Updated: March 1, 2017
The topic of hardcoding subtitles into video clips is not a new one. We have discussed this in a tutorial several years ago, using Linux only tools. Today, we will revisit this concept, with the focus on the highly versatile and powerful media player, VideoLAN (VLC).
Control live text overlay(s) over a live video feed or file using VLC. VLC Lyric Control (VLyriC) is a light-weight utility built to work with VLC 2.0.8 in order to display and control live text overlay (s) on top of a video feed or file that is being played by the instance of VLC that VLyriC is connected to. To do so, you may tap on the Add logo area under the Overlay tab and browse the folder where your logo image is saved. Hence, you should make or download a logo and save it to the hard drive before you add it to your movie. Then, position the logo appropriately and adjust the transparency according to your preference.
Indeed, if you are not in the mood to use multiple tools to accomplish a few simple video editing tasks, nor dabble in strange, unknown operating systems, VLC can do the job for you, in a simple and elegant manner. Now, this guide partially demonstrates on Linux, but the steps are 100% identical and consistent for Windows, too. Please, join me.
Embed subtitles
The first task is to create or find a video clip, and then, respectively, organize your subtitles. Let's assume you have a subtitle file. It will most likely be in the SUB or SRT format. Both these are just text files really, and you can always open and inspect the contents in a text editor. Now, we want to hardcode the text as an overlay to your video clip, so you can always watch the subtitles, even on devices that do not support fancy container formats capable of displaying subtitles separately.
Open VLC > Media > Stream. This will open the dialog box where you can choose one or more files for transcoding. You do not need to check the box that reads 'Use a subtitle file' at this point. We will sort this later on. Click Stream at the bottom. This will launch a transcoding wizard. The first step is to select source, but you've already done that.
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Next, choose the destination (output) file. You may want to give it a suffix that matches the output format you're seeking. This could be AVI or MP4 or alike. Do remember that some format do not support subtitles.
Transcoding options
This is where it gets a little bit complicated. You need to choose the right profile for transcoding, and this means encapsulation format, video and audio codecs, and the subtitles overlay. Some codecs may not be available on your system.
Choose the 'right' profile. Then, you have three buttons on the right side. Edit, delete and create new profile. Do remember that deleting a profile is permanent. So are any changes you add to an existing profile. Therefore, do not randomly edit settings until you're 100% sure you know what you're doing.
The best thing is to create a new profile and play with it until you get it right. You will need to choose four options - the encapsulation format, largely dictated by its ability to include subtitles, the right video and audio codecs, and the subtitles overlay.
On the last page in the profile edition - check both the box that reads Subtitles and the one that reads Overlay subtitles on the video. You do not need to worry about the codec, we will sort that out later.
In some cases, some of the options may not be available - like for instance the Subtitles codec if you choose WebM as your container. Either way, you should test what works for you, see that the rendered product is what you are looking for, and you are happy there are no weird artifacts. Do remember the availability of codecs on your system will also dictate how things are done.
Review options & tweak subtitles
Now, the next step in the wizard will let you review the selected options. You will need to tweak one small thing, and that is to remove the Subtitles (scodec) option, because you do not need to transcode them, merely overlay them.
Therefore, if your output looks like:
:sout=#transcode{vcodec=h264,vb=800,fps=24,scale=Auto,
width=1920,height=1080,acodec=mpga,ab=128,channels=2,
samplerate=44100,scodec=dvbs,soverlay}:file{dst=,
no-overwrite} :sout-keep
Remove the piece that reads scodec=dvbs,. Then, hit Stream.
Render & test
The render time will depend on many factors, including your CPU clock, the video size, the options you've selected, and such. Lean back and let it run. Once the file render finishes, close the media player, then launch your file to see what gives. You should also test on the destination system of your choice, wherever you'd like to watch the final product, to make sure everything works perfectly. There might be errors, and we will discuss those separately.
Optional steps
You might also be interested in changing the default text renderer options through VLC advanced preferences menu. Tools > Settings, Show settings: All (bottom left), in the sidebar, select Video > Subtitles/OSD > Text renderer. Tweak as you please.
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More reading
If you liked this article, then perhaps you'll enjoy these as well:
Handbrake tutorial (it can also do subtitles, I might follow up with an article)
Stream and record media in VLC
VLC secrets: logging and how it helps with bad files
Problems with VLC codecs - and how to fix this (Linux)
VLC cannot play remote files
Rotate videos in VLC
Conclusion
VideoLAN (VLC) is an extremely versatile tool, and this tutorial proves it. Literally, there are very few media-related tasks that VLC can't execute. It's just the right software for pretty much anything. The work flow is not as intuitive as it can be, but still. Your biggest enemy will be your own understanding of multimedia, and whatever codec support you have on your box. Plus of course the legal restrictions of distributing your work.
There we go. Another hurdle overcome. Now, this is not a simple one, and you're more likely to face weird errors and problems than smooth sailing. But we will address this in a followup article. Specifically, we will talk about audio problems, as well as issues of trying to upload our rendered files to Youtube. Worry not, all shall be resolved.
Cheers.
VLC Media Player is a free, open-source multimedia player compatible across platforms. Its user-friendly interface allows users to easily add captions and subtitles to videos and movies. In fact, there are several ways of doing so, whether you're on Windows, Mac, or Linux. Here's how.
