Video captions turn speech and meaningful sounds into synchronized text. To add useful captions, transcribe the audio, correct the words, adjust the timing, and check that the text stays readable in the published player.
Captions help people who are deaf or hard of hearing and people watching without sound. Decorative words that appear occasionally on screen do not replace a complete caption track.
Closed captions or burned-in captions?
| Type | How it works | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Closed captions | A separate track that the viewer can usually turn on or off | Support and styling vary by destination |
| Burned-in captions | Text becomes part of the video image | Always visible, but cannot be removed or resized independently |
Keep a clean video master and an editable caption file. That lets you change a translation or fix a name without rebuilding every asset.
The W3C captions guide explains that accessible captions include meaningful non-speech audio as well as dialogue. If an offscreen alarm explains someone’s reaction, include that information.
Start with a clean transcript
Automatic transcription is a useful first draft. Listen to the whole video while reviewing it, especially when it contains product names, prices, specialist terms, or several speakers.
“Save fifteen euros” and “save fifty euros” can sound similar to a transcription system. That is a material error in an ad.
Preserve the speaker’s meaning. Remove an accidental repeated word only when the edit does not change what was said. Identify speakers when the viewer cannot otherwise tell who is talking.
Break captions into readable phrases
As a design starting point, use one or two short lines at a time. Break at natural phrase boundaries rather than splitting a name or separating a verb from its object.
For example:
Choose the portrait template,
then move your headline inside the guide.
This is easier to follow than a rapid stream of isolated words. Word-by-word animation can be a style choice, but preview it with someone who has not heard the audio before.
Keep each caption on screen long enough to read comfortably. If the speaker moves too quickly, consider editing the delivery or shortening the script before recording again.
Protect captions from interface overlays
Bottom controls, usernames, and action buttons can cover text. Put captions inside the placement’s usable area, and move them when they would hide a product demonstration or a speaker’s face.
Use the safe-zone guide and the destination’s upload preview. A position that works in one video player may fail in another.
Use a solid or shaded background when the footage changes from light to dark. Check contrast throughout the sequence, not just on the opening frame.
Avoid duplicate caption layers
If you burn captions into the image and also enable a separate track, viewers may see two overlapping versions. Test the actual playback settings before publishing. Where separate captions are supported, decide deliberately how both versions should behave.
Final playback check
Watch once with sound off to check comprehension. Watch again with sound on to check accuracy and timing. Check the first and final words, speaker changes, and captions near scene cuts.
Then review the video export settings and confirm that compression has not made the caption edges difficult to read.