Smartphone and data plans are paving way for augmented online video platform and globalization is enhancing the audience reach. Whether you want to watch a video filmed in the Spanish language or you intend to see a documentary on the hunters living in the jungles of Amazon, the dialogues and bytes will always be an alien language. In such a scenario, do not let the diversity of the world stop you from experiencing creativity and imagination. In this blog, we are covering the best closed captioning software for you that can translate languages for you in real-time.
Pros and Cons of Closed Captioning
In comparison to open captioning, which is altogether steered by special technology, closed captioning has its own benefits and drawbacks. Talking about the pros, it authorizes users to choose whether they want transcription to be displayed or not. Also, it is comparatively easy to encompass different languages while displaying subtitles.
Some more advanced features include easy synchronization and upload to various media channels, generating derivative contents from captions, ability to modify the transcriptions after publishing and highly valued in SEO. The only drawback of closed transcription is lesser flexibility in subtitles styling and animation. And limited environments are not supportive to this technique.
Best Closed Captioning Software
In this blog, we are covering the 10 best video subtitle software of 2023 that you can customize and add to your videos.
1. YouTube
YouTube is the best video subtitle software in a stress-free manner. If you intend to make subtitles quickly and possibly in the easiest way, then you must try your hands on YouTube. The only issue with YouTube that you can translate languages only after it is uploaded. But you cannot overlook its best features like ‘Transcribe and Auto-Sync’ and “auto-generated closed captions” tools.
The ‘Transcribe and Auto-Sync’ tool allows you to use speech recognition engine of YouTube for your typed transcription. Here, the engine successfully matches the audio with transcripts while uploading titles. This saves you loads of time and energy. While “auto-generated closed captions” tool gives you automatic subtitles. However, this tool works well only the video has clear and slow speech.
You do not have to begin from scratch while using free YouTube closed captioning. But then the automatic generation of subtitles is not completely accurate and you must cross-check the details.
2. Play Media
The highest rated and most trusted closed captioning software that offers premium services in subtitling, transcription, and audio description. It follows a user-friendly approach to streamline editing and has adaptable API’s along with tons of video players integrated into the system. This software has flexible account system as well as lecture account system.
Some other advanced features are video search plugins, set of tools, separate billings for every department etc. It is the best tool for performing you job in lesser time, which in turn saves money and time. Quick implementation, nominal training and easy customization are its features and everything is online, and you do not have to download any software first.
3Play Media has won several awards for its continuous innovation and efficiency it offers in functionalities. It is compatible with most of the operating system but might disfunction, if the quality of video is below average.
3. Amara
If you are into documentary movies or short films or inspirational videos and want to add subtitles to them, then Amara is your savior. It is widely accepted for transcripting short videos and hence the perfect platform for start transcripting for the beginners. Amateurs can begin their journey of making transcriptions via this software for their super easy features and functionalities.
It is an online non-profit project, where you can type the transcription in the video. You can save your time by skipping forth and back according to the requirement. The software is easy to learn and use once you gain command on the keyboard controls. You can also manually synchronize the transcription to the audio via down and up arrows. This software is highly beneficial if you want to generate caption from scratch and translate dialogues into different languages. Just make sure that you use it when you are hosting videos online.
4. Aegisubs
It is a flexible software that allows caption designing and has wide array of options to customize the text. From fonts and size to outline and color of transcription, you can even rotate them as per the requirement and adjust accordingly on the screen. The “audio wave” feature of this software allows audience to replay certain part of videos and add subtitles.
You can also visualize, zoom in, zoom out the audio wave for targeting timestamp of captions. Timestamping allows you to replay videos and let you make modifications in transcription. However, this software has certain drawbacks too. You must download and install the software on your device and you cannot perform editing to an ongoing video.
Also, arranging Timestamp for captions is a tedious task here. Moreover, you must toil for keyboard shortcuts as they are available in menu only and then it is difficult to collaborate them with other software and devices.
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5. Divxland
The USP of this software that you can do transcription and put subtitles to the video in two separate session without any stress. This software is helpful if you prefer doing work in a hassle-free manner and step by step. But before you start using this software, you must create two separate files, one for video and another for transcription as .txt.
In the next step, begin synchronizing them by clicking the apply button while the video is playing. The software is completely free of cost and allows you to insert captions to the ongoing video on the timeline. However, you must download and install the software to make us of all the features. Also, it does not support OS version for Mac and is difficult to synchronize with others.
