How to Add Subtitles to a Video
By Jessica B
· 5 minutes read
Adding subtitles or captions to videos isn’t just about accessibility anymore. It’s a powerful tool for boosting engagement, keeping your audience hooked, and ensuring your message gets across, no matter the sound situation. If you’re working on how to add subtitles to a video on iPhone including free methods, this guide will take you through everything step by step.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through why subtitles are essential. We’ll start by discussing their importance and benefits, like making your content more inclusive and even improving SEO.
From there, we’ll dive into practical instructions, starting with how to use apps like iMovie. We’ll also explore some free third-party apps and go into detail about adding captions to Instagram videos, both Reels and Stories, TikTok and Youtube Shorts. You’ll also find tips on auto-generated captions, customizing YouTube subtitles, and troubleshooting common issues. Plus, I’ll introduce you to ZapCap’s simple tools for automating all these things.
By the end, you’ll have everything you need to start subtitling your videos.
Table of Contents
- Using iMovie to Add Subtitles on iPhone
- Free Third-Party Apps for Adding Subtitles
- Adding Subtitles to Instagram Videos
Using iMovie to Add Subtitles on iPhone
Overview of iMovie Features
iMovie is a solid starting point for anyone editing videos on an iPhone. The app allows you to add simple subtitles by overlaying text onto your video clips. However, iMovie’s subtitling capabilities are quite limited.
You can adjust the font and position, but there’s no built-in automated subtitling feature or customization for font colors and backgrounds. These limitations make it less ideal for creators who need more control or efficiency.
For instance, studies show that manually adding subtitles is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors in syncing and readability.
This is where tools like ZapCap come in handy, as it offers automated captioning with more customization options—saving time and reducing manual work. ZapCap even allows you to customize the look of subtitles with different fonts, colors, and styles to make sure they stand out.
How to Add Subtitles in iMovie
iMovie on iPhone comes with a selection of title screens that you can add to any video clip, photo, or background in your movie project. While these titles are not specifically “subtitles,” they work similarly by allowing you to overlay text onto your videos, making it easy to add visual commentary or dialogue. However, adding these titles is a very manual and often tedious process, especially for longer videos, as each segment requires separate text editing and precise timing adjustments.
Keep reading to learn how to How to Add Subtitles in iMovie with step-by-step instructions, and discover a much easier way to do it—with more automation and flexibility to save you time and effort.
How to Add Subtitles in iMovie on iPhone
- Open Your Project: In the iMovie app on your iPhone, open the movie project where you want to add subtitles.
- Select a Clip: Tap a video clip or photo in the timeline to reveal the inspector at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the Titles Button: Tap the Titles button (represented by a “T” icon) to access the available text styles.
- Choose a Title Style: Tap to select a title that fits your video. After choosing a style, drag the title onto the timeline above the clip where you want the subtitle to appear.
- Edit and Customize:
- Reposition the Title: Tap the sample title in the viewer, then drag it to where you want it to appear on the screen.
- Edit the Text: Tap the title, then tap Edit. Type your desired text and tap Done on the keyboard.
- Change Font, Color, or Size: After tapping the title, you can also adjust the font, color, and size to fit your video’s style. Tap the Font button to change fonts, or the Color button to pick a new color.
- Adjust Duration: Drag the edges of the text box in the timeline to adjust how long the text appears, ensuring it syncs properly with the audio.
Challenges with Adding Subtitles in iMovie on iPhone
Adding subtitles in iMovie on iPhone requires manually inserting and adjusting text for each segment, which can be tedious for longer videos.
Unlike dedicated subtitling software, iMovie does not offer automatic captioning, meaning each subtitle must be manually typed and timed. If you’re handling a large volume of subtitles, this can be quite time-consuming.
More Customization Options with Other Tools
For more advanced customization—such as animated text, background boxes, or emojis—tools like ZapCap offer better functionality.
With ZapCap, you can subtitle your video in just one click: simply upload your video, and ZapCap will automatically generate the captions for you, without any of the manual work that iMovie requires. This means you can quickly create visually engaging and fully customizable subtitles, saving you both time and effort while making your content stand out.
Troubleshooting Common Subtitle Issues
Some common challenges with iMovie subtitles include the text cutting off prematurely or not syncing perfectly with the video.
Because iMovie doesn’t offer a dedicated subtitle track, users have to manually adjust the text duration, which is prone to mistakes. And since iMovie doesn’t provide auto-generated captions, everything has to be typed out and timed manually—a process that can feel tedious.
Free Third-Party Apps for Adding Subtitles
When it comes to adding subtitles to your videos, the easiest solution is often to avoid downloading apps altogether. ZapCap offers a web-based solution that you can use directly in your phone’s browser like in Safari, Google Chrome or Samsung Internet —no need for downloads.
It comes with a free plan, so you can test things out and see if it suits your needs. One of the biggest advantages of using ZapCap is the dynamic range of templates and its higher accuracy in auto-generating subtitles. Plus, ZapCap offers features you won’t find in many other apps, like adding sound effects, automatic B-rolls, and even the ability to clip one long video into multiple short viral clips.
