Captions vs Subtitles: Main differences

As a non-native English speaker, I often rely on subtitles to enjoy movies and TV shows. Instead of stressing over every word, I can relax and follow the story through the text on the screen. Subtitles not only help me grasp the dialogue but also let me put myself into the emotions and visuals of every scene.
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Captions and subtitles together make videos more accessible to everyone, overcoming challenges like hearing impairments, language differences, or situations where audio is not an option. These features help you reach a broader audience and improve the viewing experience.  
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In this article, you will learn about the differences between captions and subtitles, why they matter, as well as format guidelines and SEO strategies to make your content easy to find and enjoyable.

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Captions and subtitles may seem similar, but they serve different purposes. Captions are on-screen text that displays dialogue and other sound effects for viewers who cannot hear the audio or have difficulty hearing.  

Subtitles are on-screen text that translates dialogue for viewers who don't understand the language spoken in the video. They only display the words in another language, without including information about sounds or audio cues. Now, we will explore the types of captions and subtitles.

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Types of captions

Closed captions (CC):

• Viewers can turn closed captions on or off.
• They are typically transmitted as a separate data stream along with the video and can be customized in appearance.
• Closed captions can be pre-recorded or live. Pre-recorded closed captions are created in advance and synchronized with the video. In contrast, live closed captions are generated in real-time for live events or broadcasts using speech recognition technology.

Open captions:

• These are always visible on the video and cannot be turned off.
• Open captions are part of the video image, integrated into the video file during post-production, and are not affected by device playback settings.
• They are convenient for short-form content like social media videos.

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Types of subtitles

They are categorized as intralingual subtitles and interlingual subtitles.

• Intralingual subtitles: Designed for viewers who speak the same language as the audio. These subtitles provide a text representation of the spoken dialogue. They come in handy in libraries, public transportation, and other places where it's important to keep the noise down. ‍
• Interlingual subtitles: Translate the spoken dialogue into a different language. These subtitles help non-native speakers connect with content they might not otherwise understand. They promote cross-cultural communication and help with language barriers by making films and shows accessible to a global audience.

Comparing subtitles and captions

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To simplify things, we'll refer to captions and subtitles as "captions" for the rest of this article.

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Benefits of captions

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1. Accessibility: By providing text for spoken words, captions make videos accessible to everyone, including people who are deaf or hard of hearing. They ensure that everyone can enjoy and understand your content, regardless of hearing ability. ‍
2. Improved comprehension: Captions help viewers understand the content more clearly. The textual representation makes complex expressions easier to follow. ‍
3. Better viewing in noisy environments: Captions are helpful in noisy places like trains or crowded public gatherings, allowing viewers to understand the content without relying on audio. ‍
4. SEO benefits: Text provided by captions contributes to better SEO, as it offers content that search engines can index. This increased visibility can make your videos more discoverable on platforms like YouTube and Google.

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SEO overview

Search engine optimization (SEO) is all about increasing your website's chances of appearing at the top of search engine results, such as Google. When someone searches the internet, search engines use complex algorithms to decide which websites appear first. To rank higher, improve important aspects such as content, keywords, meta descriptions, and backlinks so that search engines can prioritize your website.  

A higher SEO score indicates increased visibility, traffic, and possible customers.
Subtitles and captions can help your SEO since search engines can index the text content, making your site more accessible and appealing to a larger audience.

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How captions improve SEO ratings

1.  Long-tail keywords:

• You can include specific, less common keywords in transcripts that may not be present in your video title or description, called long-tail keywords. These keywords can help your video content become more searchable and discoverable.
• Modern search engines use natural language processing (NLP) to understand context. Captions provide meaningful contextual information about your video content.
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2. User engagement metrics:

• Viewers watch videos for longer durations when captions are available, indicating to search engines that the content is valuable. Captioned videos are more likely to be shared, especially on social media platforms.
• Accessible content keeps users on your site longer, reducing bounce rates. Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page without further interaction, a lower bounce rate suggests that users are exploring more pages, indicating a positive user experience
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3. Multilingual SEO benefits:

• When you provide captions in multiple languages, your material becomes more relevant for searches in those languages, increasing its visibility in country-specific search results.
• By offering captions in various languages, you can tap into new markets and reach international audiences who may not have otherwise engaged with your content. This helps build a more diverse and global viewer base.
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4. Rich snippets:

