Video caption and subtitle generator

Transcribe, customize, and export captioned videos in one place with Descript. Start from a template or create your own branded caption style for videos viewers will watch until the end.

How to add captions & subtitles to your videos the easy way

Step 1

Upload and transcribe your video

Import your video into Descript to automatically generate a transcript complete with speaker labels and timestamps. From there, you can edit the transcribed text, remove filler words, and highlight specific moments to turn into captioned social media clips.

Step 2

Choose a style and format for your captions

With your transcript ready, you can select Captions under the Text menu to add subtitles to your video, which are automatically synced with the audio. Customize the generated captions’ font, colors, and style, or find ready-made Templates under the Captions and Audiograms categories.

Step 3

Export hard caption videos or soft subtitle files

Go to the Publish tab to export your captioned video as a download, or to another platform like YouTube or Wistia. You can also export standalone SRT or VTT files you can upload to other video editing or hosting platforms to add soft subtitles.

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Video Caption Generator

Video Caption Generator

Transcribe, customize, and export captioned videos in one place with Descript. Start from a template or create your own branded caption style for videos viewers will watch until the end.

Get started →
How to add captions & subtitles to your videos the easy way
  • 3
    Create a new project
    Drag your file into the box above, or click Select file and import it from your computer or wherever it lives.
Step 1
Upload and transcribe your video

Import your video into Descript to automatically generate a transcript complete with speaker labels and timestamps. From there, you can edit the transcribed text, remove filler words, and highlight specific moments to turn into captioned social media clips.

Step 2
Choose a style and format for your captions

With your transcript ready, you can select Captions under the Text menu to add subtitles to your video, which are automatically synced with the audio. Customize the generated captions’ font, colors, and style, or find ready-made Templates under the Captions and Audiograms categories.

Step 3
Export hard caption videos or soft subtitle files

Go to the Publish tab to export your captioned video as a download, or to another platform like YouTube or Wistia. You can also export standalone SRT or VTT files you can upload to other video editing or hosting platforms to add soft subtitles.

The video caption generator that does it all
Accurate, always-synced AI transcription

Save hours transcribing and syncing your audio with your captions using Descript’s automatic AI transcription. Get a full transcript in seconds with 95% accuracy. Or, get 99% accurate transcripts with our white-glove human-powered transcription service.

Customizable caption styles and designs

Use your own custom fonts and colors to create branded video caption templates. Choose between different caption styles: Classic (line by line), Clean (word by word), and Karaoke (current word highlighted).

Captioned social media content for all channels

Generate captioned video content to fuel TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and other social media channels to improve your content’s accessibility. Harness ready-made templates for landscape, portrait, and square videos to quickly cut up your content into several social media clips, and make one video feel like ten.

Questions? We have answers
What are “Fancy Captions” in Descript?

Fancy Captions are a unique feature in Descript that allow you to enhance the appearance and style of your captions in videos. Descript offers various customizable options, such as different fonts, colors, backgrounds, styles, and animation effects, to make your captions more visually appealing, engaging, and on-brand.

How do I generate an SRT file from a video?

To generate an SRT (SubRip Subtitle) file from a video, import your video into a Descript project to automatically transcribe the audio. Make any necessary edits to the transcript that will be used in your subtitle file. When you’re finished, go to the Export tab (found in the Publish menu). Select the option to export Subtitles and choose an SRT file, which contains timed captions synced to the audio in your video.

How can I add captions to my video for free?

You can add captions to your videos for free by transcribing it yourself and manually syncing it with your audio. Or you can use Descript’s AI transcription and caption generator to add visually-appealing subtitles to your videos in seconds.

What are soft captions?

Soft captions, also known as closed captions or subtitles, are standalone captions typically stored in SRT or VTT files that can be uploaded separately to video editing or hosting platforms. Viewers can toggle them on or off through their video player's settings, making them suitable for platforms that support caption files, like YouTube.

What are hard captions?

Hard captions refer to captions that are burned into the video itself and always display by default. These captions cannot be turned off or adjusted by viewers. Hard captions are ideal for situations where captions are best embedded and always visible, such as on social media platforms where the majority of viewers watch videos with the sound off.

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Descript is the only tool you need to write, record, transcribe, edit, collaborate, and share your videos and podcasts.
What is the point of this tool?
Descript is the only tool you need to write, record, transcribe, edit, collaborate, and share your videos and podcasts.
More than just a video caption generator
Descript is an AI-powered audio and video editing tool that lets you edit podcasts and videos like a doc.
  • Text-based editing
    Edit your videos and clean up your transcript within the same workflow. Cut and trim as much as you want, your captions will always be in sync.
  • Filler word removal
    Automatically find and remove “ums” and “uhs” from your videos. Or keep it real and leave them in, and just have the caption generator ignore them.
  • Studio sound
    Make “meh” quality audio pop just like your captions with AI-upscaling that gives voices that professional podcast sound.
  • Screen recording
    Easily create tutorials, how-to guides, webinars, and more with Descript’s screen recorder.