Add accurate, high-contrast captions that match the speech, keep lines short and stay inside the safe area. They help people watching without sound and improve accessibility.
Many people watch short videos with the sound off. Captions keep them with you, and they help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Style
- Font: a bold, simple sans-serif.
- Contrast: white text with a thin outline or a soft box behind it.
- Size: large enough to read on a small phone.
- Highlight: color the key word or the word being spoken, but sparingly.
Timing
- Show each line as it is spoken, or a beat before.
- Keep lines to about two short rows.
- Avoid flashing text that changes faster than people can read.
Placement
Keep captions inside the safe area so the app interface doesn't cover them. Read vertical video safe zones.
Accuracy
- Fix names, brands and numbers by hand.
- Don't rely only on automatic captions. Always proofread.
- Match the spoken language, or provide translated captions as a separate version.
Closed vs open captions
- Open (burned in): part of the picture, always visible. Common for social.
- Closed (a separate file, like SRT): viewers can switch them on or off. Better for YouTube and websites, and good for accessibility and search.
Provide a transcript
For videos on your site, add a transcript or summary beneath the video. It helps readers and search engines. See video SEO for business websites.
Related
Animated text is covered in kinetic typography explained.
A caption style checklist
- Is the font bold and clean?
- Is the text readable on a small screen?
- Is there enough contrast against every shot?
- Are lines short, with two rows at most?
- Is the highlight color used on purpose?
- Are names and numbers correct?
- Is everything inside the safe area?
Common mistakes to avoid
- Captions that appear after the words are spoken
- Tiny captions
- Auto-captions that were never proofread
- Covering faces or key visuals
Frequently asked questions
Do captions hurt the look of my video?
Well-designed captions improve it. Keep them consistent and avoid clutter.
Should I translate captions?
If you have an audience in other languages, make separate versions rather than stacking two languages.
What about SRT files?
They're useful for YouTube and websites, where viewers can turn captions on or off.
Do you add captions?
Yes, as part of short-form editing. See short-form video editing.
Bhavesh Vaghela
Freelance video editor and motion designer in Rajkot, India. I make short-form videos, motion graphics, SaaS explainers, logo animations and AI video for clients worldwide.
