How to add captions to a tutorial video on Mac
Direct answer: Add captions by generating or writing a transcript, converting it into timed caption segments or an SRT file, reviewing the text, placing captions away from important UI, and exporting the final video or SRT.
Captions help students, viewers watching without sound, non-native speakers, and people scanning a tutorial. The best captions are not just accurate. They are readable, timed well, and placed where they do not hide the thing being taught.
Caption workflow
- Start with clean audio: captions are easier to review when the voice track is clear.
- Create a transcript: use a local transcription tool, manual notes, or another workflow your team trusts.
- Import or edit SRT: an SRT file keeps caption text and timing portable.
- Review names and terms: product names, student names, code, and technical terms often need manual correction.
- Check placement: captions should not cover buttons, code, slides, formulas, or cursor movement.
- Export the right format: use burned-in captions for social clips and SRT when the platform supports closed captions.
SRT vs burned-in captions
| Caption type | Best for | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| SRT file | YouTube, LMS, accessibility review, optional captions | Platform must support caption upload. |
| Burned-in captions | Shorts, Reels, clips where sound is off | Viewer cannot turn them off. |
| Text overlays | Definitions, prompts, lesson steps, product labels | Not a full transcript. |
Where OurScreen fits
OurScreen includes a captions workflow direction around SRT import, manual caption segments, local subtitle generation options, text overlays, and export presets. That makes captions part of the lesson-editing workflow, not a separate afterthought.
Related pages: Mac screen recorder with captions and screen recorder with captions and SRT import for Mac.