New 2024 Approved How to Make Subtitle Videos

How to Make Subtitle Videos

Subtitles are very common for people who watch videos very often. It is simply the text or dialogue usually displayed at the base of the screen of a video. We often use subtitles to watch movies or television programs, play video games, etc. The subtitle makes all the difference when you are watching a video in a language different from the one you know and understand.

A lot of videos will be really difficult to watch when there is no knowledge of the language which the producers used in creating the video. That is where the need for subtitles is seen. It breaks language barriers to publicity of a video i.e it tries to bridge that gap of understanding that exists when you watch a video. It also assists in as little as helping you understand a video that is recorded in a language you speak but in a different accent. An American might find it a bit difficult to understand the accent used in a British movie. So basically, what subtitles do is make understanding better and easier.

1. Types of Subtitle Videos

There are two (2) broad types of subtitling

Open Subtitles
Closed subtitles

Open Subtitles

Open subtitles are subtitles that are included and incorporated as part of the original video and cannot be removed from the screen. No additional program or tool is required before they are activated and ready for use. Also, no additional tool is needed to edit or remove it. This is because they are part and parcel of the original video and cannot be edited. They are rooted in the original video as part of it and not just as an extension. An example of where it is used is karaoke. These subtitles cannot be switched on and off by the user.

Close Subtitles

Closed subtitles are more malleable than open subtitles. It is relatively easier to add or remove when compared to the open subtitles. They are substantially separate from the original video. They are usually encoded in the transmission signal of the cable or satellite technology and sent separately from the original broadcast, in this case, video. This makes it possible to remove it from the video. They are mostly found on DVDs.

Other classifications sometimes include a third known as soft subtitles. They usually need player support to work effectively. They are the easiest to use because of the flexibility in adding and editing.

2. Subtitle Formats

Subtitle formats are often represented funnily. You see extensions like .srt, .sub, .stl, .mtv, etc. They are the extensions of different subtitle formats. Let’s talk about some of them.

SubRip: This is one of the most common formats for subtitles. Its extension is ‘.srt’ and they are also the most widely used by modern video subtitling technology. It is stored sequentially along a line with its basic timing and in a human-readable format.

SubViewer: The sub viewer format is another popular subtitle format. It stores information about periods with tag information. Its extension is ‘.sub’.

Micro DVD: This subtitle format is compatible with digital videos. They equally carry the ‘. sub’ extension.

Spruce subtitle format: They usually operate in sequential periods and frames. They have the ‘.stl’ format.

3. What Are Subtitles Used For?

Now that we’ve known what subtitles are and the various formats they exist in, let’s take a deeper dive into what they’re used for.

Marketing:

You’re probably wondering what marketing is doing at the top of this list. If you work in a multi-national company which branches in different countries and continents, you will find subtitles very helpful in promotional videos for your company. On the other hand, you may not work in a multi-national company but have your business in a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria, New Guinea, Chad, etc. instead of creating videos in all the languages which apply to the people you hope to reach, you can produce one video, add subtitles for the various languages and save cost.

Education:

Educational videos can be produced alongside subtitles in various languages to aid learning, especially for campuses that attract foreign students who might have little to no knowledge of how to speak the language of the school.

Understanding better deaf people:

Subtitle for Deaf or hard-of-hearing (SDH) was introduced by the movie industry specifically made for people with hearing deficiencies. This allows them access to information they would normally be unable to hear or listen to.

Translation:

As already mentioned earlier, some videos are produced in languages other than the ones we understand. Subtitles help to understand what is being said in the video irrespective of the language in which it was originally produced.

Low-quality speakers:

Watching a video with low quality or faulty speakers can be a bit frustrating without subtitles.

Watching videos in a noisy environment:

We have all been in places that are noisy and we have had the need to watch a video or listen to an audio file. Subtitles come in handy at this point. They are also useful when we do not want to distract others while watching a video.

Learn foreign languages:

Subtitles are a very good way to learn new languages, sometimes consciously, other times it happens with any conscious effort. While watching a movie discovered ‘Lo Siento’ means I’m sorry in Spanish while ‘_Arigatou_’ means ‘thank you in Japanese.

Reading speed:

If you want to improve your reading speed, subtitles equally help you do that.

