The three ways to add subtitles, and which one fits your setup

You can add subtitles to a video file in three ways: burn them permanently into the video during export, embed them as a separate track that viewers can turn on or off, or create a subtitle file that plays alongside the video. Which method you choose depends on where the video will live and who will watch it.

Burning subtitles in means they become part of the image itself — useful if you're uploading to social media where viewers won't see subtitle options, or if you want to may provide they'll always be visible. Embedding a subtitle track keeps them optional, which works well for platforms like YouTube or Vimeo that support multiple subtitle languages. A separate subtitle file (usually .srt or .vtt format) is the lightest option and works anywhere, but requires the viewer's player to support it.

The tool you already have — whether that's DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere, CapCut, or something else — can handle all three methods. The steps differ slightly by software, but the logic is the same.

Key Takeaways

  • Burned-in subtitles become part of the video image and cannot be turned off, but they work on every platform and player.
  • Embedded subtitle tracks stay optional for viewers and take up almost no extra file space, but only work on players that support them.
  • A separate .srt or .vtt subtitle file is the smallest and most portable option, but requires the viewer's media player to recognize it.
  • Most video editing software lets you import subtitle files, position and style them, then export in your chosen format.
  • YouTube, Vimeo, and most streaming platforms accept subtitle files uploaded separately after the video, which is often faster than re-exporting.

Creating or obtaining a subtitle file to start with

Before you can add subtitles to your video, you need the text itself. You have three sources: transcription software that listens to your audio, manual typing in a subtitle editor, or a file someone else created.

Automatic transcription is the fastest route if your audio is clear. Tools like Whisper (free, open-source), Rev, or your video editor's built-in transcription feature will listen to your video and generate a .srt or .vtt file with timestamps already in place. The accuracy depends on audio quality and accents — expect 85 to 95 percent accuracy on clear speech, lower on background noise or heavy accents. You'll need to fix errors by hand afterward.

Manual subtitling takes longer but gives you full control. Open a subtitle editor like Subtitle Edit (free, Windows and Mac), Aegisub (free, all platforms), or Jubler (free, all platforms). These show your video on one side and a text editor on the other, with a timeline so you can set exactly when each subtitle appears and disappears. Type or paste your text, adjust the timing, and export as .srt or .vtt.

If someone else created the subtitles, they'll usually send you a .srt, .vtt, or .ass file. Drop it into your video editor or subtitle tool and adjust timing if needed — sometimes subtitles from one version of a video won't sync perfectly with another.

Burning subtitles into the video during export

Burning means the subtitles become pixels in the final video file. Once burned, they cannot be removed or hidden. This is the right choice for social media clips, videos where you want subtitles may provide to show, or when you're sending the file to someone who might not know how to enable subtitles.

In DaVinci Resolve, import your subtitle file in the Edit page (File > Import > Subtitle File), position it on the timeline, then go to the Fusion page and add a Text+ node if you want to style it. Export from the Deliver page — the subtitles will render into the video automatically. In Adobe Premiere, import the subtitle file (File > Import), drag it to the timeline, style it in the Essential Graphics panel, then export normally. In CapCut, add text manually or import a subtitle file, position it, and export — the text will be part of the final file.

The tradeoff is file size: burned subtitles add almost nothing, but you lose the option to turn them off. If you're uploading to YouTube or Vimeo, burning is usually unnecessary because those platforms display subtitles separately.

Embedding subtitles as an optional track

Embedding keeps subtitles in the video file but lets viewers choose whether to see them. This works on YouTube, Vimeo, most streaming platforms, and media players like VLC. The file size increase is tiny — usually less than 1 percent.

In DaVinci Resolve, import your subtitle file, position it on the timeline, then go to Deliver. Under Video Format, choose your codec (H.264 or H.265 are standard). Under Subtitle Format, select the format you want to embed (usually SRT or MOV Text). Export — the subtitles will be baked into the file as a separate track.

In Adobe Premiere, import the subtitle file, add it to the timeline, then go to File > Export > Media. Under Subtitles, choose "Embed" and select your format. Premiere will include the subtitle track in the exported file.

In CapCut, you cannot embed subtitles directly into the file — you'll need to either burn them in or export the video and upload the subtitle file separately to the platform where it will play.

