FreeVideo editorAbout 30 min
Add Captions Once and Keep Them Readable
Most people watch with the sound off. Captions let them follow. Add them one way, one time, and check they can be read on a phone.
Why This Matters
The worst mistake is stacking captions. You burn words into the video, then upload a subtitle file on top, and viewers see two lines fighting each other. Pick one layer and stick to it.
✓ How To Do It
- Get a transcript. Run your audio through your editor's caption tool or the platform's auto captions, then read every line.
- Fix names, numbers, brand names and tool names by hand. Auto text gets these wrong most often.
- Choose one layer. For short clips on social and your own site, burn the captions into the video file. For long videos on YouTube, upload a caption file instead. Never do both.
- Style them for a phone. Use a plain bold font, large enough to read at arm's length, white text on a dark outline or box.
- Keep to one or two lines and a few words at a time. Break lines at natural pauses.
- Keep captions away from the bottom edge and the sides, where apps put buttons and text.
- Export the video. Watch it once all the way on your phone with the sound off.
- Upload only the final file. If the platform makes its own auto captions, check the player and make sure only one set shows.
- Paste the clean transcript on the page under the video. Search engines can read it and so can people who cannot play sound.
Done WhenA video with one caption layer that you watched on a phone with the sound off, plus the clean transcript posted under it.
Reference List
Tips & Pitfalls
- Check contrast over bright and dark shots alike.
- Re-export instead of editing a burned in caption. You cannot remove it later.
- Keep the caption file with the project for future edits.