Guide
Captions write out what is said; subtitles translate it into another language
Updated
Captions show the words people say, in the language they say them, for viewers who can't hear the sound. Subtitles translate those words for viewers who can hear but don't speak the language.
In short
- Captions are the spoken words written out in the same language; subtitles are a translation into another language.
- For a TikTok, Reel or Short, open captions in the picture itself are the safe choice, because they show for every viewer on every app.
- Cutroom's Magic Editor puts captions into the picture in the language you speak; it doesn't translate them or give you a captions file.
A dog trainer's 10-second tip, with captions put in by Cutroom's Magic Editor
Jacob puts the captions into the picture, so everyone sees them, sound on or off.
Drawing of an example clip, not a customer video
Before · the clip as filmed
A 10-second phone video of a dog trainer giving one tip to camera in a park
“So, uh, never call your dog to you for something it doesn't like, um, like a bath. … (pause) Go and get it instead.”
struck through = what Jacob cuts
After · Jacob's first edit, Poster style
“Never call your dog to you for something it doesn't like, like a bath. Go and get it instead.”
- On “call”: captions of every word, in the picture as you say them
- On “never”: the word never stacked big across the screen
- Under the whole video: upbeat music under your voice
Then you ask Jacob
- “Make the key words stand out more”v2the same edit, with bigger and brighter key words
- “Change the music to something calmer”v3the same edit, with calmer music, captions still timed to your voice
What is the difference between captions and subtitles?
Captions are for people who can't hear the video, or are watching with the sound off. They write out what is said, in the same language, and sometimes sounds too, like a dog barking.
Subtitles are for people who can hear the video but don't understand the language. They translate the words into another language.
Captions and subtitles side by side
Who they're for
- Captions
- People who can't hear the sound
- Subtitles
- People who don't speak the language
Language
- Captions
- The same as the video
- Subtitles
- A different one
Sounds written out
- Captions
- Sometimes
- Subtitles
- Usually not
On a short video
- Captions
- Put in for everyone
- Subtitles
- Added for viewers who speak another language
 Captions | Subtitles | |
|---|---|---|
| Who they're for | People who can't hear the sound | People who don't speak the language |
| Language | The same as the video | A different one |
| Sounds written out | Sometimes | Usually not |
| On a short video | Put in for everyone | Added for viewers who speak another language |
Open captions and closed captions
Open captions are part of the picture itself, which is why people also call them burned-in captions. Everyone sees them and nobody can turn them off. Closed captions sit on top of the video, and the viewer switches them on or off in the app.
- Instagram and YouTube both write closed captions for you by listening to your voice.
- On Instagram you turn them on with the Enable closed captions toggle. A second toggle, Translate closed captions, turns their translation on or off.
- YouTube's automatic captions come only in the video's own language. Subtitles in other languages are added in YouTube Studio.
How Cutroom's Magic Editor edits a video like this
Jacob is the AI editor inside Cutroom's Magic Editor: it edits your video for you, then changes it when you ask in a chat.
The 4 styles, as example edits
Steps
Three steps, four angles
Skit
Hook, hard stop, demo card
Verdict
The tester's verdict
Poster
Typography does the talking
Hover or tap an example to play it, without sound. These are example edits of each style; the presenters in them are generated with AI.
- Your take: one video of you talking, up to 3 minutes
- Your style: one of 4: Steps, Skit, Verdict or Poster
- Your files: screenshots, a screen recording or a logo, if you have them
- Your goal: what the video is for, in a few words, if you like
- Jacob makes it: normally 10 to 15 minutes, and you get an email
- Your edit: ask Jacob for changes in a chat, then export
Then you ask Jacob, for example
- “Make this about 10 seconds shorter”
- “Put a clip on the strongest sentence”
- “Change the music to something calmer”
Each change is a new version, and going back is free. First cut 250 credits, each change 40, questions free, export 30 credits per started minute.
Which one a short vertical video needs
A Reel, TikTok or Short usually needs open captions. They show for everyone, whatever their settings, and you decide how they look and when each word appears.
- Without Cutroom, you can type captions into the picture with your editor's text tool, the same way you add any text. In Clipchamp, a free editor that runs in your browser, you open the Text tab, drag a title onto the timeline above your video and type your words. Doing that for every sentence is slow.
- If you put captions into the picture, you don't need the app's closed captions too, because a viewer would see the words twice.
- Add subtitles only when many of your viewers speak another language.
- Remember that translation only works on closed captions. Captions in the picture stay in the language you spoke.
What Cutroom's Magic Editor adds and what it doesn't
You film one clip of you talking and press "Make my video". Jacob, Cutroom's AI editor, makes the whole edit, with captions in the picture timed to your voice. Then you ask for changes in a chat, like "Make the key words stand out more".
Cutroom transcribes your take in the language you speak and keeps the captions in that language. If Jacob mishears a word, you tap it and type the right one, and that costs nothing. Cutroom doesn't translate captions or give you a captions file (SRT).
Questions people ask
- Are captions and subtitles the same thing?
- No. Captions write out what is said in the same language, for people who can't hear it. Subtitles translate the words into another language.
- What are closed captions?
- Captions the viewer can turn on or off. They aren't part of the picture, unlike open captions, which are.
- Which captions do I need for TikTok or Reels?
- Open captions, put into the picture itself, are the safe choice. They show for every viewer, whatever their settings.
- Can Cutroom translate my captions?
- No. Cutroom keeps the captions in the language you speak, and it doesn't export a captions file. For another language, use the app's closed captions instead: Instagram's Translate closed captions toggle, or Add language in YouTube Studio.
Film one clip of you talking, and get it back with captions in the picture.