Transcribe the speech, split it into short lines timed to the audio, and either burn the text into the picture or attach it as a caption file. Burned-in captions always show, even on platforms that hide caption files. Terminal Clip can burn captions in when you ask for them.
Step 1 of 5
Create an accurate transcript with timing for each word or phrase.
Step 2 of 5
Keep each caption to one or two short lines so viewers can read it before it changes.
Step 3 of 5
Burned-in captions are part of the picture. A caption file such as SRT can be switched on or off by the viewer, but not every platform shows it.
Step 4 of 5
Use a large, plain font with strong contrast against the footage, and keep captions away from the very bottom edge.
Step 5 of 5
Check names, numbers and technical terms, since these are what automatic transcription gets wrong most often.
Burned-in (open) captions are drawn onto the video itself. They display everywhere and you control the look, but viewers cannot turn them off.
A separate caption file (closed captions) keeps the picture clean and lets viewers choose, but it only works where the platform supports uploading one.
Short lines read faster than long ones. Aim for one or two lines on screen at a time, break at natural phrases, and leave each caption up long enough to read comfortably.
Contrast matters more than style: light text on a darker area of the frame, or text with an outline or backing, stays readable on any footage.
Add “and burn in captions” to your request. Terminal Clip writes the captions from the speech, times them to the audio and renders them into the finished video. Ask for a bigger size or a different look with Edit again.
Captions include the spoken words and, often, important sounds. Subtitles usually translate or transcribe speech only. People often use the words interchangeably.
Yes. Terminal Clip burns captions into the video and also gives you a separate .srt caption file, which you can edit and download.
Yes. Use Edit again and describe the change, such as “make the captions bigger”.
Learn how to cut “um”, “uh”, false starts and dead air from a video without making the speech sound choppy, by hand or with Terminal Clip.
A simple structure for cutting a long recording down to a short video, and how to describe the edit so it comes out right the first time.
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