DaVinci Resolve can add captions automatically, but the feature works differently depending on which version you use

DaVinci Resolve does have automatic captioning, but it is not available in the free version. The paid version, DaVinci Resolve Studio, includes a built-in tool called Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) that listens to your video's audio and generates captions without you typing them manually. The free version of DaVinci Resolve does not include this feature — you would need to add captions by hand or use a separate tool.

The automatic captions in Studio work best with clear audio and English-language speech. If your video has background noise, multiple speakers talking at once, or accents the software is not trained on, the captions will have errors. You will still need to review and correct them before publishing.

Key Takeaways

  • DaVinci Resolve Studio (the paid version) has automatic captioning built in; the free version does not.
  • The automatic captions feature works by analyzing your video's audio track and generating text that matches what it hears.
  • Automatic captions are a starting point, not a finished product — you should always review them for accuracy before sharing your video.
  • If you use the free version, you can add captions manually in DaVinci Resolve or use a separate captioning tool and import the file.

How automatic captions work in DaVinci Resolve Studio

When you open a video project in DaVinci Resolve Studio, you can generate captions by going to the Captions tab, selecting your video clip, and clicking the button to create captions from speech. The software analyzes the audio track and creates a subtitle file with timings that match when each word is spoken. This process takes a few minutes depending on your video length.

The software creates captions in a format called SRT (SubRip Subtitle), which is a plain-text file that most video players and editing tools can read. You can then edit these captions inside DaVinci Resolve — fix misspelled words, adjust timing if captions appear too early or late, or delete captions that are wrong. Once you are satisfied, you can export the video with the captions burned in (permanently added to the image) or export just the caption file to use elsewhere.

Why automatic captions make mistakes

Automatic speech recognition is not perfect. The software can confuse similar-sounding words, especially if your audio is not clean. A speaker saying "their" might be transcribed as "there." Background music, traffic noise, or people talking over each other will throw off the accuracy. Accents, technical jargon, and proper names (especially names from non-English languages) are common sources of errors.

The quality also depends on how the audio was recorded. A video shot in a quiet room with a good microphone will produce much more accurate captions than one recorded on a phone in a noisy café. If your audio is very poor, the automatic captions may be so wrong that manually typing them would be faster.

What to do if you use the free version

The free version of DaVinci Resolve does not include automatic captioning. You have two main options: add captions manually inside DaVinci Resolve, or use a separate tool to generate captions and then import them into your project.

To add captions manually in the free version, go to the Captions tab, click to create a new caption, type the text, and adjust the timing so the caption appears and disappears when you want it to. This is slower than automatic captions but gives you full control and guarantees accuracy.

Alternatively, you can use a free or paid captioning tool outside of DaVinci Resolve — services like Rev, Kapwing, or Descript offer automatic captions that you can export as an SRT file. read the caption file and import it into your DaVinci Resolve project. This approach lets you use automatic captions without paying for Studio.

How to review and fix automatic captions

After DaVinci Resolve generates captions, open the Captions tab and play through your video. Read along with the captions and note any words that are wrong. Click on each caption to edit it — you can change the text, adjust when it starts and stops, or delete it entirely if it is a false positive (the software heard something that was not actually speech).

Pay special attention to names, numbers, and technical terms, since these are the most likely to be wrong. If a caption is only slightly off, fix it. If a whole section is garbled, you may need to retype it from scratch. The goal is captions that are accurate enough for your audience — they do not have to be perfect, but they should be understandable.

When automatic captions are worth the time

Automatic captions save the most time on longer videos with clear audio and straightforward speech. A 30-minute interview recorded in a quiet room might take 10 minutes to review and fix, versus 3 hours to type from scratch. A 2-minute video with heavy background noise and multiple speakers might take almost as long to fix as it would to caption manually.

Automatic captions are also useful if you need captions in a language other than English. DaVinci Resolve Studio can generate captions in many languages, though accuracy varies. For languages with less training data, errors will be more common.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use automatic captions from DaVinci Resolve on other platforms?

Yes. DaVinci Resolve exports captions as an SRT file, which is a standard format that YouTube, Vimeo, Adobe Premiere, and most other video tools can read. You can also burn the captions directly into your video so they become part of the image itself.

Do I need internet to use automatic captions in DaVinci Resolve?

DaVinci Resolve Studio processes captions on your own computer, so you do not need to upload your video to the internet. This means your audio stays private and the process is faster than cloud-based captioning services.

What languages does DaVinci Resolve support for automatic captions?

DaVinci Resolve Studio supports automatic captions in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and several other languages. Accuracy is highest for English and lowest for languages with less training data.

Is there a limit to how long a video can be for automatic captions?

DaVinci Resolve does not have a hard limit, but very long videos (over 2 hours) may take a long time to process. Most videos under 1 hour generate captions in under 10 minutes on a modern computer.

Can I edit captions after they are burned into the video?

No. Once captions are burned in (rendered into the video image), they become part of the video file and cannot be edited. Always keep your caption file separate and edit it before burning in, or export the video without burning captions so you can change them later.