Subtitling without transcription fees or timestamp typing
There are two established ways to make subtitle files, and both have a tax. AI transcription services charge per minute, require uploading your footage, and still need a correction pass because names, slang and technical terms come out mangled. Manual subtitle editors are free but brutal: you type every timestamp by hand, scrubbing back and forth to find where each line starts. The tap-to-sync approach removes both taxes — you already know what's said (it's your script), so the only missing ingredient is timing, and timing is something humans are naturally excellent at marking in real time.
The workflow takes roughly the length of your video: load the file, paste your script with one caption per line, and press start. As the video plays, tap the spacebar at the moment each line begins — the tool stamps it to the tenth of a second, ends the previous line automatically, and advances to the next. Mistapped? Backspace undoes the stamp and rewinds two seconds for a retry. Speaking too fast to keep up? Drop playback to 0.75× — the recorded timings are scaled back to real time automatically. Pauses between sections are handled with the G key, which ends the current caption without starting the next.
Afterwards, every cue is adjustable in 0.1-second nudges with instant preview, and the export gives you both SRT (for YouTube, Premiere, CapCut and Resolve) and WebVTT (for web players) from the same timing. The natural next step is a readability pass: our Caption Speed Checker reads the same SRT and flags any line that flashes faster than people can read.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create an SRT file online for free? ›
Load your video, paste your script with one caption per line, then press Start syncing. As the video plays, tap the spacebar the moment each line is spoken — the tool records the timing automatically. When you finish, download the result as an SRT or VTT file. Nothing is uploaded and no account is needed.
What is tap-to-sync subtitling? ›
Instead of typing timestamps by hand or paying for AI transcription, you provide the text yourself and create the timing by tapping along in real time — like tapping to a beat. One tap marks the start of each line. It's fast (roughly the length of your video), accurate to a tenth of a second, and you can nudge any timing afterwards.
Is my video uploaded when I make subtitles? ›
No. Your video plays locally in your browser and all timing happens on your device. The only thing the tool produces is a small text file (SRT/VTT) that you download directly. There is no upload, no file size limit and no watermark.
What's the difference between SRT and VTT subtitle files? ›
SRT is the older, universal format accepted by YouTube, Premiere Pro, CapCut, DaVinci Resolve and most editors. VTT (WebVTT) is the web-native format used by HTML5 video players and some platforms. This tool exports both from the same timing — when in doubt, use SRT.
Can I fix a timing if I tapped too early or too late? ›
Yes, two ways: during syncing, press Backspace to undo the last tap and the video rewinds two seconds so you can retry; after syncing, every cue in the results table has nudge buttons that shift its start time in 0.1-second steps, plus a preview button to hear that exact moment.
How fast should my captions be so viewers can read them? ›
Aim for 13 characters per second or less for short-form video, and never above 17. After exporting your SRT here, run it through our
Caption Speed Checker — it flags every line that flashes too fast and suggests exactly how to fix it.