## How to Make Video Captions and Subtitles with Subly Our automatic video captions take you from video upload to compliant results in minutes. ### Step 1 **Auto-Generate Captions** When you upload a video, Subly's AI automatically adds time-coded captions, finds the speakers, and flags audio that isn't speech. It does it in 100+ languages. Need guaranteed accuracy? Route to human captioning support for 99%+ accuracy. ### Step 2 **Edit, Format & Style** Review captions and subtitles in Subly’s subtitle editor. Apply broadcast-standard formatting (BBC, Netflix, TED guidelines). Choose your own fonts, colors, positioning, safe zones, and more. Adding sound effects and speaker IDs will make your site fully WCAG compliant. ### Step 3 **Export in Any Format** You can download closed captions (SRT, VTT) to post to a platform, or you can burn open captions right onto the video. Process whole video collections quickly and consistently in batches. ## Trusted by thousands of organisations in the US and worldwide ## What Are Video Captions and Subtitles? Captions and subtitles display text on video that stands for spoken words, sound effects, and audio cues. People often use these two terms interchangeably, yet there are significant differences: - **Closed captions** show both speech and non-speech sounds, such as music, door slams, clapping, and speaker identification. Viewers can turn them on and off. They are necessary for compliance with accessibility standards. - **Open captions** are permanently burned into the video. Always visible with no viewer control. They are common on social media, where viewing without sound is the norm. - **Subtitles** usually show conversations only and assume the viewer can hear. Their primary purpose is to translate dialogues, not to make videos accessible. Closed captions are the norm for legal reasons. WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.2.2 requires captions for all prerecorded content with audio. The ADA, Section 508, FCC regulations, and the European Accessibility Act (EAA) require it for all covered organizations. **Supported formats**: SRT, VTT, TTML, and XML for subtitles. You can download videos in MP4 or MOV format with or without captions. ## Built for Scale, Speed, and Simplicity Subly’s enterprise-grade platform automates audio description across entire video libraries. Process thousands of files faster, more accurately, and up to seven times more affordably than manual production. - **Built for Scale**: Process thousands of videos with enterprise infrastructure. - **Instant Processing**: Minutes, not days. AI-powered automation. - **7x More Affordable**: Cut costs vs manual production. - **Everything in One Place**: Captions, audio descriptions, transcripts, translation — one platform. ## Who Needs Closed Captions for Compliance? Whether you want to cut the manual work or make sure every video is compliant before it becomes an issue - Subly does the heavy lifting. ### Marketing Teams - Social video - Brand content - Campaign assets ### Education - E-learning modules - Lecture recordings - Training videos ### Corporate L&D - Onboarding - Compliance training - Internal comms ### e-Commerce - Product videos - Tutorials - How-to content ### Media & Entertainment - Streaming content - Promotional clips ### Government & Public Sector - Public communications - Section 508 compliance ## Video Captions Are Just Part of the Platform Subly covers every accessibility requirement for video content: - **Captions & Subtitles**: Checks if captions are in the video, then generates open and closed captions in 100+ languages. - **Transcriptions**: Automatically generates transcripts in 100+ languages. For descriptive transcripts, request our expert team to help as an alternative format. - **Audio Descriptions**: Our expert team creates standard and extended Audio Description for videos to support visually impaired viewers and listeners. - **Localisation & Translation**: Translate into 100+ languages and use the editor to clearly see the original and translation. - **Subtitle Editor**: Effortlessly edit, format, and customise your subtitles online, ensuring your content is both accurate & engaging for your audience. - **Colour Contrast**: AI checks WCAG compliance for text in videos and captions, flags issues, and allows colour adjustments. - **Descriptive Transcripts**: Full, time-coded descriptive transcripts for any video — silent, non-narrated or with audio — describing spoken content, visuals, sounds and on-screen actions. ## Frequently Asked Questions Is closed captioning required by law? Yes. The ADA (Titles II and III), Section 508, and FCC/CVAA rules require covered organizations to provide captions. The DOJ has said that WCAG 2.1 AA is the standard for following the ADA. What's the difference between closed captions and subtitles? For deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, closed captions include both speech and non-speech sounds, like sound effects, music cues, and speaker identification. Subtitles only show dialogue and don't assume that people can hear. You need closed captions, not subtitles, to meet accessibility standards. What's the difference between open and closed captions? Viewers can turn closed captions on and off, and they come in a distinct file (SRT, VTT). Open captions are permanently written into the video. Both meet accessibility standards, but closed captions let viewers decide what they see. FCC rules for broadcast compliance require CCs. How accurate do captions need to be for compliance? The FCC requires that broadcast programming be 99% accurate, and this requirement has been the norm for all professional captioning. Captions must be accurate (matching spoken words exactly), synchronous (timed correctly), complete (running throughout the program), and properly placed (not blocking visual content). Does the ADA require captions for online videos? Yes. While the ADA doesn't specify technical standards, the DOJ recommends WCAG 2.1 AA for compliance, which requires captions under Success Criterion 1.2.2.