What are burned-in captions?
Burned-in captions are captions rendered into the video image itself, also called open captions or hardcoded subtitles. They are part of every frame, so they show on any screen and in any app, with the font, color and position you picked, and viewers cannot turn them off.
Also called: open captions, hardcoded subtitles, hardsubs
Burned in or in a file
The same line can reach viewers in two ways. The difference is who controls the look and whether it can be turned off.
| Burned-in captions | Caption file (SRT) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | In the video image | In a separate file |
| Can be turned off | No | Yes |
| Look | The one you chose | The player's |
| Fixing later | Needs a new render | Just edit the text |
| Best for | Reels, Shorts, TikTok | YouTube, courses, TV |
Why burn in your captions
On social media, many people watch with the sound off, and Reels and TikTok do not carry a caption file with the post. Burned-in captions make sure the words reach every screen, in a style that gives the clip its rhythm.
The cost is flexibility: get a word wrong and you have to render the video again. That is why it pays to fix the transcript before downloading and to keep the SRT for places that accept caption files.
Burned-in captions in FilmScribe
We burn captions into the clip's MP4 in any format: original, 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 or 4:5. You get 235 styles and 54 fonts, with free positioning, and what you see in the preview is what ends up in the video. Burned-in captions need video and are on every plan.
Captioned clips run up to 15 minutes on Pro and up to 25 minutes on Studio and Agency. On Studio and Agency, the burned-in captions can also be the translated ones, in 9 languages.
Animated captions on your clip Pick a style, adjust the font and position and download the clip with burned-in captions, ready to post. See animated captions →Burning in captions that read well
- 01
Size them for a phone
Captions that look fine on a laptop can be tiny on a phone. Watch the export on a real phone at arm's length and make sure every line reads without squinting.
- 02
Add an outline or a box
White text disappears over bright skies, white dresses and light walls. A dark outline, a shadow or a box behind the words keeps them readable on any background.
- 03
Keep faces and graphics clear
Place captions where they do not cover the speaker's mouth, on-screen names or other graphics. Check the busiest moment of the video, not only the first frame.
- 04
Avoid a second caption layer
If the captions are burned in, think twice before adding the same text as a caption track on that video. Viewers who turn on CC see two copies of every line on screen.
Related terms
See all terms →Frequently asked questions
Are open captions and burned-in captions the same?
Yes. Both terms describe captions rendered into the image. Closed captions are the opposite: a separate track or file the viewer can turn on and off.
Can I remove burned-in captions from a video?
Not cleanly. The captions are part of the image, so you can only cover or crop them. That is why you should keep the original video without captions and the SRT.
Do burned-in captions lower video quality?
The video has to be rendered again, but in FilmScribe the source quality is preserved when you download the clip.
Captions, clips and paper edits. All in one place.
Upload a video or paste a YouTube link. We transcribe every word with its timing, and you take the result to social media or to your editor.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.