How do I add captions to a video automatically?

Upload the video to Valmera and type "add captions". The AI agent builds word-timed captions from the transcript, chooses a style that fits the format and speaking pace, places them clear of faces, and checks the result before replying. Name a style, font or color to direct the look, then export an MP4 with the captions burned in.

What caption styles are available for TikTok and Reels?

Short-form styles include stacked (one or two words at a time on two sizes), reels (a tight two-line hierarchy with a highlighted hero word), beast (loud all-caps with the spoken word in an accent color), spotlight (one glowing word at a time) and karaoke (an accent box that follows each word). Calmer styles like documentary and elegant suit interviews and long-form YouTube.

Can I fix a word the AI misheard?

Yes. Ask in chat ("change 'Val Mira' to 'Valmera' everywhere") or correct the line in the transcript panel. A fix can change the number of words and can target one occurrence or every one. It changes the caption text only; the audio is untouched.

Where do captions go on a vertical video?

Multi-word styles sit near the bottom, above the band that TikTok, Reels and Shorts cover with their own buttons, and clear of faces; placement adapts shot by shot. Only single-word looks sit in the middle. Say "move them to the top" to lock a position for the whole video.

Can I download the captions as an SRT or VTT file?

No. Valmera burns captions into the video, with no SRT or VTT import or export, so they appear on every platform and survive reposts, and viewers cannot turn them off. If you need a separate subtitle file, use a subtitle tool that exports one.

Can I add captions in another language?

Yes. Ask for captions in another language and the agent translates each transcript segment and burns the translation in at the same timing, in a readable subtitle style. Have a fluent speaker review the translation before you publish.

Is the AI caption generator free?

Creating an account and uploading are free. Editing, including captions, requires a subscription. Exports are full-resolution H.264 MP4s and end with a brief Valmera end card.

AI Auto Captions: Add Captions to Any Video

To add captions to a video automatically, upload it to Valmera and type “add captions.” The AI agent times every caption to the spoken words, picks a style that fits the format and pace, places the captions clear of faces and platform buttons, and burns them into the export.

Want a specific look? Ask for it by name: bold TikTok-style captions, one glowing word at a time, or karaoke highlights. Misheard names are fixed in one message, and every change is a new preview.

Caption Your Video in One Request

Upload, type “add captions,” review the preview. Creating an account and uploading are free; editing requires a subscription.

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How to Add Captions to a Video in Valmera

1
Upload the video
MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV or WebM, up to 14 GB and 3 hours. Indexing builds a word-level transcript, the source of every caption's timing.
2
Ask for captions
Type “add captions,” or name the look: “bold TikTok captions, two words at a time, yellow highlight.” Do your cuts in the same chat; captions are always timed to the edited video.
3
Let the agent check them
The agent audits the caption track for late starts, missing words, overlaps and line wraps, then inspects rendered frames for faces and contrast.
4
Fix, restyle, export
Correct any name, change size or position in a sentence, then export a full-resolution MP4 with the captions burned in.

PROMPTS TO PASTE

Add captions.

Bold TikTok captions: one or two words at a time, big, with the spoken word in yellow.

Use the reels caption style in Montserrat, near the bottom.

In the captions, change “Val Mira” to “Valmera” everywhere.

Hide the captions from 0:20 to 0:25 while the title is on screen.

Caption Styles for TikTok, Reels, Shorts and YouTube

Each style is a complete look: font, grouping, motion and placement. Ask for one by name, or describe the feel and let the agent choose. Every setting stays adjustable afterwards.

Style	Look	Best for
stacked	One or two words at a time on two sizes, fading in	The default creator look for Reels, TikTok and Shorts
reels	Tight two-line hierarchy, a warm hero word, elastic landings	Short-form with energy
beast	Loud all-caps type; the spoken word pops in an accent color	Hype, gaming, challenges
spotlight	One glowing word at a time, centered	Fast, motivational delivery
karaoke	A short group with an accent box following each spoken word	Word-by-word highlight
podcast	Words land as spoken; keywords light up, numbers go big	Podcast and interview clips
documentary	Restrained phrases on a translucent panel	Interviews, education, long-form YouTube
broadcast	Left-aligned lower-third panel	News and explainers
elegant, luxe, editorial, fashion	Calm type with serif or wide-caps accents	Interviews, lifestyle, brand

Also available: impact, chrome, iridescent, neon, retro, lyric, clean and classic. For the word-by-word highlight, see animated karaoke captions.

Settings That Matter

Setting	Default	How to change it
Words per caption	Set by the style (1–2 for short-form)	“Three words at a time.” Any value from 1 to 16.
Size	Medium	“Bigger captions,” or S, M, L, XL, or an exact scale.
Position	Bottom, clear of faces and platform buttons	“Top” or “middle”. Fixing a position locks it for the whole video.
Font	Set by the style	Inter Display, Anton, Bebas Neue, Archivo Black, Poppins Black, Syne, Playfair Display, Instrument Serif, DM Serif Display, Montserrat or Plus Jakarta Sans.
Highlight and emphasis	Warm yellow; stressed words and numbers chosen automatically	“Highlight in green,” “emphasize ‘free’,” or “no emphasis, all white.”
Animation	Set by the style	Fade, pop, slide up, punch, blur in, rise, drop, elastic, bounce and more, or “none.”
Outline, shadow, panel	Set by the style	“Add a dark backing panel.” “Thicker outline.”

Short groups read; sentences do not. On short-form, one or two words per caption keeps eyes on the face. Save full-sentence lines for interviews, lessons and the subtitle style.

Fixing Words, Timing and Overlaps

Spelling and names. “Change ‘Val Mira’ to ‘Valmera’ everywhere” fixes every occurrence; add a time to fix one. The number of words can change, and the audio stays as recorded.
Captions under a title. Designed titles hide the captions beneath them automatically. To hide captions over any other stretch, ask: “no captions from 0:20 to 0:25.”
Timing. Captions come from word timestamps and follow every cut. If one feels late, give the moment and the agent checks it against the audio.
Filler words. Captions skip ums and uhs, so the text reads clean even before you cut them from the audio.

Common Mistakes

Captions over a face or under the app's buttons. Keep multi-word styles at the bottom safe area; only single-word looks belong mid-frame.
Color on calm footage. On cinematic or premium footage, all-white captions with emphasis by size read more expensive than colored highlights.
Captions on top of old captions. If the footage already has burned-in text, erase it first, then caption.
Not checking names. Speech recognition guesses at brand names and proper nouns. Scan the transcript before export.

Limits

Captions are burned in: there is no SRT or VTT import or export, and viewers cannot switch them off. Fonts come from the bundled set; custom font uploads are not supported. English is the best-tested transcription language. If your deliverable is a subtitle file, such as closed captions for a broadcaster, use a tool that exports one; for files you already have, the free SRT to VTT converter and subtitle timing shifter run in your browser.

Related Tools

Captions usually come after cleanup: remove silence and fillers first, then caption and reframe to 9:16 in the same chat. Captions are laid out for the frame they ship in, so the order of those last two does not matter. For titles and speech-timed kinetic text, see add text to video. Workflows for TikTok creators, YouTubers and podcasters show the full pipeline; the captions docs and the AI video editor page cover the rest.

Over Valmera's MCP server, assistants caption with add_captions, set_caption_style, set_caption_fixes, set_caption_mutes and audit_captions.