Talking about the biggest drawback and benefit. It is impossible to change or adjust the caption position on the timeline once inserted. This is so because the timeline does not have “caption bars”. While, you have the advantage to synchronize the titles in a particular time code.
6. Visualsubsync
With visualized “audio wave” and timestamping caption features, Visualsubsync is another amazing video subtitle software for adding subtitles to the video. It is a free software that allows you to aim for a particular portion of the video via the audio wave feature. You can also generate caption right away by choosing a timestamp by right-clicking it. This software is intuitive in nature and allows you to zoom in and zoom out by selecting the visualized “audio wave” and create real-time transcriptions.
However, this software has certain shortcomings too. For instance, you must download and install the software to use it for creating captions. Also, it is not compatible with iOS devices and has trouble working with OS version of Mac. Moreover, the software is hard to collaborate with other software and devices.
7. Jubler
The only difference between Jubler and Visualsubsync is that the former one supports OS version for Mac while latter does not. Otherwise, both the software have same features and interface that allows you to choose visualized “audio wave” as per the requirement. Like other software, you can also generate caption with timestamp feature directly.
Another feature that makes Jubler better than Visualsubsync is the level of flexibility it offers in terms of size, font family, outline and color. Also, you will find static “caption bars” on the timeline for only visualization as you cannot alter or even move it. The other benefits are same as selecting and using visualized “audio wave” and generating caption with certain timestamp directly. Coming to shortcomings, the software demands download, and installation and you will face difficulty collaborating it with other devices and software.
8. Subtitle Edit
This software does not work online and must be downloaded and installed on the devices first. But then it is one of the best platforms to learn the process of adding captions for the beginners. Once you learn the basics, you can also move to the advanced learning stage on the same platform. The best feature of this software is that it checks your grammar and spelling while you add subtitles.
It is one of the best offline platforms to learn and use captioning. This program has great advantages if you are ready to devote your time to subtitling. Some other advanced features are the ability to burn open captions to the video, transfer subtitle file types etc.
9. Rev
Looking for affordable services along with the simplest interface for adding transcriptions to the videos, then buy Rev software right away. Its user-friendly interface makes subtitling super easy. All you must do is upload the file, wait for the processing, and make the order for submission. You can upload audio files in standard formats like WMV or MP4 files.
The best feature of this software is quick implementation and fast results. Within 5-6 hours of order, you will receive the notice of work completion. In case, if your file gets rejected due to inferior quality, you are instantly notified and asked for re-upload without any extra cost. Transcriptions are reliable and correct and deliver professional results.
However, you might get annoyed by the frequent notifications on each successful transcription and not at the end, when complete transcription is achieved. And at the end, transcriptions are sent on Word rather than in PDF format. Overall, it is an ideal software for beginners or who are running their business on restricted budgets.
10. Ahd subtitles maker
If you want to move the caption or change the content directly, then you can use the timestamp feature of this software. With AHD, adding subtitles become easy and convenient. You can add style to texts, trim the content in visualized manner and use tons of export formats with this software. It is a free platform that gives you enough flexibility to add variety of color, size, fonts, and outline to the text.
But it does not support web-format and needs downloading and installation. Also, it is not compatible with every operating system especially the Mac system. And hard to crack when trying to synchronize with other software or devices.
Best Software For Closed Captioning
Unlimited data plans and smartphone addiction have paved way for online video platforms. As we move towards 5G technology and augment our data consumption, increasingly HD videos are surfacing for better interaction with the audience. According to experts, these technologies are aiding in the development of significant broadband infrastructure. But the real question, do we really need such technologies, which is causing more harm than good? And the irony is that we are raising this question with the help of technology.
Well, this was all about closed captioning software that automatically converts alien language to the known. If you have any other apps or software that you think is absent from the above-mentioned list, feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
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Doug
As of 1-Dec-2020, YouTube no longer allows users to download the captions files. You can edit them in YouTube Studio, but there is no native way to extract the subtitles from YouTube anymore. Also, some videos will not autogenerate captions files on YouTube.Doug
Subtitle Edit is not available on MacOS.Mark
Adobe Premiere Pro has an excellent captioning feature. To fix up existing CC files that have lost their sync, you can import .srt files. Captions appear in their own channel in the sequence. Each caption in the sequence channel can be moved, shortened, lengthened, etc. The captioning window allows the ability to add new captions between existing ones. It will output formatted open captions (aka “burned in”) or a CC file in .srt format. That’s good for projects that may need versions of both.