> ## Documentation index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.tutorial.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Captions

> Add closed or open (burned-in) captions to your video tutorials — with pros, cons, and guidance on when to use each.

Section: Docs › Visual effects

Captions are essential for narrated tutorials — they improve accessibility, boost engagement on muted social feeds, and help viewers follow along in noisy environments. Tutorial AI supports two types.

## Closed captions (uploaded file)

Closed captions are separate files that viewers can toggle on/off and switch languages.

**Pros:**
- Viewers can toggle captions on/off
- Supports multiple languages
- Searchable and indexable by platforms
- Styling controlled by the video host

**Cons:**
- Most players show captions **off** by default
- In muted/autoplay embeds, viewers may not realize audio is available
- Styling varies by platform

**How to add:**

1. Generate your video

2. Go to **Export** → download a caption file (**.srt**, **.sbv**, or **.vtt**)

   ![](https://www.tutorial.ai/images/help/help-12521199-Screenshot_2026-03-30_at_17_39_17.bd4c23b0.png)

3. Upload the file to your video host (YouTube, Vimeo, LMS, etc.)

4. Make sure you select the **"With timing"** option

   ![](https://www.tutorial.ai/images/help/help-12521199-Screenshot_2025-10-06_at_11_25_51.593b0c8f.webp)

## Open captions (burned-in)

Open captions are permanently rendered into the video itself — always visible, no toggle.

**Pros:**
- Always visible — great for social feeds where sound is off by default (LinkedIn, X)
- Consistent look that matches your brand
- Works everywhere, even where caption files aren't supported

**Cons:**
- Cannot be toggled off by viewers
- May cover on-screen UI elements
- If the host also shows closed captions, you get duplicates

**How to add:**

Open the **Captions** tab in the video toolbar and configure your caption styling — font, size, position, colors.

![](https://www.tutorial.ai/images/help/help-12521199-Screenshot_2025-10-06_at_11_29_26.1cac53cd.png)

## Quick guidance

| Scenario | Recommendation |
|----------|---------------|
| Social feeds / muted autoplay | **Burn-in** (open captions) |
| YouTube, LMS, multi-language | **Upload caption files** (closed) |
| Internal help center embeds | Either — depends on your player |
| Accessibility compliance | **Both** — burned-in for default visibility, files for language options |

> **Caution:** Avoid enabling both closed and burned-in captions at the same time — viewers will see duplicate text and need to manually turn off the closed captions.

## Next steps

  - [1-Click Translation](https://www.tutorial.ai/docs/translation/one-click-translation): Translate captions into 74 languages
  - [Export Video](https://www.tutorial.ai/docs/publishing/export-video): Export with caption files
  - [Backgrounds](https://www.tutorial.ai/docs/visual-effects/backgrounds): Adjust the background behind your captions

Source: https://www.tutorial.ai/docs/visual-effects/captions