Not all players recognize embedded subtitles equally. VLC, QuickTime, and most web players will see them. Older media players or some mobile apps might not. If you're unsure about your audience's setup, burning or uploading separately is safer.

Uploading subtitle files separately to streaming platforms

YouTube, Vimeo, and most streaming services let you upload a subtitle file after the video is already live. This is often faster than re-exporting your video, and it lets you add subtitles in multiple languages without re-uploading.

On YouTube, go to your video, click Subtitles in the left menu, then Add Language. You can type subtitles directly into YouTube's editor, upload a .srt or .vtt file, or let YouTube auto-generate them from your audio. If you upload a file, YouTube will sync it to your video — if the timing is off, you can adjust it in the editor.

On Vimeo, go to your video settings, click Subtitles & Captions, then Upload SRT. Select your .srt or .vtt file and Vimeo will add it as an optional track. Viewers can turn it on in the player settings.

On other platforms — Wistia, Kaltura, Brightcove, or your own website — look for a Subtitles or Captions section in the video settings. Most accept .srt or .vtt files. If your platform doesn't support subtitle uploads, you'll need to burn them in or embed them before uploading the video file itself.

Fixing timing when subtitles are out of sync

Subtitle timing drifts when the audio in your video is slightly different from the audio used to create the subtitles — maybe you edited out a pause, or the original subtitles were made from a different version of the video.

Open your subtitle file in a subtitle editor like Subtitle Edit or Aegisub. Play the video alongside it and watch where the timing breaks. Most editors let you select a range of subtitles and shift them all forward or backward by a fixed amount — for example, "move everything after this point 2 seconds earlier." Some editors also let you set two sync points: mark where a subtitle should start and where it should end, and the software will stretch or compress the timing of everything in between to fit.

If only a few subtitles are wrong, edit them individually. If the whole file is consistently off by the same amount, use the shift function to fix them all at once. Save the corrected file and re-import it into your video editor or upload it to your platform.

Styling subtitles so they're readable

Subtitles need to be visible against whatever's behind them. White text on a black background is the safest choice, but your video editor lets you customize.

In most editors, you can change font, size, color, and background. Add a semi-transparent black box behind the text so it reads over bright or busy parts of the video. Keep the font large enough to read on a phone — 24 to 32 points is a reasonable starting point. Avoid thin or decorative fonts; sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Open Sans work best.

Position subtitles at the bottom of the frame where they won't cover important action. If your video has a lower-third graphic or watermark, move subtitles up slightly to avoid overlap. Test on a phone or small screen before you export — what looks readable on a monitor often becomes tiny on mobile.

If you're burning subtitles in, these choices are permanent. If you're embedding or uploading separately, most platforms let viewers adjust the appearance themselves, so your styling is just a default.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between .srt and .vtt subtitle files?

.srt is the older, simpler format — just numbers, timestamps, and text. .vtt is newer and supports styling like colors and positioning. Both work on YouTube, Vimeo, and most players. Use .srt if you're not sure what the platform supports; use .vtt if you want to add styling information. Most video editors accept both.

Can I add subtitles in multiple languages to the same video?

Yes. Create a separate subtitle file for each language, then either burn them all in (which makes the video much larger and removes the option to switch languages), embed multiple tracks (which most players support), or upload them separately to the platform (YouTube and Vimeo both let you add unlimited language tracks). Uploading separately is usually the best option because viewers can choose their language.

What if my video editor doesn't have a subtitle feature?

Burn subtitles in using a free tool like HandBrake or FFmpeg, which can take your video file and a subtitle file and combine them. Or create the subtitles in a separate editor, export your video without subtitles, then upload both files to YouTube or Vimeo and add the subtitles there. Most platforms handle the combination for you.

Do burned-in subtitles make the video file bigger?

Almost not at all. The subtitles are just pixels in the image, so they add negligible file size. Embedded subtitle tracks add even less — usually under 1 percent. The file size difference between a video with and without subtitles is usually too small to notice.

Why are my subtitles showing up in the wrong place or overlapping with the video?

This usually means the subtitle file was created for a different resolution or aspect ratio than your video. Open the subtitle file in a subtitle editor and check the timing — if it's correct but the position is wrong, adjust the vertical position in your video editor's subtitle settings. If the timing is also off, re-sync it before re-exporting or re-uploading.