How to create an SRT file
SRT stands for “SubRip” subtitle file and it’s one of the simplest form of subtitle files. They’re simple enough that you can create them in a text editor like Notepad.
Type some text into Notepad and save it with “.SRT” included at the end of the filename, so it’s “text.srt” for example.
Using the .SRT file extension will turn any word document into a subtitle file. However, adding text is one thing, but it won’t function without the subtitle sequence number, and the in and out timecodes. Here is what you’ll find when opening a typical SRT file:
Using SRT subtitles on your computer
If you have a movie you have downloaded onto your computer you can add closed caption subtitles by simply leaving them in the same folder as the movie file.
Using VLC player, for example, will auto detect the SRT file contained within the same folder and begin playing the subtitles when you open the video. This also works for other players, like GOM or BsPlayer.
Using SRT files online
SRT files can also be uploaded to online video players like YouTube. But it doesn’t end there, if you want to enhance the experience of your Facebook audience, you can add subtitles to your social media video content.
Read more about uploading captions to YouTube.
And here’s how to upload captions to a Facebook videos.
Using YouTube’s captioning tool
If you’ve had a go yourself, you’ll probably realise writing timecodes manually into Notepad is time consuming and quite tedious.
An alternative way to create an SRT file is to use YouTube’s captioning tool and create your own timecodes and subtitles. You can access this feature by clicking onto any of your YouTube videos and a “CC” icon should appear just below the video which will then take you to the captioning tool.
All you will need to have handy is a transcript which you can upload to YouTube. Here’s the official explainer video.
Now it isn’t perfect, anything automated rarely is, but it will save you time (aside from having to transcribe) and it’s also a step up from YouTube’s auto-captioning (which doesn’t help with SEO). However, you can also create an SRT file within the tool for a perfect subtitle file. It's also completely free.
How long does it take?
For purely transcription, depending on audio quality, a professional can transcribe approximately 15 minutes of audio per hour.
Then, to create the actual SRT, the process includes transcription, timing and creation of the subtitles which would take aprofessional captioner approximately four to eight minutes of audio per hour. It’s also recommended to have a proof-reader double-check the subtitles once complete.
Now, if you have a lot of content you’re looking to have captioned or transcribed, that’s a lot of hours of work there, which is where a professional captioning service can come in. A professional captioning service will be able to add value to your content as well as saving you time by generating these files for you.
This is where SubtitleAll can come in. We always use native captioners to what language you need. Our thorough recruitment and training process ensure quality over quantity. If you have a subtitling project you need help with, speak to our friendly team.
