Want to learn how to add subtitles to a movie online? This quick guidepost has the perfect solutions for you. Apart from translating, a movie subtitle can also help the viewer keenly follow the movie storyline without missing some words. But what if you want to add subtitles to a movie on your own? This article teaches you some simple solutions to add subtitles to a movie online or offline on Mac/Win. Let's learn!
Part 1. How to add subtitles to a movie effortlessly
Let's start by discussing how to add subtitles to a movie offline with Wondershare UniConverter. It's a simple, full-featured program that runs smoothly on Mac and Windows PC. With it, you can add SRT, TXT, or SSA subtitles to movie formats like MP4, WebM, MTS, FLV, 3GP, and many others. Interestingly, UniConverter allows you to insert brand-new subtitle tracks or upload local subtitle files. And if you're too busy for all that, you can merely let the AI-powered subtitle adder do the donkey work for you.
Wondershare UniConverter — Best Movie Subtitle Editor for Windows and Mac
Security Verified. 3,591,664 people have downloaded it.Add subtitles to movies including MP4, MKV, AVI, MTS and any other media file.
Create custom subtitles, or download and modify subtitle files (font, color, size) and synchronize them with your movies.
Transfer movie files from laptop to iPod, iPhone, Android, and other devices quickly.
Compress movie files of large size with just one click.
Automatically recognize and generate the subtitle in any language for your movies.
90X faster conversion speed to convert your movies to 1,000+ video formats without quality loss.
Steps to add subtitles to a movie offline with Wondershare UniConverter:
Step 1 Open the Subtitle Editor function.
Install and run UniConverter13 on your PC and then tap the Toolbox button on the left menu bar. On the Toolbox window, press Subtitle Editor to launch the function. Now drag-n-drop your movie file and click Add Files to open your local storage and add a video.
Step 2 Add your subtitles/caption to the video.
Now, this is where things get exciting. After uploading your video clip successfully, click either of these buttons:
1. New
Clicking this button means adding brand-new subtitle tracks from scratch. So click it, and then you'll see a subtitle track timer below the preview screen. Now navigate to the right pane and enter a subtitle text. Then, below the textbox, enter the subtitle track playback duration. Ensure it syncs with the video narration. To finish adding a subtitle, click the Add button on the subtitle track. Repeat the process to create more subtitles.
2. Import
Sometimes, you may have a subtitle file to add to your video. In that case, click the Import button and then browse your local folders for the subtitle. After uploading it, select a subtitle track and edit the texts, color, font type, font size, opacity, positioning, etc. Best of all, click the Search icon below the screen to download online SRT subtitles.
3. Auto-Subtitle Generator
Wondershare UniConverter is an AI-powered tool. As such, it can generate subtitles for you without raising a finger. So, press this button and get subtitles added to your video automatically based on the voice narrations.
Step 3 Save the new video.
After adding subtitles, it's time to save your new video and enjoy it. But before that, select a folder path to help you locate your movie file quickly. Now press Export to save your edited video clip. That's all!
Part 2. Another 5 helpful ways to add subtitles to a movie online
Clideo
Clideo is, without an iota of doubt, a fantastic online video editor and maker. Unlike most online subtitle tools, Clideo is neatly arranged and ad-free. It supports standard video formats like MKV, MOV, MP4, FLV, VOB, MTS, 3GP, etc. Also, Clideo allows its users to add subtitles manually by entering the texts or upload a local SRT file. And as if that's not enough, Clideo lets you customize the font type, color, positioning, opacity, and more.
Pros
It works with standard video formats.
Add subtitles manually or add an SRT file.
Free to use.
It works smoothly on mobile.
Cons
Video processing speed is slow.
500MB maximum file limit.
2.Kapwing
If you find learning how to add subtitles to an online movie on Clideo challenging, use Kapwing instead. Like Clideo, Kapwing is a neatly arranged online tool that packs various tools on an ad-free user interface. Here, you can simply paste the URL link of your online video and upload it. Then, you can set the subtitle track timer and enter the subtitle text or add a local SRT subtitle file. Excitingly, this online AI-powered tool also allows users to auto-generate subtitles. However, the website is slow with large video files.
