Best Free YouTube Ending Creators - Top 6 Picks

Top 6 YouTube Outro Makers - Lots of FREE options

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube outro makers can help your channel grow. Your outro, or end screen, on YouTube is your last chance to keep viewers on your channel. This can help you increase your channel’s watch time and get your videos ranked higher in search results.

Here are 6 outro maker sites where you can get outros and end cards. Check the bottom for our #1 pick!

• Outro Maker
• Biteable
• Tube Arsenal
• Renderforest
• Panzoid
• Intro Cave
• The #1 Pick!
• Wondershare Filmora

6 YouTube Outro Makers With Templates

For even more End Screen Templates, click here .

1. Outro Maker

Overview: Outro Maker provides interactive, animated, end screens for YouTube videos at a low monthly cost.

On Outro Maker’s home page there’s a testimonials section featuring well-known YouTubers like Kandee Johnson. They’ve definitely got the social proof to back up their claims about ease and quality.

Outro Maker is a paid service ($3 per month for the basic package) and the biggest issue facing it is that a lot of the features it charges for have become free features of YouTube’s own end screen tool. You get access to templates and a template maker with Outro Maker, though, and that may be the important thing for you.

2. Biteable

Overview: Biteable skews more towards intros than outros, but makes up for it by being free.

Biteable has free video templates for YouTube intros and outros. You can use one of their pre-built options, or you can customize one of their video styles with your own logo, colors, and music.

This site definitely skews more towards intros than outros and they don’t really provide end screen cards. It would be up to you to choose a video style and customize it to make it work for your purpose, which shouldn’t be too much of a burden since the site is free.

3. Tube Arsenal

Overview: Tube Arsenal allows you to customize your intro on the site and download it for about $10.

Tube Arsenal has animated outro templates/end screen cards as well as an on-site clip editor you can use to customize them with your channel’s colors/logo/images. They have template cards with slots for videos/playlists as well as logos and subscribe buttons.

Tube Arsenal’s outros tend to cost $9 for 720p and $11 for 1080p. Some of their options include stylized ‘reveals’ of the ‘next video’ slots (i.e. they appear bit-by-bit from left to right) which will not be smoothly compatible with YouTube’s end screen tool (where the video previews will simply pop up).

4. Renderforest

Overview: Render Forest lets you download intros with 3D text for $20, and you can also use them as outros.

Render Forest is an intro maker that can also work as an outro maker (their templates aren’t set up like end screens). They have a lot of 3D options, which is something only a few other outro makers can offer, and they have been used by a lot of major brands.

One drawback of Renderforest is that it is significantly more expensive than other services on this list. It will cost you $20 for a 720p clip.

5. Panzoid

Overview: Panzoid is a completely free service where you can get high-quality outros with 3D text.

Panzoid is a community-driven site where creators make templates for intros and outros and post them for other creators to customize and download for free. There are a lot of high-quality clips on Panzoid, and most of what you find is 3D (a major perk).

6. Intro Cave

Overview: It costs $5 for a customized clip at Intro Cave.

As the name suggests, Intro Cave has a focus on intro videos. However, you can still use their customization system as an outro maker.

Although things do go on sale, they tend to charge $5 for a 720p clip.

YouTube Outro Maker Alternative-Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a great video editor for all creators. It has a large collection of video transitions, filters, overlays and text templates which can also help you customize your own templates. And its intuitive interface and easy-to-use editing tools will make your editing more efficient and quick! Let’s achieve a refined look with endless effects with Wondershare Filmora!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube outro makers can help your channel grow. Your outro, or end screen, on YouTube is your last chance to keep viewers on your channel. This can help you increase your channel’s watch time and get your videos ranked higher in search results.

Here are 6 outro maker sites where you can get outros and end cards. Check the bottom for our #1 pick!

• Outro Maker
• Biteable
• Tube Arsenal
• Renderforest
• Panzoid
• Intro Cave
• The #1 Pick!
• Wondershare Filmora

6 YouTube Outro Makers With Templates

For even more End Screen Templates, click here .

1. Outro Maker

Overview: Outro Maker provides interactive, animated, end screens for YouTube videos at a low monthly cost.

On Outro Maker’s home page there’s a testimonials section featuring well-known YouTubers like Kandee Johnson. They’ve definitely got the social proof to back up their claims about ease and quality.

