As a video creator, have you ever considered how helpful subtitles appear on videos, making them easily understandable? They’re like the secret sauce that adds a sweet flavor to your favorite movies, tutorials, or vlogs.
Now pause for a moment and imagine the impact it makes for the person who’s hard of hearing or watching videos in a different language- these are the little things that count!
So, what’s the secret behind this magic?
It’s all about SRT (SubRip Text) files- the unsung heroes behind the scenes. They’re not only for big productions like Netflix or Disney but for anyone who wants to make their videos more inclusive and engaging.
Through this blog, we’ll dive deep into what is an SRT file and share a handful of tools that will make adding subtitles a breeze!
Think of an SRT file as your video's translator. It's like a transcript of your subtitles that you can easily upload to video platforms (Facebook and YouTube), making your video content universally accessible.
Alright, let’s take a peek at how SRT files work. It’s like a carefully choreographed dance between time and words-
Have a look at the below image, where a user clearly states on Reddit why he finds movies with subtitles are better-
To generate SRT files in Kapwing, follow the below steps-
Begin with uploading your video to Kapwing from your desktop or Google Drive. Then, use the controls to create and download a SRT file for your video.
Now, click “Automatic Subtitles” to let Kapwing automatically generate subtitles for your videos in your preferred language.
At last, download the automatically generated subtitles in the SRT format. However, Kapwing allows you to download them in VTT and TXT format, too.
Kapwing does come with a free plan but with limited monthly credit. However, you can upgrade the plan based on the number of seats. The plan costs $16 per month, billed annually, or $24 per month, billed monthly for 1 user seat.
While they do a bang-up job with subtitles, a few extra goodies would be a cherry on top. Think of recording with a teleprompter or seamless social media sharing. At $16 per month, these extras are the missing puzzle pieces.
Kapwing does a pretty good job of generating SRT subtitles. They make the process straightforward.
If you want to make professional-looking videos for your audience, try Kapwing’s free plan first. It lets you caption your videos, style them, and download them as an SRT. However, as said earlier, the absence of a teleprompter and a few other bells and whistles might make you second guess, given the pricing.
Next on our list is Clideo- a dynamic platform that packs a punch with various video editing tools. The best part is it allows you to create and download subtitle files for free but with few limitations.
Here’s how you can get your SRT captions-
Upload your video to Clideo directly from your PC, Google Drive, Google Photos, or Dropbox.
In the second step, you can allow Clideo to generate subtitles for your videos automatically, or you can add them manually. Then, select the language you want your subtitles to appear.
Almost there… download your files as .SRT file extension.
Clideo provides up to 30 minutes of free subtitle generation per month but with limited cloud storage and a watermark.
For unlimited storage and videos without a watermark, you can upgrade your plan to $6 per month, billed annually, or $9 per month, billed monthly.
So what’s our take?
If you’re a beginner in video creation or just starting to test a platform, you can try Clideo. It’s a platform with a few essential video editing tools that also allow you to add subtitles.
For the low price, it’s worth trying. However, try out other software from our list for a more polished professional video.
Adobe Premiere Pro is a leading professional video editing tool that helps you create sleek, polished videos for your social media. Plus, it lets you create and download subtitle SRT files, which you can upload to YouTube or Facebook for more engagement.
Follow the below steps to download the SRT files-
Import the file to Adobe Premiere Pro.
Now, click ‘Window’ → ‘Workspaces’ → ‘Captions and Graphics’ to auto-generate transcriptions of your video.
Click ‘Transcribe’ to allow Premiere Pro to auto-transcribe your video. Once the transcription is done, you can check spelling and grammar and create captions.
Select ‘Captions’ and click ‘Create captions from transcript’ to generate automatic captions for your video. Select the caption preset as ‘subtitle default.’ Click ‘Create captions.’
After creating captions, click on three dots (...) → ‘Export’ → ‘Export to SRT file’ to download your captions as an SRT file.
The cost of Adobe Premiere Pro's individual plan is $20.99/month, billed annually or $239.88/year, which may be too expensive for newbie video content creators or small brands. However, it does come with a 7-day free trial.
Our first impression of using Adobe Premiere Pro is it’s not for beginners. There are two reasons for this: the monthly or annual subscription is costly. And second, the user interface is too complex, and it is time-consuming to learn to use it.
But professionals or brands with a team can surely try it. Remember that there is no web or mobile version; you’ll need to download it on your PC to use it.
BIGVU is an end-to-end video editing suite with many mind-blowing features that also let you create and download SRT files. Even with a zero-tech background, you can effortlessly create professional-quality videos for various marketing purposes.
So, how exactly do you create SRT files in BIGVU? It’s a simple, 3-step process that allows you to automatically generate captions for your videos and download them as SRT files.
Here’s how it works:
Start by importing your video to BIGVU and select your preferred language for the captions to appear.
Once BIGVU generates the captions for you, you can style them to make them look more elegant. You can also edit grammar or spelling mistakes and add your brand logo to personalize your video. You can also choose to translate your captions into any of the 70 offered languages.
Finally, with just a click of a button, you can download your SRT files- in all languages! But that’s not all! BIGVU offers many exceptional features to elevate the quality of your videos. You can replace your background, change video thumbnails, and so much more.
Now, let’s talk about the pricing plans offered by BIGVU. They have three options to kickstart your video marketing journey:
Why BIGVU, you can ask?
We think the most significant advantage of BIGVU over others is you don’t need to spend a ton of time and money and juggle a million apps. Uploading SRT files to your videos is just the tip of the iceberg when creating engaging and interactive videos.
BIGVU believes in a 4-step secret recipe: script, shoot, style, and share.
Let’s understand it deeply…
With BIGVU, you can finally say goodbye to boring videos forever! It’s available as an iOS and Android mobile app and a web platform. They each sync seamlessly with each other.
SRT files are video’s silent yet impactful partners, enhancing viewer’s engagement. Creating them isn’t effortful.
With the diverse tools we’ve explored, you can now perfectly create and download SRT files seamlessly blending with your content, amplifying its reach and resonance. Remember, these little transcripts hold the power to bridge gaps and spark connections, making your videos more accessible and relatable.
So, choose the tool that matches your preference, and elevate your marketing journey by uploading SRT files to your videos.