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How-to guide

How to auto-caption a video

Generate time-synced captions for any short video automatically — speech-to-text does the typing and timing, so you only correct the words you want to change.

Quick answer

To auto-caption a video, upload your .mp4 or .mov to a tool like AnimateCaptions and let it transcribe the audio automatically with Deepgram Nova-3, which produces word-level, time-synced captions for you. Then pick an animated style, correct any words you want in the editor, and export a new MP4 with the captions burned in. Unlike manually typing and timing subtitles, the whole thing runs in your browser and takes about a minute for a short clip.

Step by step

How to auto-caption a video in 5 steps.

Upload, let it transcribe, style, review, export — all in the browser.

  1. 01

    Upload your video

    Drag an .mp4 or .mov into the browser. AnimateCaptions accepts clips up to 2 minutes and 500 MB on the free tier — most phone recordings fit easily. Nothing to install.

  2. 02

    Auto-transcription runs

    The audio is transcribed automatically with Deepgram Nova-3, one of the most accurate speech-to-text models. It detects the language, produces word-level timestamps, and turns your speech into time-synced captions — no typing or manual timing.

  3. 03

    Pick an animated style

    Choose from 32+ animated presets — bold word-by-word highlights, clean minimal lines, Beast and Hormozi looks, and more. The captions snap into the style instantly.

  4. 04

    Review and correct (optional)

    The transcript is already aligned to your audio. Skim it and click any word to fix a name, acronym, or typo — that is the only editing most clips ever need.

  5. 05

    Export your captioned MP4

    Hit export. AnimateCaptions renders the captions into the video server-side with Remotion at full resolution, with no quality loss, and hands you a finished MP4 ready to post anywhere.

Editor walkthrough

Edit every word before you export.

Live caption preview, click-to-correct transcript, per-line drag positioning, and 32+ animated styles to pick from.

Common questions

Auto-captioning a video — FAQ.

What does auto-caption mean?

Auto-captioning uses speech-to-text to listen to a video's audio and generate time-synced captions for you automatically — instead of typing every word and lining it up to the audio by hand. AnimateCaptions does this in your browser, so you start from a finished transcript rather than a blank one.

How accurate is the auto-transcription?

AnimateCaptions transcribes with Deepgram Nova-3, one of the most accurate speech-to-text models available, with word-level timestamps. Clear audio is usually near-perfect; you may occasionally tweak an unusual name or acronym, but the timing is handled for you.

Do I need to fix the captions?

Usually not much. The transcript is generated and time-aligned automatically, so for most clips you just glance through and export. Click any word if you want to correct a name, spelling, or wording.

Is auto-captioning free?

Yes. AnimateCaptions auto-transcribes and exports captioned videos for free with no credit card. Free exports carry a small AnimateCaptions watermark; paid plans from $7.99/month remove it — cheaper than Submagic at $19/month or Captions.ai at $24.99/month.

What languages can it auto-caption?

36+ languages, detected automatically. Deepgram Nova-3 identifies the spoken language from the audio and transcribes it, so you do not have to set one manually.

Are the captions burned into the video?

Yes. The export is a standard MP4 with the captions rendered directly into the frames at full resolution, so they display on every platform without uploading a separate subtitle file.

Auto-caption your first video, free.

Upload a clip, let it transcribe automatically, pick a style, download a captioned MP4. No editing app, no credit card.

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