Outro Maker is a paid service ($3 per month for the basic package) and the biggest issue facing it is that a lot of the features it charges for have become free features of YouTube’s own end screen tool. You get access to templates and a template maker with Outro Maker, though, and that may be the important thing for you.

2. Biteable

Overview: Biteable skews more towards intros than outros, but makes up for it by being free.

Biteable has free video templates for YouTube intros and outros. You can use one of their pre-built options, or you can customize one of their video styles with your own logo, colors, and music.

This site definitely skews more towards intros than outros and they don’t really provide end screen cards. It would be up to you to choose a video style and customize it to make it work for your purpose, which shouldn’t be too much of a burden since the site is free.

3. Tube Arsenal

Overview: Tube Arsenal allows you to customize your intro on the site and download it for about $10.

Tube Arsenal has animated outro templates/end screen cards as well as an on-site clip editor you can use to customize them with your channel’s colors/logo/images. They have template cards with slots for videos/playlists as well as logos and subscribe buttons.

Tube Arsenal’s outros tend to cost $9 for 720p and $11 for 1080p. Some of their options include stylized ‘reveals’ of the ‘next video’ slots (i.e. they appear bit-by-bit from left to right) which will not be smoothly compatible with YouTube’s end screen tool (where the video previews will simply pop up).

4. Renderforest

Overview: Render Forest lets you download intros with 3D text for $20, and you can also use them as outros.

Render Forest is an intro maker that can also work as an outro maker (their templates aren’t set up like end screens). They have a lot of 3D options, which is something only a few other outro makers can offer, and they have been used by a lot of major brands.

One drawback of Renderforest is that it is significantly more expensive than other services on this list. It will cost you $20 for a 720p clip.

5. Panzoid

Overview: Panzoid is a completely free service where you can get high-quality outros with 3D text.

Panzoid is a community-driven site where creators make templates for intros and outros and post them for other creators to customize and download for free. There are a lot of high-quality clips on Panzoid, and most of what you find is 3D (a major perk).

6. Intro Cave

Overview: It costs $5 for a customized clip at Intro Cave.

As the name suggests, Intro Cave has a focus on intro videos. However, you can still use their customization system as an outro maker.

Although things do go on sale, they tend to charge $5 for a 720p clip.

YouTube Outro Maker Alternative-Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a great video editor for all creators. It has a large collection of video transitions, filters, overlays and text templates which can also help you customize your own templates. And its intuitive interface and easy-to-use editing tools will make your editing more efficient and quick! Let’s achieve a refined look with endless effects with Wondershare Filmora!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube outro makers can help your channel grow. Your outro, or end screen, on YouTube is your last chance to keep viewers on your channel. This can help you increase your channel’s watch time and get your videos ranked higher in search results.

Here are 6 outro maker sites where you can get outros and end cards. Check the bottom for our #1 pick!

• Outro Maker
• Biteable
• Tube Arsenal
• Renderforest
• Panzoid
• Intro Cave
• The #1 Pick!
• Wondershare Filmora

6 YouTube Outro Makers With Templates

For even more End Screen Templates, click here .

1. Outro Maker

Overview: Outro Maker provides interactive, animated, end screens for YouTube videos at a low monthly cost.

On Outro Maker’s home page there’s a testimonials section featuring well-known YouTubers like Kandee Johnson. They’ve definitely got the social proof to back up their claims about ease and quality.

Outro Maker is a paid service ($3 per month for the basic package) and the biggest issue facing it is that a lot of the features it charges for have become free features of YouTube’s own end screen tool. You get access to templates and a template maker with Outro Maker, though, and that may be the important thing for you.

2. Biteable

Overview: Biteable skews more towards intros than outros, but makes up for it by being free.

Biteable has free video templates for YouTube intros and outros. You can use one of their pre-built options, or you can customize one of their video styles with your own logo, colors, and music.

This site definitely skews more towards intros than outros and they don’t really provide end screen cards. It would be up to you to choose a video style and customize it to make it work for your purpose, which shouldn’t be too much of a burden since the site is free.

3. Tube Arsenal

Overview: Tube Arsenal allows you to customize your intro on the site and download it for about $10.