4. Subtitle Tips and Tricks

Subtitle software applications let you add captions to videos, edit them, translate them to languages of your choice, etc. Let us look at a few of them below:

Subtitle Edit:

Subtitle Edit is largely free software that allows users to create timecoded subtitles. Users can also import and convert subtitles from one format to another format. If you’re new to subtitling, this is a good place to start before moving up to other advanced software applications.

Annotation Edit:

Annotation Edit is another application but it is specific to mac users. It has a very good user-friendly interface which makes it easy software to use.

Other software applications are equally very useful in subtitling.

When creating subtitles, ensure they are automated so as not to make it difficult to read when certain colors are displayed on the screen. Timing is very important. Make sure the subtitle is properly synchronized with the actual sound being produced.

Use a user-friendly font style. Each font style is unique for each viewing and it speaks volumes of what the video has to say or the message it wants to pass. So, it is expedient to learn more about font style, font color, font size etc. for a better-subtitled video.

The Bottom Line

Subtitled videos are more likely to be used than videos without subtitles. So as a content creator, entrepreneur or in any field where you work with videos, adding a subtitle to your videos could be the turning point even for your organization for a wider audience.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Camtasia vs Final Cut Pro

With many available video editing solutions in the market today, it is a bit hard to choose the best video editing software for your unique needs. Remember, it’s all about investing money. In every purchase, you need to be sure about purchasing no matter the amount. In the case of video editing software, the concern is just significant as you should find software that perfectly suits your requirements. A video editing software may be having excellent features, but become complex when working with. On the other hand, the software may be quite user-friendly, but its range of tools is not as large.

Implementing tools such as Camtasia or Final Cut Pro requires a great deal of contemplating and comparison of crucial factors. You may be wondering, when you compare Camtasia vs Final cut pro, which is the best to use. To make a clear comparison between these two video editing programs, one has to judge all the crucial elements. Though the two programs share some degree of similarity, this article will help you understand if Final Cut Pro is better than Camtasia. We are going to compare Final Cut Pro X vs Techsmith Camtasia using their features, pros, and Cons, market prices, functionality, and customer support to help you fully understand them.

Overall Comparison

This table will help you compare Camtasia vs Final cut pro.

674 reviews341 reviews$ 249.99 for a user license$139.99 upgrade$299.99 per licenseRelatively easy to use A bit complicated for beginners</6h>

As you can see in the table above there is no great deference seen when comparing Final cut pro X vs Techsmith Camtasia, but it can tell you if is Final cut pro better than Camtasia or reverse is the case.

Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro is the perfect macOS video editing software that can help you achieve a professional-looking video. This software is built with the latest and most powerful tools that make it an effortless tool for video editing. It has impressive filters, graphics, and a range of other cool video editing features. Its coolest part is its ability to enable 360-degree video editing for VR and VR headset playback. This program uses multi-core multi-thread machines quickly to allow you to import the videos in different formats faster than others.

Like any other software, Final Cut Pro possesses some pros and cons as listed below;

Pros:

It is a stable program that can be very useful in small businesses.
It has a powerful architecture for your complex and heavy projects.
Its fast rendering speed can allow you to conduct Multicam editing.
It has classic GPU utilization and powerful media organization to allow you to organize assets such as audio and video carefully.
Its easy audio modification capabilities can allow you to create impeccable VR videos.
It has a customizable and streamlined share interface that makes high-quality file delivery easy and fast.
It can edit videos offline.
It is tailored with real-time graphics and cool effects like text and blurs that are easy to apply.

Cons:

It is complex and thus difficult for beginners.
It has limited export options.
It only works on Mac computers.

Editing video with Final Cut Pro is not a complicated process. Here are the steps to help a beginner get started.

Step1: Create a new project & import media

When you Launch the Final Cut Pro interface, Libraries and Events are automatically created. You only need to create a new project.

At the top menu bar, click File > New > Project to create a new project. Here you will have to type in a new name of the project and then select ‘Use Automatic Settings’.

At the top menu bar again, click File > Import > Media to enable the program to bring up the Media Import window where you can select the video and audio files you want to import into your new project.

After selecting all the media you want to include in your project press ‘Import Selected’ and then close the media window.

Step 2: Add your trimmed clips to the timeline.

The thumbnails of all the media you have imported will be appearing in the browser. For you to create a new video you need to arrange and trim that media in the timeline.

In your browser, you can set the ‘In and Out’ points for each video clip by holding ‘_Option_’. To do this you will have to click the thumbnail and drag it. The yellow timeline that appears on the clip represents the range that will be added to your video timeline.