Pros
It supports online videos.
It works with most video files.
An intelligent subtitle auto-generator.
Edit videos before exporting.
Cons
Only supports MP4 video exports.
Slow rendering speed.
3.IO
Third on this beautiful list is VEED. Like the first two, VEED is a nice professional subtitle tool that works online on any device. On its ad-free user interface, you can add SRT subtitles to MKV, MP4, and AVI. After uploading a local subtitle, you can edit the text and timer before exporting the movie file in HD quality. Also, premium users can translate English subtitles to other languages like French, German, Spanish, etc. And, of course, you can customize your video with texts, filters, drawings, and so much more.
Pros
Simple to use.
Translate subtitles.
Export HD-quality videos.
Edit the video file further.
Cons
Limited video file support.
Watermarked outputs.
4.Fastreel
Last but not least, use Fastreel to add and edit subtitles on movie files less than 500MB. Fastreel supports MOV, MP4, AVI, MKV, WMV, and AVI formats on its ad-free UI. Then, proceed to upload your SRT subtitle file and edit the track's timing and text content. In addition, you can change the text color, opacity, positioning, size, and more. Note, however, that subtitles are added only to the video's first hour. Also, Fastreel video upload speed is slow. Nonetheless, it's an excellent method to add subtitles to a movie online for free.
Pros
It's compatible with standard video formats.
Simple, ad-free user interface.
Edit subtitle texts and timing.
Free to use.
Cons
Add subtitles to only the first hour.
Painfully slow.
5.SubtitleBee
Lastly, launch SubtitleBee on your web browser and add subtitles to your MP4 and MP3 files quickly and easily. With this online program, you can upload your video and let the smart AI generate subtitles automatically from the video narrations. It boasts a 95% accuracy and can translate subtitles between 120+ languages before editing subtitle features like the font, text, size, etc. Sadly, free users can only edit one 10-minute video per month. Also, video outputs have a SubtitleBee watermark.
Pros
Translate subtitles to hundreds of languages.
Extract subtitles from MP3.
Edit subtitle settings.
Download subtitles in SRT, TXT, ASS, and VTT.
Cons
Slow rendering speed.
Watermarked outputs on the free plan.
Part 3. Bonus tip: What are the most common subtitle formats?
After learning how to add subtitles to a movie online, now let's learn some common types of subtitle files. They include:
1.SRT
SRT (SubRip) is a text file format with a .srt filename extension. Usually, this subtitle format is free to use and is Windows-based. Having said that, this raw closed caption file is indeed the most widely supported subtitle format. That's because it's compatible with movie streaming platforms like Vimeo, Vine, YouTube, Facebook, and so on.
2.TTML
W3C developed TTML (Timed Text Markup Language) to unify most caption formats. It comes with .ttml or .xml filename extension and is widely on web-based applications and video hosting services like YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo, and Amazon Video. Being an XML-based format, this subtitle format is closely related to HTML. No wonder it's used chiefly online.
3.SBV
SBV is a text format with .sbv filename extension. Google developed it to add closed captions and subtitles to YouTube videos. SBV is closely similar to SRT subtitles because it contains basic texts with start/end timestamps. That's why YouTube advises beginners to use SBV or SRT subtitles.
4.VTT
VTT (Web Video Text Track), also called WebVTT, is a text format for displaying timestamps on captions and subtitle tracks. It comes with a .vtt filename extension and can include supplementary information like chapters, metadata, and descriptions. Typically, you can use VTT files online on Vimeo or YouTube or offline on media players such as VLC.
5.TXT
TXT (Untimed Text Transcript) is a text file with a .txt filename extension. Usually, it contains plain text and can be opened using any word processing or text editing program. You can create a .txt subtitle file on Apple TextEdit or Microsoft Notepad. Remember that these tools come preinstalled on your Mac or Windows computer, respectively.
Conclusion
Creating and adding subtitles to videos has never been easier with the online tools above. But with Wondershare UniConverter, you can generate subtitles offline from scratch or download one from OpenSubtitles. Also, this tool, with other online apps like Kapwing and SubtitleBee, is AI-powered to generate subtitles automatically. So, learn the standard subtitle formats and start creating one today!
