Hardcode subtitles on video: Tips and Techniques

These filters allow you to render subtitles into a video.
The subtitle is permanently burned into the image so it remains visible on all devices and players without the need for a separate subtitle file.
It supports SubRip (SRT) and Sub Station Alpha (SSA and ASS) formats, which are common formats for text subtitles in videos.
This helps ensure that your subtitles display correctly in a wide range of video editors and players.

How to create SRT subtitles

Hardcode subtitles on video

These settings allow you to customize the appearance of the subtitles, including background color, font size, font style, font color, character spacing, rotation angle, and alignment.

Choose from different fonts (e.g. bold, italic, regular) to give the subtitles a customized style.

Step 1: Select the "Filter/Preview" tab and click the "Video Track" tab

You can add the Subtitle filter using the "Add filter" button.

Step 2: Select Subtitle filter and click "Add"

Step 3: Select Subtitle and set settings

Coding

Specifies the character set used for the subtitle text.

Primary color

Specifies the primary color of the subtitle.

The primary color is the main color used to display subtitle text.
It determines the appearance of the text and significantly influences its readability and visual impact. When rendering subtitles, the primary color is applied directly to the text—usually white, yellow, or another high-contrast color to ensure good visibility against different backgrounds.

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Secondary color

Specifies the secondary color of the font.

Outline color

Specifies the outline color of the font.

The outline color refers to the color of the border (contour) that surrounds the subtitle text.
It improves the readability of subtitles, especially against high-contrast or busy backgrounds.
When rendering subtitles, the outline is displayed along with the text, making the subtitle more clearly distinguishable from the video content.
A well-chosen outline color (e.g., black or white) ensures better visibility on all screen types.

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Back color

Specifies the back color of the font.

Adding the background color makes the font easier to read

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Bold

Specifies whether the font is bold or normal.

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Italic

Italic determines whether the subtitle font is displayed in italics or regular. When enabled, the text slants slightly to the right and appears in a slanted, more flowing form.

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Underline

Specifies whether the font is underlined or normal.

Strikeout

Specifies whether the font is strikethrough or normal.

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Spacing

Specifies the space between characters in the subtitle text.

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Border style

Specifies the type of border that is displayed around the font.

1 Outline + drop shadow
2
3 Opaque box
4

Rotation

The rotation angle in the "Render Subtitles" video filter allows you to adjust the alignment of your subtitles within the video image. You can set the angle between 0 and 360 degrees. You can freely determine the angle to create creative subtitles or, for example, align them vertically.

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Margin left

Defines the minimum distance of the subtitle text to be displayed from the left edge of the screen.

Margin right

Defines the minimum distance of the subtitle text to be displayed from the right edge of the screen.

Margin vertical

Defines the minimum distance of the subtitle text to be displayed from the top or bottom of the screen.

Alignment

Choose the position of the subtitles on the screen (e.g. left, center or right) and set the alignment of the text to be displayed to ensure that the subtitles always appear where you want them.