Subtitles for TikTok, Reels and Shorts: Quick Guide
Most people watch short-form video without sound, so captions keep viewers from scrolling past. The generator gives you accurate text and timing; you then place it in the editor you already use.
Generate the subtitles
Drop your vertical video into the generator, choose the language and generate. Portrait files work like any other video.
Keep lines short
Short phrases read faster on a phone. Edit long lines in the text boxes so each one fits comfortably on screen.
Download the SRT
Export SRT. Many editors, including Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and CapCut, can import SRT files as a caption track.
Style and place the captions
In your editor, choose a bold, high-contrast font and keep text inside the safe area, away from the buttons and the description that apps overlay on the video. Export and upload.
Why short videos need captions more than most
People scroll short videos in all sorts of places: on public transport, in bed next to someone asleep, in a waiting room. A large share of them watch with the sound off. If your first second shows no text, a viewer deciding whether to stay has nothing to go on. Captions give the hook a second channel, and they keep the message clear even when the audio is muted.
Captions also help retention. When viewers can read along with a fast speaker, they follow the point more easily and are more likely to watch to the end.
Writing for the screen, not the page
- Keep each caption to a handful of words, ideally one short phrase that matches what is said at that moment.
- Use one line at a time on vertical video; two lines can crowd the picture on a phone.
- Time each caption to appear just as the word is spoken, so the text feels attached to the voice.
- Cut filler words if they do not change the meaning; short captions are easier to read at speed.
After the AI writes the draft, splitting longer lines into shorter cues takes only a few minutes in the editor.
Placement and safe areas
Each platform covers part of the screen with its own interface: the account name and caption at the bottom, buttons along one side, and a bar at the top. If you place captions in the lowest part of the frame, they may be hidden behind that interface. A safer spot is a little above the bottom, near the vertical middle of the lower half.
Check the result on a phone, not only on your computer. What looks perfectly placed on a large monitor can look different at phone size, so a quick look on a real device is worth the extra minute.
A fast workflow from clip to posted video
Drop in the clip, generate subtitles, shorten any long lines and fix names. Download the SRT file. Then either upload it where the platform supports subtitle files, or import it into your video editor to style the text and burn it into the video, which is the usual route for short vertical clips.
To learn how to bring the file into an editor, read using an SRT file in Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. For rules about line length and timing that apply to any video, see how to make subtitles easy to read.
Quick tips
- YouTube Shorts accepts an uploaded SRT through YouTube Studio like any other video.
- Highlight key words with colour in your editor for extra emphasis.
- Check the video on a real phone before posting.
Ready to try it? Drop a video or audio file into the free subtitle generator and have subtitles in minutes. Open the generator →