· 6 min read
Captions for video hooks: making the first three seconds read on mute
On a muted feed, your hook is only as strong as the text on screen. How to time, size and place captions so the first three seconds land without sound.
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Captioning short video, explained
Notes from building a caption app: where captions should sit, why they blur, what the platforms do to them, and what actually gets them read. Written by the developer, checked against the app.
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· 5 min read
What is an SRT file, and where does it actually work?
An SRT file is plain text holding numbered subtitle lines and timings. How the format works, where it's accepted, and how short-form video handles it.
· 6 min read
How to caption a talking head video
Where to put captions on a talking head video so they clear your face and the app's buttons, how big to make them, and how to pace them for one voice.
· 6 min read
Emoji in video captions: when they help and when they hurt
Emoji can carry tone in a muted caption or bury the words. When to use them on short video, how many to add, and the rendering problems to check first.
· 5 min read
All caps or sentence case captions: which reads better?
All caps look bold on short video, but sentence case is easier to read in longer lines. When each one works, and how to pick a case for your niche.
· 6 min read
What's the best caption colour for any background?
No text colour reads on every shot. Captions stay readable because of brightness contrast and an outline or box. How to pick colours that survive the upload.
· 5 min read
How to fix names and brand words in auto captions
Auto captions turn names, brands and jargon into ordinary words. How to spot every one before export, fix them fast, and keep spellings consistent.
· 5 min read
Auto captions with background music, and how to mix for them
Background music is a common reason auto captions go wrong. Why music competes with speech, and how to order and mix a clip so the captions come out clean.
· 6 min read
How to record better audio on iPhone, so your captions come out right
Caption accuracy is decided when you hit record. Mic distance, rooms, wind and handling noise on iPhone, and the small fixes that make a big difference.
· 5 min read
Why auto captions get words wrong, and what actually helps
Auto captions miss words for a few predictable reasons, like accents, music, names and crosstalk. What causes each one, and what really improves accuracy.
· 5 min read
Open vs closed captions, and when to use both
Open captions are burned into the picture. Closed captions are a track viewers can switch. The accessibility trade-offs, and when to use both.
· 6 min read
Captions vs subtitles: what's actually the difference
Captions assume the viewer can't hear. Subtitles assume they can't follow the language. Where the terms differ, and why social video blurs them.
· 6 min read
What font size should captions be on vertical video?
Font size numbers mean different things in every app. How to size captions against the 1080×1920 frame instead, with starting points by caption style.
· 6 min read
What's the best font for video captions?
No single caption font wins, but the ones that read on a phone share a few traits: heavy weight, tall lowercase, open shapes. How to choose one that holds up.
· 6 min read
How many words should each caption hold?
One word at a time, a short phrase, or two full lines. How many words each caption should hold on short video, and how to pick by the kind of content.
· 5 min read
How long should captions stay on screen?
Broadcast rules give subtitles seconds each. Short-form captions flash past in fractions of one. How reading speed works, and how to time captions that read.
· 5 min read
Why captions look blurry after you upload, and how to fix it
TikTok, Reels and Shorts re-encode every upload, and thin caption text suffers first. Why it happens, and five settings that keep captions sharp.
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Free to try: 5 transcriptions, clips up to 2 minutes, exports carry a small Capster badge. iPhone, iOS 16.0+. No account.