Creatomate
Fundamentals -> Template Editor

Auto-generated subtitles

Any text element can act as automatic subtitles. Link it to a video or audio element, and Creatomate transcribes the speech and displays it as synchronized captions in the rendered video. There is nothing to set up and no external service needed; transcription is built into the platform.

Turning a text element into subtitles

  • Select the text element you want to use for the subtitles.
  • In the properties panel, enable the Transcription attribute.
  • Under Source, choose the video or audio element to transcribe.

Make sure the source element plays at the same time as the text element; the subtitles cover the part of the speech during which the text element is shown. The element behaves like any other text element otherwise, so use the regular text properties to style the font, colors, stroke, and background.

While editing, the element shows placeholder subtitles: the actual speech is transcribed when the video is rendered. Export the video to see the real subtitles.

Styling the subtitles

The Style settings control how the words appear:

  • Effect: The animation used to reveal the words: Color, Karaoke, Highlight, Fade, Bounce, Slide, or Enlarge. The canvas previews each effect using the placeholder text.
  • Split: Whether the effect applies to the whole sentence, or to each line, word, or letter based on its timing in the speech.
  • Placement: Show the full sentence with the spoken part accented (Static), reveal only the spoken words (Animate), or reveal them while respecting the text alignment (Align).
  • Max. Length: The maximum number of characters shown at once. Use a low number to display just a few words at a time, or "auto" to split sentences automatically.
  • Color: The accent color used by the effect, such as the color of the currently spoken word.

What does it cost?

Transcription is free for videos rendered at 720p or higher. For lower resolutions, a small transcription fee applies only where it exceeds the render's regular credit cost. See How are credits calculated? for details.

Related workflows

Subtitles work especially well with AI voice-overs: set the voice-over element as the transcription source, and the generated speech arrives with exact word timings. And if you already have subtitles, or want full control over the wording, you can provide your own transcript through the API instead.

Related resources