Tube Arsenal has animated outro templates/end screen cards as well as an on-site clip editor you can use to customize them with your channel’s colors/logo/images. They have template cards with slots for videos/playlists as well as logos and subscribe buttons.

Tube Arsenal’s outros tend to cost $9 for 720p and $11 for 1080p. Some of their options include stylized ‘reveals’ of the ‘next video’ slots (i.e. they appear bit-by-bit from left to right) which will not be smoothly compatible with YouTube’s end screen tool (where the video previews will simply pop up).

4. Renderforest

Overview: Render Forest lets you download intros with 3D text for $20, and you can also use them as outros.

Render Forest is an intro maker that can also work as an outro maker (their templates aren’t set up like end screens). They have a lot of 3D options, which is something only a few other outro makers can offer, and they have been used by a lot of major brands.

One drawback of Renderforest is that it is significantly more expensive than other services on this list. It will cost you $20 for a 720p clip.

5. Panzoid

Overview: Panzoid is a completely free service where you can get high-quality outros with 3D text.

Panzoid is a community-driven site where creators make templates for intros and outros and post them for other creators to customize and download for free. There are a lot of high-quality clips on Panzoid, and most of what you find is 3D (a major perk).

6. Intro Cave

Overview: It costs $5 for a customized clip at Intro Cave.

As the name suggests, Intro Cave has a focus on intro videos. However, you can still use their customization system as an outro maker.

Although things do go on sale, they tend to charge $5 for a 720p clip.

YouTube Outro Maker Alternative-Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a great video editor for all creators. It has a large collection of video transitions, filters, overlays and text templates which can also help you customize your own templates. And its intuitive interface and easy-to-use editing tools will make your editing more efficient and quick! Let’s achieve a refined look with endless effects with Wondershare Filmora!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube outro makers can help your channel grow. Your outro, or end screen, on YouTube is your last chance to keep viewers on your channel. This can help you increase your channel’s watch time and get your videos ranked higher in search results.

Here are 6 outro maker sites where you can get outros and end cards. Check the bottom for our #1 pick!

• Outro Maker
• Biteable
• Tube Arsenal
• Renderforest
• Panzoid
• Intro Cave
• The #1 Pick!
• Wondershare Filmora

6 YouTube Outro Makers With Templates

For even more End Screen Templates, click here .

1. Outro Maker

Overview: Outro Maker provides interactive, animated, end screens for YouTube videos at a low monthly cost.

On Outro Maker’s home page there’s a testimonials section featuring well-known YouTubers like Kandee Johnson. They’ve definitely got the social proof to back up their claims about ease and quality.

Outro Maker is a paid service ($3 per month for the basic package) and the biggest issue facing it is that a lot of the features it charges for have become free features of YouTube’s own end screen tool. You get access to templates and a template maker with Outro Maker, though, and that may be the important thing for you.

2. Biteable

Overview: Biteable skews more towards intros than outros, but makes up for it by being free.

Biteable has free video templates for YouTube intros and outros. You can use one of their pre-built options, or you can customize one of their video styles with your own logo, colors, and music.

This site definitely skews more towards intros than outros and they don’t really provide end screen cards. It would be up to you to choose a video style and customize it to make it work for your purpose, which shouldn’t be too much of a burden since the site is free.

3. Tube Arsenal

Overview: Tube Arsenal allows you to customize your intro on the site and download it for about $10.

Tube Arsenal has animated outro templates/end screen cards as well as an on-site clip editor you can use to customize them with your channel’s colors/logo/images. They have template cards with slots for videos/playlists as well as logos and subscribe buttons.

Tube Arsenal’s outros tend to cost $9 for 720p and $11 for 1080p. Some of their options include stylized ‘reveals’ of the ‘next video’ slots (i.e. they appear bit-by-bit from left to right) which will not be smoothly compatible with YouTube’s end screen tool (where the video previews will simply pop up).

4. Renderforest

Overview: Render Forest lets you download intros with 3D text for $20, and you can also use them as outros.

Render Forest is an intro maker that can also work as an outro maker (their templates aren’t set up like end screens). They have a lot of 3D options, which is something only a few other outro makers can offer, and they have been used by a lot of major brands.

One drawback of Renderforest is that it is significantly more expensive than other services on this list. It will cost you $20 for a 720p clip.

