How to Merge Subtitles with Video
With so many people watching videos with the sound off these days, subtitles are no longer just nice to have, they’re the key to grabbing attention and making your content accessible to everyone. However, adding subtitles manually takes up a lot of time and effort, which is why most creators choose to automate this process.
With that in mind, let’s explore why subtitles are a game-changer for video creators and how, with the right tools, adding them can be a breeze.
Why subtitles matter
Adding subtitles is a small step with a big payoff. They have the power to transform your content and take it to the next level in a number of ways. Some are instantly noticeable, while others work in the background to make your content better.
Here’s a quick rundown of reasons why you should merge subtitles with your videos every time:
Inclusive content
Whether you’re creating content “for the masses” or for a small, niche community, chances are your viewers will be quite diverse. Some of them might have difficulties hearing – so videos with captions are their only viable option. Others may have trouble focusing on the visual side and have to rely on subtitles to stay connected to the storyline. In either case, using a tool to combine video and subtitles quickly is your best course of action for creating inclusive content that caters to a wide range of viewers.
Global reach
Adding subtitles to your videos is like rolling out a welcome mat for new viewers to come and discover your content. It’s an open invitation for everyone to join the experience and break down language barriers. And if you go the extra mile with translated subtitles, it means your videos are ready to hit the global stage!
Better SEO and discoverability
One of the most surprising beneath-the-surface perks of adding subtitles to your videos is how much they boost your SEO efforts. While search engines can’t “crawl” videos directly (yet!), they can read text-based content associated with them. When you speak your target keywords during your video, they get naturally embedded in your captions. This means your subtitles double as keyword-rich text that search engines can crawl and index – effortlessly boosting your chances of being discovered!
Match current viewing habits
As we mentioned at the very beginning, the reality is that most people are watching with the sound off. This makes subtitles not just a helpful add-on but a necessity for making sure your message still gets through. Otherwise, you simply risk losing your viewers' attention. Whether your viewers are watching videos on their commute or silently scrolling their feed at 3 AM, make sure your videos are there to tell the full story even without sound.
How to merge subtitles with video: a quick step-by-step guide
The only downside to having subtitles in your videos is how time-consuming it is to add and sync them manually. But you can bypass that by using a video and subtitle merger app like Flixier to do all the heavy lifting (and syncing) for you.
Here’s how to merge subtitles with video using Flixier, in a nutshell:
- Open Flixier
If you’re clearing up your hard drive to make space for another video editing app, you can stop. Flixier is entirely browser-based, so no downloads or installations will be taking place today. All you need to do is open your browser, look up Flixier, or go directly to Flixier.com. From the homepage, click the Get Started button to get to the editing dashboard.
- Upload your video
Whether you’ve got a video stored on your phone, in cloud storage, or stashed somewhere in your computer, you can easily bring it into Flixier. Simply click on Import/Record, choose your preferred upload option, and import your video.
- Get your subtitles
Once the video is properly loaded on the timeline, right-click on it and select Generate subtitle. This will channel the power of AI to automatically create perfectly synced subtitles for your video. If you want to generate more subtitles in different languages, select the subtitle object from the timeline, and from the Translate tab on the right, click on Add a new language.
- Make them stand out
The beauty of using a video subtitle merger like Flixier is that you can customize each element of your video to your heart’s content, and subtitles are no exception. You can play around with the many preset styles available and change the font, color, size, and placement of your subtitles as many times as you want. If you want to truly make an impression, try animating your subtitles by choosing an animation style from the Subtitle tab.
- Export and share
Once you’re done editing your video, it’s time for it to meet its audience. Hit Export to download your video locally and/or instantly publish it to social media sites and other online platforms with just one click. Don’t worry – your subtitles are well embedded within your video, no matter where it goes.