After arranging them in the order that you want them to play, trim your clips by moving the mouse cursor to the edge of its thumbnail. This is done by using the ‘Trim tool’. Drag forward or backward to adjust the clip’s endings.

If you are arranging the clips in your sequence, you need to drag and drop any of the clips from the timeline into a different position. Final Cut Pro has a tool known as Magnetic timeline that will automatically insert and arrange the clips for you. You just need to ensure that your clips do not overlap or lay on top of each other.

To preview your video in the viewer, press the space bar on your keyboard or the Play icon in your software interface.

Step 3: Add Title, Texts, Transitions, and Effects

Title and Texts: Final Cut Pro has many Titles located in the browser where you imported your media. You can add them by dragging them into your video’s timeline. To access those titles you can press the ‘Title and Generators’ icon in the sidebar to open it.

Transitions: When adding Transitions, there is nothing wrong with a “hard cut_” between 2 clips. Use the transitions only where they make sense so as not to ruin your video. To add these transitions, you need to open the ‘_Transition browser’ by clicking on its indicated icon.

The transition’s length can be adjusted by dragging inwards or outwards. To customize your transition you can open the inspector by pressing ‘Command + 4’ and make the adjustments.

Effects: With Final Cut Pro inbuilt Effects, you can add some more value to your video after you are done with basic arrangements in the timeline. To add the effects click on the ‘Effects browser’ icon to open it.

Next to the effects browser icon, choose your preferred effect and add it between any 2 clips. By doing this you will have added animation effect between them.

Step 4: Add Audio, Music, and Color.

Audio & Music: At this point, you can import and add your music. Photos and Audio sidebar icon is located above the browser and you can click to open, and then select Sound Effects.

To see all the songs available in Final Cut Pro, you can type the word ‘Jingle‘ and you can preview them by pressing the small play button.

Color correction: By highlighting all the video clips in your video timeline, you can see a yellow outline around them.

Then open the drop-down menu by clicking the ‘_Enhancement_’ icon situated below the Viewer.

To improve the color and contrast, select Balance Color or ‘Option + Cmd + B’.

Now that you are done editing your video, you can save and share as you prefer.

Camtasia

Camtasia is a perfect all-in-one video editing and screen recording program. If you compare Camtasia vs Final cut pro, Camtasia is quite easy to use even for beginners. It can work in both Windows and macOS and provides the user with a demonstration and education video platform. It contains cool features to help you capture and edit your videos and audios appropriately.

Here are some pros and cons of Camtasia.

Pros:

It is easy to learn.
It has a good capture feature.
Impressive cursor effects.
It has Interactivity features.
It has a good asset library
Availability of mobile version.
It offers great customer service.
Available at a low cost.

Cons:

Constant crashes and bugs.
Limited customization
No key tracking.

Here are key steps to follow when editing a video with Camtasia.

Step 1: Break up steps of a process with lower thirds.

Break any long multi-step video to help lower the viewer’s cognitive load.

Step 2: Reinforce texts with video.

Remove any mistakes and extra content such as unnecessary footage from the ends of your recording. If you trim too much drag the clip back to restore. This process is known as trimming.

You can zoom in on the most important section to focus your viewer’s attention there.

Step 3: Add narrative to video

Alternative Way to Edit Videos

Getting an appropriate video editing software is quite challenging as the makers of these software sometimes get confused about if the programs needed are for home videos or professional-quality work such as Hollywood movies. This is why you will find that some programs are complex to use while others lack essential features to make your work efficient.

Filmora video editor is one of the most efficient for video editing. This software is powerful and easy to use and it is built with many features to make your vision come true. It is fit for small scale, medium scale and large businesses.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

These steps will help you to know how to edit video with Filmora software;

Step 1: Start a new project.

After making sure that you have Filmora video editor installed on your computer, start a new project. Open the app then choose a dropdown option from the Select Project Aspect Ratio.

Step 2: Import your media

The footage, photos, and audios you use in your video are the key basic aspects of your video. Organizing all the files you are going to use in a single file. You can do this by browsing the file menu. Click the ‘File > Import Media Folder’ menu in Filmora and select the folder that contains your video files.

After importing your video files the thumbnails for each file will appear in one half of the application. Double-click on the thumbnails for a preview.

These thumbnails prove that all your captured video clips are already in the application and ready to be edited. Click on the Filmora video editing guide to get to help you know what to do.