5. Panzoid

Overview: Panzoid is a completely free service where you can get high-quality outros with 3D text.

Panzoid is a community-driven site where creators make templates for intros and outros and post them for other creators to customize and download for free. There are a lot of high-quality clips on Panzoid, and most of what you find is 3D (a major perk).

6. Intro Cave

Overview: It costs $5 for a customized clip at Intro Cave.

As the name suggests, Intro Cave has a focus on intro videos. However, you can still use their customization system as an outro maker.

Although things do go on sale, they tend to charge $5 for a 720p clip.

YouTube Outro Maker Alternative-Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora is a great video editor for all creators. It has a large collection of video transitions, filters, overlays and text templates which can also help you customize your own templates. And its intuitive interface and easy-to-use editing tools will make your editing more efficient and quick! Let’s achieve a refined look with endless effects with Wondershare Filmora!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

YouTube Captioning for Clearer Communication

How To Add Captions to YouTube Videos

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

By captioning your YouTube videos you help to make them accessible to more potential viewers. Subtitles are useful to viewers who have hearing impairments, whose first language is different from yours, or who are unable to watch your video with sound. Closed captioning can also be useful for you as a YouTuber because it helps with your SEO, or search engine optimization. Practicing better SEO can get your videos ranked higher in search results. Google and YouTube both index subtitles and transcripts much like they do your video’s description, unless you use automated captions.

This article will first explain how you can turn on subtitles for the videos you watch and then walk you through adding captions to your own videos.

How To Turn On Captions on YouTube

In order for you to be able to view subtitles for a YouTube video the uploader of the video will need to have added them, unless you change your account settings to display automatic captions.

To toggle subtitles on and off click on the Closed Captioning icon in the bottom right of your video player.

If the creator of the video has not added captions then you can enable automatic captions by going into your Account Settings and selecting Playback. Check the box next to Always Show Captions, and then check Show Automatic Captions by Speech Recognition. These captions may be flawed, but you will still be able to see the more accurate user submitted captions on videos that have them. The Always Show Captions feature may be useful not only to the hearing impaired, but to users who do not speak the same language as the video producer.

If you want to change the language of the subtitles click on the settings icon (the one that looks like a gear) next to the closed captioning icon and choose your language next to Subtitles/CC . If the language you want is not there select Auto-Translate and then pick a language. Google Translate will be used to generate subtitles in your chosen language.

Adding YouTube Captions in 4 Steps

1. Go to Video Manager in your Creator Studio and then look at your videos. Decide which one you want to add captions to.

2. Click on the drop-down menu next to the video you want to add captions to and choose Subtitles and CC.

3. Select Add New Subtitles or CC.

4. Choose whether to create your captions, upload a file that has them, transcribe your video, use automatic captioning, or use captioning software.

Create Subtitles or Closed Captions will allow you to create your subtitles on YouTube.

Upload A File allows you to upload a pre-made subtitle file from your computer. Supported file types include SubRip (.srt) and SubViewer (.sbv). You cannot use a word or PDF document for your subtitles.

Transcribe and Set Timings is where you can type a transcript of your video and set timings to sync it to your video. This differs from Create Subtitles or Closed Captions in that your transcript is all typed in to one text field.

Use Automatic Captioning will automatically use speech recognition technology to create captions. You can edit these auto-generated captions later if there are mistakes.

Use Captioning Software or Services is what you choose if you want to use a program or service to create the subtitles for your video.

The easiest way to add subtitles to your videos is to use Automatic Captioning. However, Automatic Captioning is imperfect and may result in your viewers getting a sloppy, skewed, interpretation of your video. Automatic captions are also not indexed by YouTube and Google the way subtitles you create or upload are. This means that they will not have any value to your SEO strategy. If you do not input your own captions or transcript you are missing out on an opportunity for better search engine rankings. Automatic Captions are great if you do not have time to input subtitles and need a temporary solution, though.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

By captioning your YouTube videos you help to make them accessible to more potential viewers. Subtitles are useful to viewers who have hearing impairments, whose first language is different from yours, or who are unable to watch your video with sound. Closed captioning can also be useful for you as a YouTuber because it helps with your SEO, or search engine optimization. Practicing better SEO can get your videos ranked higher in search results. Google and YouTube both index subtitles and transcripts much like they do your video’s description, unless you use automated captions.