• Video schema markup is structured data that helps search engines understand your video content better. By including captions in your video schema, you provide additional context that can increase the visibility of your video in search results.
• Transcripts provide the complete text of the spoken content in a video, adding to the information available to search engines. Including transcripts increases the likelihood of your content being featured in "position zero" snippets, which are highlighted answers that appear at the top of search results.
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5. Mobile SEO benefits:

• As of 2024, 60.67% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. Captions are particularly useful for mobile users who often watch videos without sound, leading to better engagement metrics on mobile devices.
• This can positively impact your video's performance in mobile search results, as search engines prioritize content that provides a good user experience on mobile. This is called mobile-first indexing.

By adding high-quality captions to your video, you're not just making your content more accessible – you're also creating a powerful SEO asset that can greatly improve your video content's visibility and ranking in search results.

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Caption formats: SRT and WebVTT

So, when we are dealing with captions, we’ve got a bunch of formats to choose from. But two of them stand out: SRT and WebVTT.

The first and the most widely used is SRT (SubRip Subtitle). SRT is like the old reliable friend of subtitle formats. It's super simple – just a plain text file with the words and when they should appear on the screen. That's why so many video editors and content creators love it. It's perfect if you're just starting or need something quick and easy.

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Here’s an example of an SRT file:

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362

00:20:01.809 -> 00:20:03.149

You either die a hero...

363

00:20:03.249 -> 00:20:04.549

...or you live long enough...

364
00:20:04.649 -> 00:20:06.229

to see yourself become the villain.

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SRT excels at its primary function. However, if you're looking for fancy formatting options, you might find it somewhat limited. It's great at handling basic subtitle needs yet falls short when more advanced features are required.

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WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks) is a more advanced subtitle format compared to SRT. It handles basic subtitle functions and offers additional features such as styling, positioning, and metadata support. WebVTT is particularly useful for projects requiring more than simple text subtitles, providing enhanced functionality for web-based video content.

Here’s an example of a WebVTT file. All WebVTT files start with the WEBVTT header to indicate the file format.

WEBVTT

11

00:05:10.000 -> 00:05:12.500

Bruce Wayne: I've had training!

12

00:05:13.000 -> 00:05:16.000

Henri Ducard: The training is nothing! The will is everything!

13

00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:19.000

Henri Ducard: The will to act.  

WebVTT is an official W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) standard specifically designed for HTML5 video, ensuring better compatibility and support across modern web browsers compared to the more basic SRT format. It's built for the video world we're living in now.

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Subtitles and captions with FastPix

Here at FastPix, we use the Common Media Application Format (CMAF) to stream all our video content. While the CMAF protocol supports a variety of captioning formats, we believe WebVTT is the best alternative.

When you import captions into FastPix, you must provide a valid WebVTT file. You can choose to provide this file as input or have captions generated automatically by OpenAI’s Whisper model.  

If you want to try adding some captions to your video, follow our documentation and steps to get started guide. You will learn about the prerequisites and get an introduction to using FastPix APIs, ensuring you have all the necessary information to successfully integrate captions into your videos.

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Method 1: Creating media from URL‍

1. Prepare the video URL and metadata like type, start, end, language code, etc.
2. Send a POST request to the ‘/media/’ endpoint with the following JSON payload:

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1{ 
2 "inputs": [ 
3    { 
4      "type": "video", 
5      "url": "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerJoyrides.mp4", 
6      "startTime": 0, 
7      "endTime": 60 
8    }, 
9
10 "createSubtitles": { 
11    "name": "name", 
12    "metadata": { 
13      "key1": "value1" 
14    }, 
15    "languageCode": "en-us" 
16  }, 

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3. Replace https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/ForBiggerJoyrides.mp4 with your video URL.
4. After processing the request, a new media asset will be created with the subtitles added automatically.
5. The response will include the ID of the created media file, which you can use for further actions.