It also includes translation tools, allowing you to translate any audio to different languages and generate captions, making it ideal for creators dealing with multilingual content or for those looking for a tool that can translate YouTube videos to English.
Top Free Apps Available on the App Store
If you prefer using apps, there are still some great free options on the App Store:
– Veed.io: Known for its simplicity, Veed.io offers automatic subtitles and lets you quickly edit them for accuracy.
– Clips: Apple’s own app for creating fun, short videos with built-in automatic captions.
– Subcap: A subtitling app focused on real-time speech recognition, making it easy to add accurate subtitles as you record.
How to Use These Apps Effectively
Most of these apps have a straightforward interface that makes it easy to add subtitles. The key is to ensure your audio is clear for accurate auto-generated captions. Once the captions are generated, review and adjust the timing and text as needed. Some apps, like Clips, allow subtitles to be added automatically while you’re recording, perfect for quick social media videos.
Comparing Features of Different Apps
While mobile-specific apps like Veed and Subcap provide quick and effective captioning solutions, it’s worth considering how they compare to more professional desktop tools. After Effects and Premiere Pro offer advanced capabilities that cater to editors who need greater control over their captions. For instance, After Effects allows for highly customizable visual elements, perfect for creating animated and unique caption styles, while Premiere Pro excels with closed captioning, giving editors detailed control over the timing and formatting—ideal for complex projects that demand precision.
However, these professional tools can be cumbersome, especially if you’re looking for something convenient for mobile use. ZapCap bridges the gap by simplifying the captioning process while maintaining a high level of accuracy and customization, offering an efficient way to add captions directly from your mobile device without the steep learning curve of professional desktop software.
Adding Subtitles to Instagram Videos
Subtitles are essential when it comes to improving engagement and accessibility on social media, especially on Instagram. Since a large portion of users watch videos on mute, adding captions ensures your message gets across, regardless of the sound.
Importance of Subtitles on Social Media
On platforms like Instagram, where videos often auto-play on mute, adding subtitles is key to maintaining viewer attention. Subtitles make your content more accessible to a wider audience, including those who are hearing-impaired or watching in noisy environments. Research shows that videos with captions or subtitles also tend to perform better in terms of engagement and retention. For creators, learning how to add subtitles to Instagram reels or how to add captions to Instagram videos can make a huge difference in visibility.
How to Add Captions to Instagram Reels
If you’re curious about how to add captions to Instagram reels, it’s actually quite simple with Instagram’s built-in tools:
1. Start by opening the Instagram app and selecting the reel you want to edit.
2. Tap the sticker icon at the top of the screen and select the captions sticker.
3. Instagram will automatically generate subtitles from your reel’s audio. You can review and edit these subtitles to ensure they’re accurate.
4. Customize the placement, style, and size of the captions on your reel to match your brand or aesthetic.
That’s the basic process for how to put captions on Instagram reels or how to add closed captions on Instagram reels directly within the app. However, Instagram’s Auto-Generated Captions features has its limitations—if you’re looking for more advanced options, ZapCap provides a better alternative.
How to Get the Best Results from Subtitles
When thinking about how to get captions on IG reels, or how to add subtitles to Instagram reels, it’s important to ensure that your audio is clear. The quality of auto-generated captions depends heavily on the clarity of your speech. Even Instagram’s automatic captions perform better when the sound is crisp.
If you run into issues, such as Instagram captions not showing or Instagram won’t let me add captions to a reel, double-check that your app is updated and that captions are enabled.
How to Enable Auto Captions
To enable auto caption Instagram features, simply head to the settings on your video post or reel. Instagram’s auto-generated captions work by transcribing the audio in your video in real-time. This feature is great for boosting accessibility and engagement, ensuring your content is more inclusive for viewers who prefer to watch without sound or who have hearing impairments.
While this feature works well for short clips or simple videos, its accuracy can depend on the clarity of the audio and your speaking style. It’s a quick solution, but keep in mind that some edits may be necessary.
Customizing and Editing Auto Captions
Once Instagram has auto-generated your captions, you can go in and make adjustments if needed. The auto-captioning tool does a good job, but it can struggle with accents, background noise, or fast speech. So, if you want more precise control over how the Instagram video captions appear, you’ll need to manually edit the text, adjust the timing, and ensure that everything matches up with your video’s pacing.
In comparison, ZapCap offers several advantages over Instagram’s built-in captioning tool. Not only does it provide higher subtitle accuracy, but it also allows for dynamic customization—everything from font style to placement can be tailored to fit your brand.
Additionally, ZapCap has extra features like sound effects, automatic B-roll, and the ability to clip long videos into multiple short segments, making it an all-in-one tool for video creators who want more than just basic captions.
Jessica B
Jessica is the owner of Videolize and a seasoned video editor with 11 years of experience. She shares actionable insights on ZapCap, helping creators boost engagement with AI tools.