This article will first explain how you can turn on subtitles for the videos you watch and then walk you through adding captions to your own videos.

How To Turn On Captions on YouTube

In order for you to be able to view subtitles for a YouTube video the uploader of the video will need to have added them, unless you change your account settings to display automatic captions.

To toggle subtitles on and off click on the Closed Captioning icon in the bottom right of your video player.

If the creator of the video has not added captions then you can enable automatic captions by going into your Account Settings and selecting Playback. Check the box next to Always Show Captions, and then check Show Automatic Captions by Speech Recognition. These captions may be flawed, but you will still be able to see the more accurate user submitted captions on videos that have them. The Always Show Captions feature may be useful not only to the hearing impaired, but to users who do not speak the same language as the video producer.

If you want to change the language of the subtitles click on the settings icon (the one that looks like a gear) next to the closed captioning icon and choose your language next to Subtitles/CC . If the language you want is not there select Auto-Translate and then pick a language. Google Translate will be used to generate subtitles in your chosen language.

Adding YouTube Captions in 4 Steps

1. Go to Video Manager in your Creator Studio and then look at your videos. Decide which one you want to add captions to.

2. Click on the drop-down menu next to the video you want to add captions to and choose Subtitles and CC.

3. Select Add New Subtitles or CC.

4. Choose whether to create your captions, upload a file that has them, transcribe your video, use automatic captioning, or use captioning software.

Create Subtitles or Closed Captions will allow you to create your subtitles on YouTube.

Upload A File allows you to upload a pre-made subtitle file from your computer. Supported file types include SubRip (.srt) and SubViewer (.sbv). You cannot use a word or PDF document for your subtitles.

Transcribe and Set Timings is where you can type a transcript of your video and set timings to sync it to your video. This differs from Create Subtitles or Closed Captions in that your transcript is all typed in to one text field.

Use Automatic Captioning will automatically use speech recognition technology to create captions. You can edit these auto-generated captions later if there are mistakes.

Use Captioning Software or Services is what you choose if you want to use a program or service to create the subtitles for your video.

The easiest way to add subtitles to your videos is to use Automatic Captioning. However, Automatic Captioning is imperfect and may result in your viewers getting a sloppy, skewed, interpretation of your video. Automatic captions are also not indexed by YouTube and Google the way subtitles you create or upload are. This means that they will not have any value to your SEO strategy. If you do not input your own captions or transcript you are missing out on an opportunity for better search engine rankings. Automatic Captions are great if you do not have time to input subtitles and need a temporary solution, though.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

By captioning your YouTube videos you help to make them accessible to more potential viewers. Subtitles are useful to viewers who have hearing impairments, whose first language is different from yours, or who are unable to watch your video with sound. Closed captioning can also be useful for you as a YouTuber because it helps with your SEO, or search engine optimization. Practicing better SEO can get your videos ranked higher in search results. Google and YouTube both index subtitles and transcripts much like they do your video’s description, unless you use automated captions.

This article will first explain how you can turn on subtitles for the videos you watch and then walk you through adding captions to your own videos.

How To Turn On Captions on YouTube

In order for you to be able to view subtitles for a YouTube video the uploader of the video will need to have added them, unless you change your account settings to display automatic captions.

To toggle subtitles on and off click on the Closed Captioning icon in the bottom right of your video player.

If the creator of the video has not added captions then you can enable automatic captions by going into your Account Settings and selecting Playback. Check the box next to Always Show Captions, and then check Show Automatic Captions by Speech Recognition. These captions may be flawed, but you will still be able to see the more accurate user submitted captions on videos that have them. The Always Show Captions feature may be useful not only to the hearing impaired, but to users who do not speak the same language as the video producer.

If you want to change the language of the subtitles click on the settings icon (the one that looks like a gear) next to the closed captioning icon and choose your language next to Subtitles/CC . If the language you want is not there select Auto-Translate and then pick a language. Google Translate will be used to generate subtitles in your chosen language.

Adding YouTube Captions in 4 Steps

1. Go to Video Manager in your Creator Studio and then look at your videos. Decide which one you want to add captions to.

2. Click on the drop-down menu next to the video you want to add captions to and choose Subtitles and CC.

3. Select Add New Subtitles or CC.

4. Choose whether to create your captions, upload a file that has them, transcribe your video, use automatic captioning, or use captioning software.

