Free subtitle generator

What is a subtitle generator?

A subtitle generator listens to the speech in an audio or video file and writes it out as short, timed lines that appear on screen while the words are spoken. The result is a subtitle file, usually SRT or VTT, that you upload next to your video on YouTube, in a video editor or on your website. This one can also translate the subtitles in the same step, so one recording gets subtitles in another language without a separate translation pass.

Subtitles help people who watch without sound, viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and anyone following a video in their second language.

SRT vs VTT: which subtitle file do you need?

Both formats hold the same thing: short lines, each with a start time, an end time and the text. The difference is where they are used. This tool works as an SRT generator and a VTT generator at once: one run gives you both files.

If you’re not sure, start with SRT. When a platform asks for VTT, download that too: it’s the same subtitles.

A short SRT example

This is what two lines of an SRT file look like:

1
00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,800
Open the dashboard and click New project.

2
00:00:04,100 --> 00:00:06,900
Give it a name and choose a template.

Subtitles, captions and auto captions

• Subtitles show the spoken words, often translated, for viewers who can hear the audio.
• Closed captions add sounds and speaker names, such as [music] or [phone rings], for viewers who can’t hear. Viewers can turn them on and off.
• Auto captions are generated by speech recognition, like the subtitles from this tool. They are fast, but they need a check before you rely on them.

How to translate subtitles

Choose a subtitle language before you generate, and the tool transcribes and translates in one run, keeping the timing of each line. To translate subtitles into several languages, run the file once per language. Read the translated lines with the video playing: a translation that is longer than the original can be hard to read in the time the line is on screen, so shorten it where needed.

Tips for better subtitles

Start with clean audio

Background music, echo and people talking over each other cause most transcription mistakes. A good microphone does more than any editing afterwards.

Check names and product terms

Speech recognition guesses at brand names, people’s names and jargon. Search the file for them and fix them first.

Keep lines short

Viewers read subtitles while watching. Two short lines on screen at a time are easier to follow than one long sentence.

Where to use the subtitle file

On YouTube and most video platforms, upload the SRT file as a subtitle track for the video, one file per language. In a video editor, import the SRT to style the subtitles or burn them into the picture for social clips that play without sound. On your own website, add the VTT file as a track to the HTML video player so visitors can switch subtitles on and off. Keep the files with the source video, so you can edit and re-upload them when the video changes.

Common subtitle mistakes

• Publishing auto captions without reading them once.
• Burning subtitles into the video when a separate file would let viewers turn them off or pick a language.
• Forgetting to update the subtitles after you edit the video, so the timing drifts.
• Uploading the wrong format for the platform, so the file is rejected.