Captions make a screen recording useful to people watching on mute, in a noisy place, or in their second language, and they make product names and menu labels easy to catch.
Why caption a screen recording
- Many people start videos with the sound off, especially in social feeds.
- Captions are an accessibility basic for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Viewers can read the exact name of a setting while they follow along.
Burned-in captions or caption files
| Type | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Burned-in (open) captions | Text drawn into the video picture | Social media, GIFs, anywhere a player can't show caption files |
| Caption files (SRT, WebVTT) | A text file with timestamps, shown by the player | YouTube, your website, learning platforms; viewers can turn them off |
Transcribing on your own computer
Many caption tools upload your audio to a server to transcribe it. If the recording shows anything confidential, that matters. Wekiflo transcribes on your computer, so the audio never leaves it. See screen recording without uploads.
Add captions in Wekiflo
- Open the recording in the editor. Stop recording, or open a recent recording from the popup.
- Turn on captions. Open the Captions panel. Your voice is transcribed on your computer.
- Pick a style. Choose one of ten styles and a type size, and choose whether to highlight the spoken word.
- Fix the transcript. Open the transcript and correct names and terms; the captions update.
- Export. Export the video with captions, and with Plus, an SRT or WebVTT file too.
Fixing the transcript
Automatic transcripts struggle most with product names, people's names and jargon. Open the transcript beside the video, click a word to jump to that moment, and edit the line. Read it once from top to bottom before exporting.
Caption styles that stay readable
- Keep captions near the bottom, away from the parts of the screen you click.
- Use two lines at most, and a size that's readable on a phone.
- High contrast: white text with a shadow or a dark box works on any background.
- Highlighting the spoken word (karaoke style) helps on social media; a plain subtitle style suits tutorials.
Wekiflo's ten styles are classic, bold, pop, minimal, one word, karaoke, typewriter, subtitle, boxed and news, in sans, rounded or serif type at three sizes.
Common questions
What is the difference between SRT and WebVTT?
Both are text files of captions with timestamps. SRT is widely accepted by video platforms and editors; WebVTT is the format used by the HTML video element on websites.
Which languages can Wekiflo caption?
English comes first. If you need another language, email [email protected] and tell us which one.
Is my voice sent anywhere to make the captions?
No. Wekiflo transcribes on your computer; the recording and the audio stay there.