Two of the most important factors that can make you stand out as a content creator are uniqueness and accessibility. Your content needs to be both entertaining and understandable to reach a wider audience.
Adding captions to your TikTok videos is a simple but effective way of helping you achieve both. Besides making your videos accessible to more people, it can make them more entertaining depending on how you use them.
Here are three simple methods of how to add captions on TikTok:
1. Use TikTok’s auto-captioning feature
The fastest way to add captions to your TikTok clips is to use the app’s built-in auto-captioning feature.
Here’s how you do it:
1. Record your video clips on TikTok.
2. Press the “Captions” option on the upper right vertical side bar.
3. TikTok will process your video and automatically create the captions for your video.
4. When finished, the app will show the entire video with the resulting automated captions.
5. If you want to edit any missing or wrong captions, press the edit button beside the “Captions” header.
6. Press “Save” on the upper right corner.
Advantages
Quick and easy
Can be done within the TikTok app
Disadvantages
No customization options
Captions appear in a fixed location and cannot be moved
Automated captions often have mistakes that require correction
The next two methods involve manually creating the captions, which can take a lot of time and energy. If you plan to create multiple TikTok videos with captions, consider using an automated transcription service like FreeTranscriptions! Simply upload the audio of your TikTok and quickly receive a transcript that you can use to caption your videos.
2. Create captions with TikTok’s built-in text feature
TikTok’s text feature has a duration option which allows you to make text stickers appear in certain parts of the video. This is an alternative way of adding captions that is a lot more flexible than the app’s built-in automated captions.
After recording your TikTok video:
1. Press the “Text” option on the bottom bar.
2. Type down the dialogue or utterances in the video and set the font options of the text.
3. Press “Done” on the upper right corner when you finish.
4. Press your created text sticker to make a context menu appear.
5. Select “Set duration.” A timeline will appear where you can specify the start and endpoints of when the sticker lasts on the screen.
6. Drag the start and endpoints where the utterance is said.
7. Press the check button on the lower right corner to finish the subtitle.
Advantages
- More customizable than the built-in auto-captioning feature
- You can quickly modify font type, size, and color
- You can move the text anywhere on the video
- Can be done within the TikTok app
Disadvantages
- Can be time-consuming and tedious
- Built-in customization options are limited compared to a third-party video editor
3. Third-party video editor
Learning how to add more captions on TikTok can sometimes mean doing it outside of TikTok. If you want the most flexible and versatile method of adding subtitles, you can use a third-party video editor.
The biggest advantage of using a third-party video editor is having a lot more font options than TikTok. This is especially when you use desktop-based video editing software.
To perform this method:
- Record your video clips on your phone (or any video recording device).
- If you will use a video editor on a computer, transfer the footage to your device.
- Open your video editor and import the footage.
- Arrange and edit the clips with your desired effects.
- Add subtitles using your video editor’s text feature. Set the font type, size, color, and position as desired.
- Render and upload the video to TikTok. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can upload your video into a desktop version of the TikTok app.
Advantages
- Most flexible method in terms of customization options
- Significantly more font type, size, color, and animation choices
Disadvantages
- Most time-consuming method – the method involves additional steps (recording, editing, and rendering)
- Options may vary with every video editor
Learning how to add captions to your content can help you with more than just TikTok – it can be instrumental to your long-term content creation plan. However, making captions for all your videos can take away a lot of time and energy that you could use in making your next viral content. Instead of taking on the tedium, consider using FreeTranscriptions! to create your transcripts for you which can make it easier to create captions for your TikTok clips.