In this article, you'll learn everything you need to know about hardcoded subtitles (also known as burned-in subtitles) using Clideo's easy-to-use mini tools. We'll explain the difference between hard and soft subtitles, discuss when and why you might want to use hardcoded subtitles—which are permanently embedded into your video files—and guide you step-by-step through the process. Hardcoded subtitles ensure your captions are always visible across different platforms and aspect ratios, making your content accessible to a wider audience regardless of device or language. Whether you're creating content for social media, international audiences, or accessibility purposes, this guide will help you make your videos more engaging and accessible.
Benefits of subtitles
Subtitles serve many important functions that enhance the viewing experience for all audiences.
- Accessibility in various environments: Subtitles make videos accessible in noisy environments where audio may be hard to hear, as well as in quiet settings where sound must be muted.
- Aid comprehension: They help viewers understand content when speakers have strong accents or speak rapidly.
- Languages support: Subtitles provide translations in multiple languages, making videos accessible to international audiences.
- Reinforce key messages: They aid retention and comprehension by reinforcing the video's message.
- Enhance SEO: Subtitles make content more discoverable and allow for keyword indexing.
- Improve accessibility: Subtitles ensure inclusivity for people with hearing impairments.
Hardcoded vs. soft subtitles
Subtitles come in two main types: soft (also known as closed captions) and hardcoded (open captions).
Soft subtitles are stored as separate subtitle files, such as SRT or VTT files (each subtitle file is made up of individual subtitle lines, which represent the basic unit of text that appears on screen), that can be turned on or off by the viewer during playback. This flexibility allows users to choose their preferred language or turn off subtitles. Soft subtitles are displayed by the video player during playback. Still, they may not always appear correctly depending on the player's compatibility, and can sometimes become unsynced or fail to display properly.
Hardcoded subtitles, on the other hand, are permanently burned into the video image itself. They are an integral part of the video file and cannot be turned off or removed. This ensures that subtitles are always visible and perfectly synchronized with the video content, regardless of the device or platform used for playback. The downside is that hardcoded subtitles offer no viewer control, cannot be edited after embedding, and may degrade quality during the encoding process.
As more viewers watch videos without sound — whether due to hearing impairments, being in public places or workplaces, or simply preferring muted playback — the demand for both hardcoded and softcoded subtitles has increased to ensure video content remains accessible and effective across different viewing environments.
Why choose hardcoded subtitles?
Before proceeding to the step-by-step guide on how to hardcode subtitles, it's important to understand the main advantages and disadvantages of using them in your videos. Knowing these pros and cons will help you decide whether your project needs burned-in subtitles.
- Your video will be compatible with all devices and players, so you don't need to worry about extra subtitle files.
- You can be sure that subtitles will always stay in sync and never fail to load.
- When sharing your videos on platforms that do not support adding a subtitle file, like Instagram or TikTok, you'll know that your subtitles will be visible.
- If you're targeting international viewers, hardcoded subtitles guarantee reliable language translations.
- For audiences who are hearing-impaired, you can provide guaranteed access to captions with hardcoded subtitles.
- Keep in mind that viewers won't be able to turn off or customize the subtitles.
- Once subtitles are embedded, you won't be able to remove or edit them without reprocessing the entire video.
- Be aware that a slight loss of video quality may occur during the encoding process.
How to burn subtitles into video
If you are ready to embed subtitles into your video, you'll need the right tool — and Clideo fits the bill perfectly. Clideo is an online multimedia editing platform designed to make video creation easy and accessible. It offers a suite of user-friendly mini tools for quick, focused edits without complexity.
The process of adding subtitles generally involves either manually typing them, uploading a subtitle file, or using AI-generated transcripts, and Clideo makes it easy to burn subtitles into the video using any of these methods with their Subtitle tool. Like many other tools, it allows customization of subtitle appearance, including font, size, and color. Since Clideo works entirely online, it supports all major operating systems (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) without software installation.
Let's take a look at how Clideo's Subtitle tool can help you quickly add subtitles to a video, creating professional, accessible content that works on all devices and platforms.
-
Upload your video to the tool
Open the Subtitle Creator in any browser and hit the "Choose file" button to upload a video from your device or directly from your cloud storage accounts, making the process seamless and efficient. Once your video is uploaded, you can proceed to add subtitles using various methods.
You can generate subtitles automatically (auto subtitles option), add subtitles manually, or import them from an .SRT file.
-
Edit subtitles
Whatever you choose, you'll be transferred to the editing pane, where you can add, edit, and delete subtitles, change their order and timing.
You can also choose from a variety of fonts, adjust its size and background style to make your subtitles more engaging.
If you created subtitles from scratch, it's a good idea to save them as an .SRT file before processing the project further. Having a separate subtitle file allows for easy repurposing and translation, and may also be used for various video platforms and tools.
Remember to set up an output format. MP4 and MOV are the best choices for posting your project online, as they are compatible with most video platforms and social media.
When you are done, hit "Export" and let the tool do its job.
-
Burn subtitles into your video file
That's the last moment to remove or alter hardcoded subtitles in your video: just click the "Edit" button and return to the previous screen. If you like what you see and want to save the result, download your project with embedded subtitles.
Visit our Help Center for the most recent details about all our tools.
Yes, Clideo supports a wide range of video file formats, including MP4, MOV, AVI, and many more, ensuring compatibility across various platforms.
Yes, the tool offers an auto subtitle generator that can create subtitles from your video's audio track. You will need a Clideo Pro plan to generate subtitles for longer videos.
Absolutely! You can adjust the font, size, color, and background to match your video's style and enhance readability.
Yes, the tool lets you translate subtitles directly within the platform, making it easy to have subtitles in different languages without leaving the tool.
No, once subtitles are burned in and you download the video, they become a permanent part of the file and cannot be removed or edited.
Good video subtitles demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity, thereby improving brand reputation. A simple and effective way to ensure your videos are accessible, engaging, and compatible across all devices and platforms is to hardcode subtitles online. Clideo's subtitle tool provides a straightforward, browser-based solution for embedding subtitles without complex software. Whether you want to improve accessibility for international viewers, boost video engagement on social media platforms, or guarantee subtitle visibility on any device, Clideo's subtitle creator tool makes the process fast, easy, and reliable. Try it today to add professional, hardcoded subtitles to your videos with just a few clicks.