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How can you add captions for videos for videos on TikTok, YouTube |

May 26, 2022

Video captions often go unnoticed until it's time to use them. Whether for accessibility, context, search optimization, or for the convenience of watching a video on mute - captions can be a great option to increase the value of your video.

In this post, we'll run through how you can add captions for videos on various platforms like , YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook and provide you with a handful of apps you could use to edit captions or add transcriptions with ease based on your video needs.

Not only do closed captions make it possible for viewers to view videos without their sound off, but captions make the videos more accessible, too. In this article, we'll begin by providing specifics on the reasons why captioning video is essential.

After that, we'll run through the process of adding captions to videos across various platforms.

This article:

Why closed captions are important

Captions for closed-circuit video are crucial due to two reasons.

Accessibility improved

One in eight people in the US by themselves have hearing loss both in their ears. Therefore, adding video captions can make it easier for viewers with similar hearing loss to take pleasure in your content.To be added, subtitling video is also a way to make videos more accessible to people with disabilities including those with autism and ADHD. In fact, captions are proven to boost focus and retention in people suffering from ADHD as well as autism.

Better reach and video completion rate

83% of viewers are watching videos using the audio off - same as 92% of viewers on mobiles who view videos with the sound off. Furthermore, 80 percent of these folks are much more likely to watch the complete video when captions are available.

Meaning: if you want viewers to be more interested in your video content, make sure you add closed captions to your videos. In this way, users won't need to scroll past your content simply because they're in a public or quiet space.

Finally, captioning can also aid in reaching out to those who aren't able to comprehend the language of your content but would like to watch your content regardless.

Let's take a look at ways to add closed captioning on a video across different video hosting platforms.

How to add captions for video clips

Captioning your videos on can be a simple option to boost access and discoverability for the entirety of your videos.

To add captions by hand , take these steps:

Paid customers can modify their transcripts on the fly using the transcript editing tool while the rest of users are able to download, edit and upload their transcripts. For more details visit the help center.

Last but not least, you aren't limited to adding captioning files that only use SRT for videos . WebVTT supports other types of files also, which include SAMI, SCC, DFXP/TTML, and WebVTT. Of all these, WebVTT is the most highly recommended.

How can captions be added to video content on TikTok

Want to add captions your video posts on TikTok? There's good news! You have two ways to caption videos:

Auto-generated video captions generated by TikTok

When you've published your content on the bite-sized video platform You must:

1. Select Captions on the right side of your screen.2. Then let it run through and you're done.

This is a great alternative for anyone wanting to easily add captions without too much customizations.

Make video captions manually available using TikTok

By manually adding captions, you are able to create captions from scratch or edit the auto-generated captions. Follow these instructions after the video has been recorded:

1. Press Captions the same way as before and then give the processing time.
2. Select the pencil icon on the corner to begin.
3. Change the auto-generated captions, or create new captions.

 How do you add captions on TikTok after posting

There's no option to add captions to your TikTok video once you've posted it. It's a good idea to delete the video and reposting with captions added could help. Horrified you'll lose all the music, effects, and even edits? Save the video before deleting in order to save time. Use these steps to save your TikTok video before deleting:

1. Click the Me icon on the lower right-hand corner of the screen.
2. Select the video and click open the horizontal dots to the right.
3. Click to Save Video.
4. Repost the saved video with captions included.

Bonus: Add video captions with the tool for text

This option is perfect to caption videos that are short. Once you've uploaded or recorded your video, you can follow these steps:

1. Choose the Text button from your screen's bottom and add the caption.
2. Drag the text box to position it on the screen - wherever you want however the highest position is most effective way to stop the captions from mixing with the text in the video description.
3. Select the text box and press the clock icon in order to calculate the time stamps for the text, or for when it will appear in the video.
4. Play the video in the preview. Finally Click Done in the upper-right edge.

How can captions be added for video clips on YouTube

There are several options for captioning YouTueb videos: auto-generated captions manual captions uploading a caption file, or using an auto-translate.

Let's look at each in turn:

Automatically generate video captions for your YouTube video

In the moment of writing, YouTube only auto-writes captions for short and video clips The feature is accessible in 13 languages.

To auto-generate video captions in the language of your choice, follow these steps:

1. Go to YouTube Studio.
2. Select Subtitles on the left side and pick the appropriate video.
3. Three dots are under subtitles..
4. Read or Modify the auto-generated captions whenever necessary.

Add YouTube captions manually

To add captions to the screen, you must adhere to these steps:

1. Go to your YouTube Studio account.
2. Select Subtitles from the left side of the screen. Select the video you want to play.
3. Tap Add under Subtitles (like above).
4. Choose the option to type manually among the four choices available.
5. Type in captions by playing the video and adjusting the timestamps according to the need.
6. Click Press.

Include captions in YouTube videos , by adding a captions file

For uploading captions to YouTube, you'll need a caption file. As with , you aren't only restricted to SRT file types. YouTube can also take SubViewer and LRC formats in addition to SubRip.

