Choose subtitle files and check video compatibility

Subtitle files contain timed text. Choose the format accepted by your player, upload destination or API, then check synchronization in the final video.

SRT and WebVTT

SRT (.srt) uses numbered cues, start/end times and text. Styling support varies by player. Example:

1
00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,000
Welcome to the video!

WebVTT (.vtt) starts with a WEBVTT header and uses decimal points for fractional seconds. It supports cue positioning and styling features for web playback, subject to player support:

WEBVTT

00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:15.000
Welcome to the video!

A browser can associate WebVTT with a video through a <track> element. See the WebVTT documentation.

Other formats you may encounter

• ASS/SSA: subtitle formats with advanced styling and positioning.
• VobSub SUB/IDX: typically bitmap subtitle data plus an index, rather than plain-text subtitles. The .sub extension can also refer to other formats.
• TTML/DFXP: XML-based timed text used in professional delivery workflows.
• SCC: a closed-caption interchange format used in broadcast workflows.
• SAMI/SMI and SMIL: distinct legacy formats/standards; do not treat their names as interchangeable.
• SBV: a timed-text format used in YouTube caption workflows.

Separate file, embedded track or burned-in text?

• Separate files make it easier to replace captions and offer multiple languages, provided the player supports them.
• Embedded tracks travel inside the media container. The container, subtitle encoding, muxer and player must all be compatible. MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI and MPEG-TS do not support identical subtitle combinations; do not assume a raw SRT can be inserted into every container.
• Burned-in captions become part of the image and cannot be switched off or replaced without re-rendering.

Before delivery

1. Check the accepted format and whether the destination expects a sidecar file or embedded track.
2. Validate timestamps, cue order, encoding, line breaks and language labels.
3. Review spelling, speaker identification and useful sound descriptions for captions.
4. Preview the start, middle and end of the final export. Trimming or changing timing may require updating every cue.
5. Test readability and caption controls in the actual destination player.

This guide describes file formats; it does not imply that every Picsart endpoint accepts or produces them.