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Burned-in or closed captions ?

Burned-in (open) captions are drawn into the video frames, so every viewer sees them, styled and animated, and nobody can turn them off. Closed captions are a separate SRT or VTT file the player shows on request. Short-form video usually wants burned-in captions, long-form YouTube benefits from a closed track, and Cuecaps exports both from one project.

Updated 28 October 2026

Burned-in captions

Burned-in captions become part of the picture when the video is rendered. That is the only way to get word-by-word highlights, custom fonts, emphasis colors and entrance animations, and it works on every platform, including the ones with no way to attach a subtitle file.

  • Always visible, which matters for viewers scrolling with the sound off.
  • The look is yours: font, size, color, outline, highlight and motion.
  • They can't be switched off, resized by the viewer or translated by the platform.
  • A typo means exporting the video again.
  • They have to stay clear of the platform's buttons and text; the free safe zone checker shows where those sit.

Closed captions (SRT and VTT)

A closed caption track is a text file of numbered cues, each with a start time, an end time and its words. The player draws it over the video when the viewer turns captions on, in the player's own style. On YouTube you add it in YouTube Studio under Subtitles, and you can replace it later without touching the video.

  • Viewers choose whether to see them, and on YouTube can change their size and color.
  • Fixing a word means editing text, not rendering video.
  • YouTube can translate an uploaded track into other languages for viewers.
  • SRT is the most widely accepted format; VTT is the web standard used by HTML5 players and many course platforms. The free converter turns one into the other.

Which one to use where

  • YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels: a burned-in MP4.
  • Long-form YouTube: upload an SRT, and burn captions into the Shorts you cut from it.
  • Your own site or a course platform: a VTT file.
  • Still editing in Premiere, Resolve or CapCut: the transparent overlay, which keeps animated captions on their own track.
  1. Drop the video into the studio and run Find words.
  2. Fix any words, then pick a style for the burned-in version.
  3. Export the MP4 for social.
  4. Press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac) and choose Export subtitles (SRT, VTT). Both files use the same words, timing and caption breaks as the video.

Questions

Are burned-in captions the same as open captions?

Yes. Open, burned-in and hard-coded captions all mean text rendered into the video frames, as opposed to a closed track the viewer can switch off.

Does an SRT file keep my caption style?

No. SRT and VTT hold the words and their timing; the player decides how they look. Styling only survives in a burned-in video or a transparent overlay.

Should I use both on YouTube?

For long-form videos it often makes sense: burned-in captions for the Shorts you cut from the video, and an SRT on the full upload so viewers can turn captions on, resize them or translate them.

Do I pay extra for the subtitle files?

No. SRT and VTT export works on the free plan once you have signed in, and the files never carry a mark.

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