render the video again, so proofread before you burn them in.

Should I burn in captions for YouTube?

Usually a separate caption file is better there, since viewers can switch it off. Burned-in captions suit short social clips that play muted.