More reading
If you liked this article, then perhaps you'll enjoy these as well:
Handbrake tutorial (it can also do subtitles, I might follow up with an article)
Stream and record media in VLC
VLC secrets: logging and how it helps with bad files
Problems with VLC codecs - and how to fix this (Linux)
VLC cannot play remote files
Rotate videos in VLC
Conclusion
VideoLAN (VLC) is an extremely versatile tool, and this tutorial proves it. Literally, there are very few media-related tasks that VLC can't execute. It's just the right software for pretty much anything. The work flow is not as intuitive as it can be, but still. Your biggest enemy will be your own understanding of multimedia, and whatever codec support you have on your box. Plus of course the legal restrictions of distributing your work.
There we go. Another hurdle overcome. Now, this is not a simple one, and you're more likely to face weird errors and problems than smooth sailing. But we will address this in a followup article. Specifically, we will talk about audio problems, as well as issues of trying to upload our rendered files to Youtube. Worry not, all shall be resolved.
Cheers.
VLC Media Player is a free, open-source multimedia player compatible across platforms. Its user-friendly interface allows users to easily add captions and subtitles to videos and movies. In fact, there are several ways of doing so, whether you're on Windows, Mac, or Linux. Here's how.
How do I add captions & subtitles to VLC?
There are two ways of adding captions and subtitles to videos and movies in VLC Media Player. You can either embed captions into the video file itself or open a sidecar captions file alongside your video file. In fact, choosing the right method depends on your goal.
Opening a sidecar captions file allows to view it alongside the video. Use this method to check subtitles and captions at the beginning of your editing phase. This is also the preferred option for players/platforms requiring subtitles to be uploaded in a separate file.
Rev now offers burned-in captions (open captions). Just check the 'burned-in captions' box at checkout and you'll receive a video with permanent, hard-coded captions added straight to your videos. Also available for foreign language subtitles!
Download Vlc Player For Mac
Watch the video below to learn how to easily order a professional, 99% accurate caption sidecar file from Rev (most popular format is an SRT file)
Now that you have your caption file here are a few methods for adding your caption or subtitle file to VLC:
Method 1: Embed Captions into Your Videos
To permanently add subtitles to a video, you can export videos with embedded captions from an editor like Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie or Avid Media Composer. This way, they will automatically be enabled on any player, including VLC.
You can also encode the SRT file with Handbrake, a free open-source video transcoder. To do so, order a professional caption file from Rev and download it in the SRT file format. On Mac, open the video in Handbrake, then go to the Subtitles tab. Expand the Tracks drop-down menu and select Add External SRT. You can now add as many subtitle files as you want – also in multiple languages.
There is also an option to add your subtitle file to your video directly in VLC. However, as this is a media player and not an editing tool, its encoding options are limited. To encode subtitles in VLC on Mac, go to the File tab, then select Convert and Stream:
A dialog box will open, indicating the selected video file. Add the subtitle file by clicking on Open Media. Then, in the Choose profile section you can select your desired profile. Click on Customize to select the additional subtitle options. A new dialog box will open, allowing you to choose a subtitle file format. There are only two options available: DVB Subtitle, and T.140. Choose DVB Subtitle, then check the box next to Overlay subtitles on the video.
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Click on Apply, next on Save File, then on Browse.
Once you've selected the folder in which you want to save your file, you will be able to save the file. That's it – you're all set!
Method 2: Automatically Open a Sidecar Captions File in VLC Media Player
To automatically open a sidecar captions file in VLC Media Player, you just need to follow two simple conventions. First, name both video and subtitle file in the exact same way (it's ok for them to have different extensions). Secondly, place them in the same folder. That's it! By opening the video file, VLC will automatically recognize the presence of a related subtitle file, and open it at the same time. You can also do this on VLC for iOS, iPhone and Android.
Pro tip:order a professional caption file from Rev here.
There is also the option to manually select the subtitle file. To do so, open the video in VLC. Go to the Subtitles tab and select 'Add Subtitle File'. Pick the file from the resulting dialog box to display your captions/subtitles. To switch between languages, go to Subtitles Track and select the preferred option. If you still can't view your subtitles, check the procedure at the end of this article.
What caption formats can I open in VLC Player?
In VLC Media Player, you can use several different caption formats. Here is the complete list of supported formats:
- DVD
- MicroDVD (.sub)
- SubViewer (.sub)
- SSA1-5 (.ssa, .ass)
- JACOsub (.jss)
- MPsub (.sub)
- Teletext
- SAMI (.SAMI)
- VPlayer (.txt)
- Closed captions
- VobSub (.sub, .idx)
- Universal Subtitle Format (.usf)
- SVCD / CVD
- DVB
- OGM (.ogm)
- CMML
- Kate
- ID3 tags
- APEv2
- Vorbis comment (.ogg)
How do I turn on subtitles in VLC Media Player?
Vlc Video Player For Mac
Your video is finally ready – you've correctly added your subtitles and closed captions file, either in a sidecar captions file or by encoding it in the video itself. But how do you turn them on in VLC Media Player, so that they get displayed? On Mac, go to VLC > Preferences > Subtitles/OSD, and check the box next to Enable OSD.
