ClipAtelier

Guide

How to add captions to YouTube Shorts

Most Shorts start playing without sound, so captions decide whether people stay. There are two kinds: closed captions that viewers can turn on, and burned-in captions that are part of the video and always visible.

Burned-in, word-by-word captions are the standard on Shorts, TikTok and Reels. Here are three ways to add them, from free and manual to fully automatic.

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Vertical Short example frame from a long interviewCaptioned 9:16 clip example from a podcastAI-reframed talking-head Short example

How it works

  1. 01

    Get a transcript

    Use auto-captions from YouTube, your editor or an AI clipper as the starting text.

  2. 02

    Fix names and numbers

    These are the words transcription gets wrong most often. Fix them before you burn them in.

  3. 03

    Style and place

    Large, high-contrast text slightly below centre, away from the app buttons at the bottom.

What you get

  • Word-by-word timing

    Text that appears as it is spoken is easier to follow than full sentences.

  • Highlight the current word

    Karaoke-style highlights pull the eye along with the voice.

  • 2–4 words per line

    Short lines read in a glance on a small screen.

  • Contrast first

    White or yellow with a dark outline stays readable over any footage.

  • Safe placement

    Keep captions out of the bottom fifth where the title and buttons sit.

  • Same language as speech

    Translated captions help reach, but the original language converts best.

Option 1: YouTube's built-in captions

In YouTube Studio open the Short, go to Subtitles and use the automatic captions or upload a file. They are free and searchable, but viewers must turn them on and they don't look like the captions people expect in the Shorts feed.

Option 2: burn captions in an editor

CapCut, Premiere and similar editors generate captions you can style and burn into the video. You get full control over fonts and animation, at the cost of correcting and timing each clip by hand — usually 10 to 20 minutes per Short.

Option 3: automatic captions while clipping

An AI clipper can caption while it cuts. ClipAtelier transcribes the speech, times captions word by word, highlights the current word and burns them in on every clip, in 19 languages. Pick a style once and every clip in the batch matches; edit any word in the studio before export.

Example clip frames

  • Vertical Short example frame from a long interview
  • Captioned 9:16 clip example from a podcast
  • AI-reframed talking-head Short example

Frequently asked questions

  • Do captions help Shorts get more views?

    They keep muted viewers watching, and watch time drives reach. Burned-in captions also carry to TikTok and Reels when you repost the same file.

  • Should I use YouTube captions or burned-in captions?

    Use burned-in captions for viewers, and optionally upload a caption file too so the text is searchable.

  • Which languages does ClipAtelier caption?

    19 languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French and Turkish. Captions can also be translated on paid plans.

  • Can I edit the captions?

    Yes. Every word can be corrected in the studio before you download or publish.

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