Here's how this works:

1. Go to YouTube Studio.
2. Select Subtitles on the left of the dashboard. Select the movie you wish to caption.
3. Press "Add Language" now and choose the language you prefer.
4. Click Add in the subtitles section on your main menu screen.
5. Choose upload file from the options which are displayed now.
6. Pick if you would like to add captions With timing or Without timing and press continue.
7. Choose the file you want to upload and either save the draft or publish.

Caption YouTube videos with auto-sync.

The captioning auto-sync feature offers you the best of both the above options. This means that you are able to add captions manually but YouTube changes timestamps on the fly.

Here's how (the initial three steps are exactly the same as above):

1. Log in to Your YouTube Studio Account.
2. Choose the Subtitles from the menu on the left, and then select your video
3. Tap Add under Subtitles.
4. Choose Auto-sync in the menu.
5. Type in your video's transcript into the text field. Choose the Edit Timings option at the top of the screen and then select Upload your file (instead of writing manually in everything - just make sure the file has been translated into a language accepted by YouTube).
6. Select Edit Timings. Next, Save and Close.

How do you add captions to video content on Facebook

Facebook offers users an automated and manual option to caption videos. This is how it works:

Automately generate captions to your Facebook video

Before you add captions, you must upload and save the video as drafts on Facebook.

In order to do this, click on the share a picture or video icon located on the page and add your video. Once you have uploaded your video, tap Save Draft in the drop down menu that is next to the Publish button.

Next, take the following steps:

1. Open the saved video from Drafts which is located under Posts under Publishing Tools.
2. Tap on the Edit button from the Video options located on the left.
3. Choose the Captions from the many choices available now, and then click to generate.

That's all. The best way to check the auto-generated captions , however. Play the video and see what captions show up. For editing any, change the text by navigating to the right of the display. Scroll down to the exact title and then click the word you would like to modify.

Make manual captions with .SRT file

This is a useful alternative to add captions to videos on your private Facebook profile, or videos in Groups.

Be sure to have a SubRip Subtitle File (SRT) ready beforehand and save it as plain text .srt file. This article will provide more information on the formatting and the proper way to name your SRT file the right way to reduce the chance of errors.

The rest of the steps are similar to the steps above.

1. Upload and save your video after which Click to edit the video..
2. Select your Captions among the options.
3. Select the Upload option instead of Generating.
4. Choose the appropriate language with the file's SRT language and click "Save".

 Can you make captions for a Facebook video post after it has been posted?

Add captions to existing or published Facebook videos by choosing your post on your Page. Next, click the three vertical ellipsis (...) at the top right hand side and then click edit post. Click on captions from here and either auto-generate them or add the .srt file.

Toolkits for adding captions to videos

If you're searching for third-party tools that can help you add closed captions to videos, check out our listing of vendors:

The auto-closed captioning and transcription tools permit users to instantly add captions or upload transcripts to edit, fine-tune the caption styles to match the video content as well as search for key scenes within the transcript of the video.

2. Kapwing

Kapwing, an online video editor for captioning videos, has both a free and paid version. The freemium editor allows users to caption videos that are no longer than four minutes. The editor for free also keeps edited content for up to two days and allows users to create three hours of video content per month.

However, if you're looking to caption many videos, the pro version with 2 GB upload limits and more features, may be worth trying.

3. VEED.io

Similar to Kapwing, VEED.io is a free online video editor that lets users auto-generate subtitles. You can also manually add them or upload caption files for subtitles that can be added to your video.

Additionally, it gives you the option of editing the text of subtitles (useful in cases where text is automatically generated and you find errors) You can also alter the color, font, size and even the time it's displayed, as well.

4. Rev

Rev is a speech-to-text platform that lets users transcribing or captioning audio and/or video as accurately as possible. The platform includes a variety of tools, including human transcription, AI transcription, on-screen captions for videos in English and other languages, as well as more.

Pricing is determined by the transcriptions, captions and subtitles for each minute.

5. Zubtitle

Zubtitle is another online application to caption videos. After you upload your video into Zubtitle the app automatically creates subtitle text which you can then edit to correct it and change the style.

Remember that the free version only allows the addition of subtitles on one video. To get more options for captioning your video look into a paid subscription.

6. Subly

Subly is another easy to use online application. It is available with a seven-day trial. Subly lets users automatically generate subtitle text in 67 languages, generate and style captions, as well as convert audio files to video.

Once you have uploaded a video, the captions will be generated and you can alter their placement as well as color, font and even size. Plus, you can download the transcript in three different file types.

7. Amara

Amara allows you to add captions to your videos using their free online editor and also offers subtitling for video and text translation service for 50+ languages.

It is also able to integrate with video hosting platforms including . It makes the process of exporting and import subtitles all the more simple.

8. MixCaptions

This is an Android and iOS application that allows video subtitles. It will automatically insert captions in 23 different languages. Once captioned, you can modify the subtitle's text and also change the caption's position.

Enjoy more reach with captions for videos

With this step by step guide on how to add captions to video, we're confident you're ready to incorporate subtitles into the video you've uploaded. Just remember that it's important to add closed captions since they improve video accessibility and reach.

Why are you sitting around to do? Start captioning videos today.