How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos

Part 2: How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos <3 Methods>

As we have found the Add Subtitles button in YouTube and there are three methods to add subtitles to YouTube videos, the following article is introducing the three methods respectively.

Method 1: Upload a file

There are two types of files supported by YouTube: transcript file and subtitles file.

• Transcript file (.txt format) is a pure text file within only the lines related to the video. If you choose to upload the transcript file, you will enter into Transcribe and auto-syns page which is mentioned in method 2.

• Subtitle file (.srt format) is a plain-text file containing subtitle information. It includes start and stop time next to the subtitles text, which make the subtitles synchronize with the sound. If you already have a subtitle file with SRT format, you just need to choose the corresponding Subtitle file and click Upload. Make sure all are right and then you can click Publish.

Note: Do you know how to create a subtitle file? 

You can download a SRT file from the website and edit the content, or you create it by using any text editor such as Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for Mac. The text format should be as follows:

And the timestamp format should be like this:

Here is an example. You can save it as an SRT file after finish editing, then the file is created successfully.

Method 2: Transcribe and auto-sync

YouTube has the auto-sync function for English videos and transcripts (only English at present) by using Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). It uses speech processing algorithms to automatically set the timing for displaying the subtitles in a transcript.

Type all the lines or other contents that’s spoken in the video. Or if you upload a transcript file in method 1, all the texts in the file will be imported into the typing box. Don’t worry about the timing. Click Set timings button and the system will automatically generate the timing. 

Note: The text language must be English. If not, the text will not be synced with the timing of sounds in the video. If the timing is not accurate, you can adjust it at the timeline manually. Just click and drag the blue bar in either side.

Method 3: Create new subtitles & CC

This method is a little time-consuming. Though the timing has been auto-generated, you have to type every subtitle in every timing box respectively. So it is suitable for those videos which have only a few lines.

Above are the three methods about how to add subtitles to YouTube videos with YouTube. YouTube makes the subtitle adding action much easier with the ASR function. You just need to enter the texts and let the system complete all other timing work. So add subtitles to YouTube videos immediately to increase viewer retention rates now.