Working with Subtitles

Subtitles make your videos more accessible, engaging, and effective. They help viewers understand your content even in sound-off environments and can significantly improve viewer retention. This guide explains how to work with subtitles in Vidsue.

Understanding Subtitles in Vidsue

When you create a video in Vidsue, subtitles are automatically generated based on your script. These subtitles:

• Match the spoken narration word-for-word
• Are timed to align perfectly with the audio
• Display at the bottom of the video by default
• Use a standard readable style initially

Basic Subtitle Editing

Accessing the Subtitle Editor

1. Open your video in edit mode
2. Look for the Edit Text button in the editing panel
3. Click to open the subtitle editor interface

Correcting Text Errors

If the automatic subtitles contain any errors or you want to change the wording:

1. In the subtitle editor, you'll see all your subtitles organized by sections
2. Each section contains words that can be individually edited
3. Click on any word you want to change
4. Type your correction
5. The changes will update in real-time in the preview
6. Click Save Changes when you're finished

Pro Tip: Keep subtitles concise and clear. Shorter subtitles are easier to read quickly.

Breaking Up Long Subtitles

Sometimes you may need to break a long subtitle into multiple parts:

1. In the subtitle editor, identify sections that have too many words
2. Currently, subtitle breaks follow your script's sentence structure
3. To create additional breaks, you would need to modify your original script
4. Regenerate the video with your updated script to implement the new subtitle breaks

Styling Your Subtitles

Customizing Subtitle Appearance

Make your subtitles match your brand or improve readability:

1. In edit mode, click the Configure Subtitles button
2. This opens the subtitle style customization panel
3. From here, you can modify several aspects of your subtitles:

Text Style Options

Choose from several preset text styles:

• Modern: Clean, contemporary font with shadow
• Classic: Traditional subtitle style
• Minimal: Simple, unobtrusive text
• Bold: High-emphasis, very visible subtitles
• Creative: Stylized text with more personality

Color Options

Customize the colors of your subtitles:

1. Font Color: Choose the main text color
2. Highlight Color: Select a background or highlight color
3. Preview how these colors look against your video content
4. Aim for high contrast between text and background

Pro Tip: White or yellow text on a semi-transparent black background provides the best readability across most video content.

Text Case Options

Adjust how text is capitalized:

1. Normal: Standard sentence case
2. Uppercase: ALL CAPS for emphasis or style

Single Word Highlighting

Enable or disable word-by-word highlighting:

1. When enabled, each word is highlighted as it's spoken
2. This helps viewers follow along more easily
3. Particularly useful for educational or instructional content

Changing Subtitle Position

You can move subtitles to avoid covering important visual elements:

1. In the subtitle style editor, find the position dropdown
2. Choose from these options:
   • Bottom (default): Traditional subtitle placement
   • Top: Places subtitles at the top of the frame
   • Middle: Centers subtitles vertically in the frame
3. Preview how the position looks with your specific video content
4. Select the position that interferes least with your key visuals

Advanced Subtitle Techniques

Emphasizing Key Words

To draw attention to important terms:

1. Use the subtitle editor to identify key words
2. Add emphasis by changing specific words to UPPERCASE
3. Or choose a subtitle style that includes highlight effects

Using Proper Timing

Good subtitle timing improves the viewing experience:

1. Vidsue automatically aligns subtitles with spoken words
2. If you notice any timing issues, you can adjust them by:
   • Reviewing your original script's punctuation
   • Adding appropriate pauses with commas and periods
   • Regenerating the video with the improved script

Making Subtitles Accessible

For better accessibility:

1. Choose high-contrast color combinations
2. Use adequate font sizes (Vidsue handles this automatically)
3. Keep subtitles on screen long enough to read (based on word count)
4. Ensure all spoken content is transcribed accurately
5. Consider position to avoid covering important visual information

Subtitle Best Practices

Follow these guidelines for effective subtitles:

1. Keep it brief: Aim for 30-40 characters per line
2. Use simple fonts: Vidsue's default fonts are chosen for readability
3. Maintain consistency: Use the same style throughout your video
4. Check against backgrounds: Ensure readability across all scenes
5. Consider your audience: Larger text for older viewers, bolder styles for mobile viewing

Troubleshooting Common Subtitle Issues

Text Not Matching Audio

If your subtitles don't match the narration:

1. Use the subtitle editor to correct any mistakes
2. Save your changes and preview again

Subtitles Moving Too Quickly

If subtitles change too fast to read:

1. Consider simplifying your script with shorter sentences
2. Add more pauses in your original script
3. Regenerate your video with the updated script

Text Too Small or Hard to Read

If subtitles are difficult to read:

1. Choose a bolder subtitle style
2. Increase contrast between text and background
3. Consider moving subtitles to a different position

Next Steps

Now that you understand how to work with subtitles, you might want to learn about:

• Editing Videos for more general video customization
• Creating Voice Narration to pair with your subtitles
• Exporting Videos with embedded or separate subtitle files

With these subtitle tools and techniques, you can create videos that are more accessible, engaging, and effective for all viewers, regardless of how they consume your content.