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Method 2: Adding subtitle file manually

1. Prepare the ID of the existing media you want to add subtitles to, and the URL of the subtitles track to be added.
2. Send a POST request to the ‘/media/{mediaId}/tracks’ endpoint with the following JSON payload:

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1{ 
2  "url": "https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/BigBuckBunny.vtt",
3  "type": "subtitle", 
4  "languageCode": "en-US", 
5  "languageName": "english", 
6  "metadata": { 
7    "key1": "value1" 
8  }, 
9  "closedCaptions": false 
10} 

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3. Replace https://storage.googleapis.com/gtv-videos-bucket/sample/BigBuckBunny.vtt with the URL of your subtitle file in VTT format.
4. After processing the request, the subtitle track is added to the media asset.
5. The response will confirm the successful addition of the track.

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Method 3: Uploading video file directly from your device

1. Prepare the video file you want to upload and add subtitles to.
2. Send a POST request to the ‘/uploads’ endpoint with the following JSON payload:

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1{ 
2  "corsOrigin": "*", 
3  "pushMediaSettings": { 
4    "accessPolicy": "private", 
5    "startTime": 0, 
6    "endTime": 60, 
7    "createSubtitles": { 
8      "name": "name", 
9      "metadata": { 
10        "key1": "value1" 
11      }, 
12      "languageCode": "en-us" 
13    }, 
14    "optimizeAudio": true, 
15    "maxResolution": "1080p" 
16  } 
17} 

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3. Upon sending the request, you will receive a response indicating whether the media creation was successful.
4. The response will include details such as the media ID, status, and media URL.

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Review the response

• 201 Created response indicates that the media was successfully created.
• 400 Bad Request response means there was an issue with the request format or data.
• 401 Unauthorized response indicates that your credentials are invalid.
• 402 Payment Required response suggests that your account may need to be upgraded or that you have exceeded your usage limits.

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By following these steps, you can successfully create media with subtitles using the FastPix API. Remember to adjust the values in the JSON payload as necessary to fit your specific requirements.

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Accessibility and formatting guidelines

According to the 2014 mandates by the Federal Communications Commission, for captions to be high quality, they need to be:

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Accurate - This means there should be no errors or mistakes. The industry standard is 99% accuracy. Always review your captions and subtitles, even if you think they are perfect. Do not correct incorrect grammar in the speaker’s dialogue.

Consistent - Your captions should maintain uniform features throughout the content. Avoid changing fonts or colors unless they have a specific purpose, such as differentiating between speakers.

Clear - Captions should clearly indicate who is speaking and convey any non-verbal information, such as sound effects or music cues. Their primary purpose is to enhance comprehension and ensure the content remains accessible, even when the audio is muted.

Readable - Choose an appropriate font and sync captions with the audio properly. Ensure captions stay on screen long enough for viewers to read them comfortably.

Equal - Captions should accurately convey the meaning and intent of the spoken content.

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Caption Font Styles Adopted by Major Streamers

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Style guide

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1. Font: Use a clear, sans-serif font like Arial or Helvetica for your captions. Ensure that the text is large enough to be easily readable, usually around 1/25th of the screen height, and the font size is consistent.

2. Color and contrast: Use high-contrast colors for clear visibility, like white text on a black background. You can consider providing customizable color options for your audience.

3. Speaker-oriented placement: Position captions near the speaker when multiple people are talking to help viewers identify who is speaking. Align captions to the left, right, or centre of the screen based on the speaker’s location.

3. Line length and duration: Limit each line of text to 32-42 characters to ensure readability. Display a maximum of two lines of text to avoid clutter. Allow a minimum of 0.3 seconds per word or 1.5 seconds per line to give viewers enough time to read the captions.  

4. Positioning: By default, place captions at the bottom center of the screen. Be careful not to cover visual elements or on-screen text by maintaining consistent positioning throughout the video.  

5. Timing and synchronization: Synchronize captions with the audio to ensure they appear at the right moment. Captions should match the corresponding audio and remain on screen long enough for viewers to read comfortably.  

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Summing it up…

Using captions helps ensure everyone can enjoy your content, whether they’re dealing with a language barrier or a hearing impairment. At FastPix, we make it easy for content creators and businesses to enhance their videos with captions using our advanced AI-powered tools.

With FastPix, you can automatically generate subtitles in multiple languages, create closed captions that comply with ADA standards with features like speaker identification and sound descriptions, and effortlessly integrate these into your video workflow.  

Try FastPix for free today and see how you can create great video experiences.