A good caption does two jobs: it makes your words readable and stays out of the way of your story. Here is a practical workflow for a short video on iPhone.
1. Start with a clear recording
Choose a clip where the voice is easy to hear. Background music, overlapping speakers and noisy rooms make the first transcription harder to get right. Keep an original copy of the video so you can revisit your edit.
2. Generate, then review
Import your video into AI Captions and choose the spoken language before generating captions. Listen while you read the transcript. Pay special attention to people’s names, brand names, numbers and words that sound alike. Correct the wording before you spend time styling it.
3. Style for the smallest screen
Choose a readable font and strong contrast against the footage. When the background changes often, a text background or stroke can help. Keep caption lines short enough to read at the pace of the speaker. Place text where it will not hide faces or the action.
4. Check your actual destination
Export a captioned video for Reels, TikTok or Shorts. In the destination app, inspect the preview before publishing: the platform’s buttons and description may cover part of the image. Watch once with sound, then once muted. Can you still understand the main point?
Before you publish
- Names and numbers are correct.
- Captions match the speech and stay on screen long enough.
- Text remains readable over bright and dark scenes.
- Faces and platform controls do not overlap the captions.
Need a separate subtitle track instead? Read the SRT and VTT export guide.