Step 3: Add clips to the timeline, trim, adjust appropriately and sequence them.

Now that you have reviewed your video library and seen that they are there, you need to add them to the video editing timeline at the bottom of your app. This is quite easy as you can view all your video clips and determine which is to be added first.

Drag and drop each video or photo in the timeline to add it to your project.

After adding the clips, you can trim and adjust them appropriately. Click on the right or left edges of the clip you want to shorten in the timeline and drag it to shorten.

If you want to split a clip in the timeline, pick the scissors by clicking on the ‘_Scissors_’ icon.

When working on your video footage, click the spacebar of your computer keyboard to preview. By doing this, you will be able to see how your clips are joined together.

Trim appropriately and perfect the runtime of every single clip and re-order your clips where there is a need to do so. This can be done by clicking on the targeted clip and dragging it to where you want it to be.

Step 4: Add video Effects, Transmissions between the clips, and Text overlays

Click on the Effect icon at the top of the app and a deep visual library of effects will be visible. If you want to add a certain effect to your active clip, just double-click it.

Add transitions in your video timeline to cut the scene-to-scene. They are quite necessary as they help establish your audience’s attention.

The next thing after adding the transmissions will be adding the overlays and exporting your video by clicking on the ‘Export‘ button.

Step 5: Export your finished video.

You can click the ‘Export’ button and switch to the platform you want your video to be exported.

Conclusion

Choosing an appropriate video editing tool is equally as important as the video itself. And with the availability of so many of these video editing tools, choosing among them is quite hard. You can easily get confused especially if you are a beginner in the video editing industry. To avoid the complications you need to know what editing software is the best for your project.

Final Cut Pro

Like any other software, Final Cut Pro possesses some pros and cons as listed below;

Pros:

It is a stable program that can be very useful in small businesses.
It has a powerful architecture for your complex and heavy projects.
Its fast rendering speed can allow you to conduct Multicam editing.
It has classic GPU utilization and powerful media organization to allow you to organize assets such as audio and video carefully.
Its easy audio modification capabilities can allow you to create impeccable VR videos.
It has a customizable and streamlined share interface that makes high-quality file delivery easy and fast.
It can edit videos offline.
It is tailored with real-time graphics and cool effects like text and blurs that are easy to apply.

Cons:

It is complex and thus difficult for beginners.
It has limited export options.
It only works on Mac computers.

Editing video with Final Cut Pro is not a complicated process. Here are the steps to help a beginner get started.

Step1: Create a new project & import media

When you Launch the Final Cut Pro interface, Libraries and Events are automatically created. You only need to create a new project.

At the top menu bar, click File > New > Project to create a new project. Here you will have to type in a new name of the project and then select ‘Use Automatic Settings’.

After selecting all the media you want to include in your project press ‘Import Selected’ and then close the media window.

Step 2: Add your trimmed clips to the timeline.

The thumbnails of all the media you have imported will be appearing in the browser. For you to create a new video you need to arrange and trim that media in the timeline.

To preview your video in the viewer, press the space bar on your keyboard or the Play icon in your software interface.

Step 3: Add Title, Texts, Transitions, and Effects

The transition’s length can be adjusted by dragging inwards or outwards. To customize your transition you can open the inspector by pressing ‘Command + 4’ and make the adjustments.

Next to the effects browser icon, choose your preferred effect and add it between any 2 clips. By doing this you will have added animation effect between them.

Step 4: Add Audio, Music, and Color.

Audio & Music: At this point, you can import and add your music. Photos and Audio sidebar icon is located above the browser and you can click to open, and then select Sound Effects.

To see all the songs available in Final Cut Pro, you can type the word ‘Jingle‘ and you can preview them by pressing the small play button.

Color correction: By highlighting all the video clips in your video timeline, you can see a yellow outline around them.

Then open the drop-down menu by clicking the ‘_Enhancement_’ icon situated below the Viewer.

To improve the color and contrast, select Balance Color or ‘Option + Cmd + B’.

Now that you are done editing your video, you can save and share as you prefer.

Camtasia

Here are some pros and cons of Camtasia.

Pros:

It is easy to learn.
It has a good capture feature.
Impressive cursor effects.
It has Interactivity features.
It has a good asset library
Availability of mobile version.
It offers great customer service.
Available at a low cost.

Cons:

Constant crashes and bugs.
Limited customization
No key tracking.