Elie

September 22, 2023

Min Read

If you love watching movies offline, at some point, you must have faced the challenge of fetching subtitles for the movie.

We lose interest in watching movies without subtitles because they are in different languages or it is hard to follow the voices. Whether you want to add subtitles to your own movie or to your favorite movie, this article will help.

In this post, we’ll show you how to permanently add subtitles to a movie.

Also Check: Free Online Youtube Downloader tool

Benefits of Adding Subtitles to Movies

Subtitles are lifesavers. They help you follow each movie scene and engage with it with the volume on mute. They also make movies accessible for those with hearing disabilities. Many social media users love auto-subtitle generators for this reason.

Here are a few good reasons to add subtitles to a movie:

Solves language barrier problems: Not every movie will be in your language, but you’ll want to watch it without missing the plot. Adding subtitles to such movies in your language will help you follow through.
Inaudible dialog: Some actors’ accents are difficult to follow when watching a movie. Without subtitles, you’ll have to strain your hearing, which would make the movie less enjoyable. Subtitles can solve this problem.
Narrative comprehension: When you watch a movie and every expression of the actors is displayed, the movie gets more engaging and easier to follow.

The sad truth is that many downloaded movies do not come with subtitles, and adding subtitles to the movies can be like searching for a needle in a haystack if you don’t know how to go about it.

Follow these two steps to add subtitles to a movie.

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Method 1: Use VLC Media Player

VLC player is a famous media player for movie lovers. It supports several types of media files and can be used to play movies with subtitles, provided there is a .srt file matching subtitles.

Although VLC isn’t a video editor, you can embed subtitles permanently in your movies. Here is the step-by-step process to add subtitles to a MP4 video you downloaded on the VLC media player:

Download, Install, and Open VLC Media Player
Hover to the Stream Option from Media. Media is at the player window top-left. Then, scroll down to the Stream Option.
Click "Add" and Select Media. The Add button is on the right side of the Stream Wizard that opens when you click the Stream option. After that, you can navigate to the video file to embed the subtitles.
Check "Use a subtitle file." Checking this box will allow you to add an SRT file.
Select the subtitles file. Use the browse button to navigate and select the SRT file.
Click "Stream" to execute the export.
Select the file type and click Add. This option allows you to pick the file type of the saved stream. Often, it is best to choose MP4. After that, click next.
Check Activate Transcoding and Overlay Subtitles. The feature is on a tab where the activate transcoding box is. After checking it, navigate to the subtitles tab and check the "Overlay Subtitles on the Video" box.
Click Save. This is the final step, after which your video will be saved with subtitles.

This is a straightforward method. All you need is your subtitles file and your video. The setback to adding subtitles to movies on a VLC media player with this method is that you cannot edit the subtitles if you’re making a movie.

Method 2: How to Permanently Add Hard Subtitles to a Video

If you want to permanently add subtitles to a movie, you can create a new video file using HandBrake. This is more complex than using a VLC media player. However, since HandBrake is free, open source, and cross-platform, it's still a good option if you want your subtitles to be added permanently to your movie.

Here’s the process to follow:

Launch Handbrake, then select the video file as the Source.
Click on the Subtitles tab. Open the Tracks dropdown box, and select Add External Subtitles Track.
Select your subtitles file from the browser that appears.
Turn on Burned In to add hard subtitles to your movie permanently.
Add multiple subtitle tracks, select a Language for each, and choose one to use as your Default subtitles.

This allows you to switch between various subtitles without worrying about different files.

After configuring your settings, click Start to burn the new video file. Your subtitle is live.

To generate Tiktok Captions and download TikTok Reels, find out more about our free Tiktok Subtitles Generator and online TikTok Video Downloader services.

Which Method Should You Use For Permanent Subtitles For Short-Form Videos?

Movie lovers who enjoy adding subtitles to a movie will love adding subtitles to short-form video content they watch or create. We have reviewed the most accessible methods to embed subtitles permanently onto your video; let's look at the best way to add subtitles to short-form video content.

In this case, we’ll consider an auto-subtitle generating tool, Submagic.

Generate Captions For Short Movies

Create Video Subtitles Now

Used by top content creators producing great captions every day ✨

Submagic is an AI tool for content creators that generates unique captions (auto-caption) with emojis for short-form content in under 2 minutes. Here’s what you can use Submagic for:

Captioning TikToks under 5 minutes on mobile
Subtitling videos created on iPhone
Adding subtitles to Instagram Reels
Adding captions to YouTube shorts
Downloading Instagram Reels using online Instagram Video Downloader
Generating free trendy Tiktok Hashtags ‍

With Submagic, you can effortlessly create captions with emojis and highlighted keywords with a few clicks.

Submagic allows you to generate trendy Instagram captions and animated subtitles to your videos.

It also allows you to create subtitles in over 48+ languages. You can create subtitles in Japanese, Italian, French, German, and more.

Tips For Making Subtitles Look More Professional

Use Emojis- Emojis can add character and make your caption stand out, but don’t go overboard.
Use captivating Fonts - Creators like Alex Hormozi have increased engagement in their video content because of their stylish and attention-grabbing fonts.
To retain people’s attention, try to keep your captions concise and effectively communicate your point.‍

For movies and long-form content, VLC Media Player is a good option to add subtitles. If you’re a content creator, Submagic offers you the most customization options when it comes to adding subtitles for short-form videos.

About the author

Elie

Content Creator at Submagic 🧡

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Used by top content creators producing great captions every day ✨

Examples of Videos with automatic captions from Submagic

So many creators currently use Submagic to create captivating automatic captions on their social pages with amazing engagements. Here are a few examples of automatic captioning for videos created with Submagic by creators across different countries in different languages.

Vick Tipnes

@vicktipnes