Choose the source of the text
Start from a subtitle file you already have, or use the transcription tools available for your recording. These are different starting points: imported text may be accurate but mistimed; generated text may follow the sound but mishear a name.
Treat either source as a draft. Play the opening passage and compare what is said with what appears before spending time on the visual style.
Review meaning before styling
Check names, numbers, negatives and specialist terms first. A missing “not” changes the meaning more than a missing comma. Listen again where the recording is unclear rather than guessing from the sentence alone.
Keep the written wording close enough to the speaker to remain useful. If you shorten filler words, preserve the intention and avoid presenting a rewritten claim as a verbatim statement.
Give each thought time to be read
A cue should not arrive long before its words or remain over the next speaker’s thought. Check the start and end while the video plays. A still preview cannot tell you whether a viewer has time to read.
Split long sentences at natural phrase boundaries. Avoid breaking a name or a tightly connected phrase simply to make both lines equal in length.
Keep text out of the way
Choose a size and contrast that survive the final viewing size. Check light and dark frames, not only the scene that happens to be visible while styling.
Keep captions away from a face, interface control or result the viewer needs to see. For a vertical export, review their position again; a layout that works in landscape may become crowded after reframing.
Watch once with the sound off
A silent review reveals whether the captions carry enough context on their own. Then listen again to confirm that the text has not drifted from the words. Both checks answer different questions.
Open the exported video and inspect a long cue, a rapid exchange and the ending. If you also save a separate subtitle file, keep its name clearly associated with the correct video version.
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