SRT file

What is SRT file?

An SRT file (SubRip Subtitle file) is a plain text file that pairs subtitle text with start and end timecodes, telling a video player when to display each line of text on screen. It contains no video or audio data and must be used alongside a video file, either uploaded separately to a platform or imported into an editing application.

When you'd use it

1. 1When uploading a video to a platform that accepts a separate caption file.
2. 2When you want to swap in a translated caption file without re-exporting the video.
3. 3When importing an existing transcript into an editing application to sync captions to the timeline.
4. 4When sharing a caption file with a client or localization team for review before the video is finalized.
5. 5When the platform or hosting service lets viewers choose from multiple caption language tracks.

Example

After transcribing a 60-second product demo, a creator exports the transcript as an SRT file and uploads it to YouTube. YouTube uses the timecodes to sync the captions automatically, and the creator can later download a translated version from a localization service and upload it as a second language track without touching the video file.

Use cases

1. 1Uploading a corrected SRT alongside a YouTube video so the platform renders accurate closed captions.
2. 2Handing a caption file to a translation vendor to produce Spanish and French versions of a brand video.
3. 3Importing an SRT into an editor to use the timecoded text as the basis for styled caption overlays.

FAQ

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