Create Subtitles or Closed Captions will allow you to create your subtitles on YouTube.

Upload A File allows you to upload a pre-made subtitle file from your computer. Supported file types include SubRip (.srt) and SubViewer (.sbv). You cannot use a word or PDF document for your subtitles.

Transcribe and Set Timings is where you can type a transcript of your video and set timings to sync it to your video. This differs from Create Subtitles or Closed Captions in that your transcript is all typed in to one text field.

Use Automatic Captioning will automatically use speech recognition technology to create captions. You can edit these auto-generated captions later if there are mistakes.

Use Captioning Software or Services is what you choose if you want to use a program or service to create the subtitles for your video.

The easiest way to add subtitles to your videos is to use Automatic Captioning. However, Automatic Captioning is imperfect and may result in your viewers getting a sloppy, skewed, interpretation of your video. Automatic captions are also not indexed by YouTube and Google the way subtitles you create or upload are. This means that they will not have any value to your SEO strategy. If you do not input your own captions or transcript you are missing out on an opportunity for better search engine rankings. Automatic Captions are great if you do not have time to input subtitles and need a temporary solution, though.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

By captioning your YouTube videos you help to make them accessible to more potential viewers. Subtitles are useful to viewers who have hearing impairments, whose first language is different from yours, or who are unable to watch your video with sound. Closed captioning can also be useful for you as a YouTuber because it helps with your SEO, or search engine optimization. Practicing better SEO can get your videos ranked higher in search results. Google and YouTube both index subtitles and transcripts much like they do your video’s description, unless you use automated captions.

This article will first explain how you can turn on subtitles for the videos you watch and then walk you through adding captions to your own videos.

How To Turn On Captions on YouTube

In order for you to be able to view subtitles for a YouTube video the uploader of the video will need to have added them, unless you change your account settings to display automatic captions.

WPS Office Premium ( File Recovery, Photo Scanning, Convert PDF)–Yearly

To toggle subtitles on and off click on the Closed Captioning icon in the bottom right of your video player.

If the creator of the video has not added captions then you can enable automatic captions by going into your Account Settings and selecting Playback. Check the box next to Always Show Captions, and then check Show Automatic Captions by Speech Recognition. These captions may be flawed, but you will still be able to see the more accurate user submitted captions on videos that have them. The Always Show Captions feature may be useful not only to the hearing impaired, but to users who do not speak the same language as the video producer.

If you want to change the language of the subtitles click on the settings icon (the one that looks like a gear) next to the closed captioning icon and choose your language next to Subtitles/CC . If the language you want is not there select Auto-Translate and then pick a language. Google Translate will be used to generate subtitles in your chosen language.

Adding YouTube Captions in 4 Steps

1. Go to Video Manager in your Creator Studio and then look at your videos. Decide which one you want to add captions to.

2. Click on the drop-down menu next to the video you want to add captions to and choose Subtitles and CC.

3. Select Add New Subtitles or CC.

4. Choose whether to create your captions, upload a file that has them, transcribe your video, use automatic captioning, or use captioning software.

Create Subtitles or Closed Captions will allow you to create your subtitles on YouTube.

Upload A File allows you to upload a pre-made subtitle file from your computer. Supported file types include SubRip (.srt) and SubViewer (.sbv). You cannot use a word or PDF document for your subtitles.

Transcribe and Set Timings is where you can type a transcript of your video and set timings to sync it to your video. This differs from Create Subtitles or Closed Captions in that your transcript is all typed in to one text field.

Use Automatic Captioning will automatically use speech recognition technology to create captions. You can edit these auto-generated captions later if there are mistakes.

Use Captioning Software or Services is what you choose if you want to use a program or service to create the subtitles for your video.

The easiest way to add subtitles to your videos is to use Automatic Captioning. However, Automatic Captioning is imperfect and may result in your viewers getting a sloppy, skewed, interpretation of your video. Automatic captions are also not indexed by YouTube and Google the way subtitles you create or upload are. This means that they will not have any value to your SEO strategy. If you do not input your own captions or transcript you are missing out on an opportunity for better search engine rankings. Automatic Captions are great if you do not have time to input subtitles and need a temporary solution, though.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett