Getting Started with AI Video Captions

Adding captions to your videos is one of the most impactful things you can do for engagement. Studies show that 80% of viewers are more likely to watch a video to completion when captions are available, and captioned videos on social media receive 40% more views on average.

With CanvaSub, you can go from raw video to beautifully captioned content in just a few steps.

Step 1: Upload Your Video

After creating a workspace and project, upload your video file. We support MP4, MOV, WebM, and most common formats. Depending on your plan, videos can be up to 30 minutes long.

Step 2: Transcribe with AI

Click the Transcribe button and our AI will automatically convert speech to text with word-level timestamps. We support over 90 languages, including right-to-left languages like Arabic and Hebrew.

The transcription typically takes just a few seconds per minute of video.

Step 3: Choose a Caption Style

Browse our library of 8+ caption styles, from minimal and clean to bold karaoke-style highlights. Each style is designed to maximize readability while matching different brand aesthetics:

• Minimal — Clean, simple text overlay
• Bold — High-contrast text with background
• Karaoke — Word-by-word highlight as they're spoken
• Gradient — Colorful gradient text effects
• Outline — Text with stylish outlines
• Shadow — Subtle shadow effects for depth

Step 4: Customize and Edit

Fine-tune your captions with our editor:

• Edit the transcription text for accuracy
• Adjust timing of individual words or phrases
• Change fonts, colors, and sizing
• Apply brand presets for consistent styling
• Position captions anywhere on screen

Step 5: Render and Export

Choose your export format (9:16 for TikTok/Reels/Shorts, 1:1 for Instagram, or 16:9 for YouTube) and hit render. Your captioned video will be ready to download in minutes.

Tips for Better Engagement

1. Keep captions concise — Break long sentences into shorter segments
2. Use contrasting colors — Ensure text is readable against your video background
3. Match your brand — Use consistent fonts and colors across all videos
4. Add emphasis — Use bold or highlight styles for key words
5. Test on mobile — Most social media is consumed on phones, so ensure captions are large enough to read

Ready to Start?

Sign up for free and create your first captioned video today. No credit card required.