How to create automated subtitles and captions for free

It’s really easy to create automated subtitles and captions for your video. With automated software like Sonix, it only takes a few minutes depending on the length of your video. 

You’ll need to use Sonix for automated transcription and Handbrake will help you “burn-in” the subtitles.

Step-by-step instructions on how to create automated subtitles for free

STEP 1: Upload video to Sonix

Upload your video to Sonix. If you don’t have a Sonix account you can create a free trial here: https://sonix.ai/accounts/sign_up

STEP 2: Polish / edit your transcript in Sonix

Sonix transcripts have a built-in editor so you can listen and watch the video and edit the text transcript simultaneously. 

STEP 3: Export SRT

Click EXPORT in Sonix and then select SRT. From here you can adjust your subtitles length and number of lines.

STEP 4: Open video file in Handbrake

Click “Open Source” inside Handbrake. If you don’t have Handbrake you can download it free here: https://handbrake.fr

STEP 5: Add SRT file to Handbrake

Go to the “Subtitles” tab, open the “Tracks” dropdown menu, click “Add External SRT” and select the SRT file you exported from Sonix. You can repeat this process if you have multiple subtitle tracks. Be sure to specify the SRT language for any foreign subtitle tracks.

STEP 6: Burn-in subtitles to your video

Check the box next to the SRT file in the Burned In column. By selecting “Burned In”, this subtitle track will always be visible on the video and cannot be turned off.

STEP 7: Export the file

Click “Add to Queue” and press “Start”. This will generate a file with burned-in subtitles.

That’s it! You’ve successfully added a captions file or subtitle track to your video. You can now view this video on any media player or publish to the web for easy viewing!