Question 1

What are open captions?

Accepted Answer

Open captions are subtitle text that has been permanently burned into the video frames. They are part of the video image itself — just like any other graphic overlay. Every viewer sees them on every platform and device, and they cannot be turned off. Open captions are ideal for social media (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn) where users scroll silently and closed caption tracks may not auto-enable.

Question 2

What are closed captions?

Accepted Answer

Closed captions are a separate text file (SRT, VTT, SCC, etc.) delivered alongside the video. Viewers can toggle them on or off. They are stored separately from the video, so they can be edited, replaced, or translated without re-encoding the video. Closed captions are required for broadcast TV, streaming platforms, and ADA/WCAG web accessibility compliance.

Question 3

When should I use open captions?

Accepted Answer

Use open captions when: (1) uploading to social media where silent auto-play is common, (2) you need captions to display on a platform that doesn't support subtitle tracks (screens, kiosks, digital signage), (3) you need captions to appear in video thumbnails or promotional clips, or (4) you want to ensure consistent caption styling across all devices.

Question 4

When should I use closed captions?

Accepted Answer

Use closed captions when: (1) uploading to YouTube, Vimeo, or Netflix — they all have native caption track support, (2) your content must meet ADA/WCAG accessibility requirements, (3) you need to offer multiple language subtitle tracks, or (4) you want viewers to be able to adjust caption size and colour.

Question 5

How do I create open captions?

Accepted Answer

Generate an SRT file from VideoText, then use the Burn Subtitles tool to permanently embed them into your video. The output is a new video file with the captions baked in.

Question 6

How do I create closed captions?

Accepted Answer

Generate an SRT or VTT file from VideoText and upload it to your platform as a subtitle track. YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia all accept SRT/VTT files for closed caption tracks.

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