How to create an SRT file from a video or audio (with example)

SRT is the most widely accepted caption format in the world. Video platforms, editors and nearly every player can read it. That’s why, when someone says “send me the captions”, they almost always mean an .srt file.

In this guide you’ll see what an SRT file is, what it looks like inside, how to create one in FilmScribe from a video or from audio only, the rules that keep it readable and how to check the file before you hand it over.

What an SRT file is

SRT (SubRip Subtitle) is a plain text file that stores two things: what was said and when it was said. It doesn’t store font, color or position. The player or editor that opens the file decides how it looks.

That simplicity is why SRT works everywhere. You can open it in Notepad, fix a word and save, with no special software.

What an SRT file looks like inside (example)

A real SRT with three blocks:

1
00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:04,050
Hey everyone, welcome back.
Today's episode is about time.

2
00:00:04,300 --> 00:00:06,900
Why do we always feel
like we don't have enough?

3
00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,800
I tracked every hour of my week.

Each block has four parts:

Three details break files: a period instead of a comma before the milliseconds (that’s VTT, not SRT), an arrow other than --> with a space on each side, and a file saved in an encoding other than UTF-8, which turns accented characters into symbols. The SRT FilmScribe creates already comes out in this format.

How to create an SRT file in FilmScribe

1. Upload the video, the audio or a link

We accept MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM, MP3, WAV, M4A and more, plus YouTube links to videos, Shorts and livestreams (once the replay is available). If only part of it matters, pick the start and end before processing: only that section is processed and counts toward your plan’s hours.

2. Let the transcript finish

We transcribe in 90+ languages, with automatic language detection, word by word, with the timing of every word and lines separated by speaker. Because timing is measured on the speech, each SRT block starts when the sentence starts, with no manual syncing.

3. Review the text

Use the transcript search to find names and technical terms and fix them right in the text. The fix applies to the SRT and to the clip captions. No SRT is better than its transcript, so this step is worth the time.

4. Pick the preset and frame rate

FilmScribe creates the SRT with TV, Netflix and YouTube presets and lets you choose the frame rate of the project the captions are going into. For Final Cut, captions also come as FCPXML.

5. Download the whole file or just a section

Download the SRT for the full recording, or select lines in the transcript and download the captions for just that section, along with the MP3, TXT or PDF of the same section if you need them. SRT is on every plan and works for audio-only uploads too. See more in captions, transcription and the SRT generator page.

Creating an SRT from audio

An SRT depends only on the speech. That’s why FilmScribe can create captions from an MP3 or WAV, without the video:

• An audio-only podcast that’s getting captions on YouTube.
• Audio from the mixer or a field recorder, cleaner than the camera mic. The transcript comes out better and the captions fit the video, as long as both files start at the same point.
• A class or talk recorded on a phone, with a video file too large to keep uploading and downloading.

If the audio starts a few seconds before or after the video, every caption is early or late by the same amount. The free subtitle sync tool shifts the whole file by milliseconds.

SRT captions in another language

On Studio and Agency, FilmScribe translates captions into 9 languages while keeping every block’s timing: each caption enters and leaves at the same point as the original. You download one SRT per language, or the translated FCPXML for Final Cut. See how to translate subtitles.

Other ways to create an SRT

• By hand, in a plain text editor. You type the blocks and every line’s timing. Fine for fixing a file or captioning a few seconds of video.
• From existing text. If you already have the script or lyrics, FilmScribe’s free SRT, VTT and TXT converter builds timing from reading pace. The timing is estimated, not measured on the speech, so check it against the video.
• In your video editor or on YouTube. Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve (in the paid version), CapCut and YouTube Studio generate auto captions and export the file. That makes sense when the whole project already lives there. It gets heavy with long material, when someone else needs to review without opening the project or when the same text needs other formats.

Rules for a readable SRT

A technically valid SRT can still be hard to read. The references most used in TV and streaming:

Each client and platform may have its own style guide, and it beats this table. To check a file, paste it into FilmScribe’s subtitle reading speed checker: it flags blocks that go by too fast, long lines and overlapping captions.

Frame rate: the detail that makes captions drift

SRT stores time in milliseconds, but editors work in frames. If the captions were made for 29.97 frames per second and the project runs at 25, the start lines up and the end slowly falls behind. In FilmScribe, choose the project’s frame rate before you download. For an existing file, use the fps option in the subtitle sync tool.

SRT, VTT or TXT: which to ask for

FilmScribe delivers SRT, TXT and PDF from the same transcript. If you need VTT, the subtitle converter switches the format and saves in UTF-8.

How to use the SRT file after you create it

• YouTube: upload the file in the video’s subtitles section, in the right language.
• Premiere Pro: import the .srt and drag it onto the timeline. The guide on how to import SRT into Premiere Pro covers the route and common errors.
• DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro: the free SRT to DaVinci Resolve and SRT to Final Cut tools prep the file for each editor.
• Animated captions: SRT doesn’t store animation. For Reels, TikTok and Shorts, FilmScribe burns animated captions right into the clip. See animated captions in Premiere and DaVinci.

Checklist before you deliver the SRT

• Opens in a text editor with no symbols in place of accented characters (UTF-8).
• Comma before the milliseconds and a --> arrow with a space on each side.
• No block ends after the next one starts.
• Two lines per block at most.
• Names checked in the FilmScribe transcript.
• First and last captions checked against the video.
• Same frame rate as the project.
• File name includes the language, like video_en.srt, with a real .srt extension (not captions.srt.txt).
• SRT created from the same file that will be published: timings are relative to the source.