VLC Media Player, a versatile and open-source video player, offers powerful tools for working with subtitles.
It even has added auto-captions into its features !
Here’s some step-by-step tutorials on how to burn and add subtitles on VLC.
VLC Media Player has lately introduced real-time AI-powered auto-captioning and translation in its platform. Demonstrated at CES 2025, this innovation utilizes open-source AI models to generate subtitles directly on your device.
This feature employs advanced speech recognition technology to transcribe audio from videos into text, supporting over 100 languages. The AI operates locally, eliminating the need for cloud services and ensuring user data remains secure. This local processing also means that an internet connection is unnecessary, making it ideal for offline use.
When activated, VLC's auto-captioning analyzes the video's audio track in real-time, converting spoken words into synchronized subtitles. Users can select their preferred language for both transcription and translation.
VLC Media Player allows you to permanently embed subtitles into your video files. Here’s a detailed guide to help you encode subtitles with VLC.
First, open VLC Media Player. Click on the "Media" tab at the top left corner and select "Stream..." from the dropdown menu.
In the streaming and transcoding settings, click the "Add" button. Navigate to the location of your video file and add it to VLC.
Next, add your subtitle file. After adding your video, tick the box that says "Use a subtitle file" below the video list. Click on "Browse" and select your SRT file from your computer. This file should contain the subtitles you want to burn into the video. Once selected, click "Stream" to proceed.
In the next window, set the destination for the output file. Choose "File" from the dropdown menu and click "Add". Select a location on your computer where you want to save the new file. Be sure to give the file a name and add the appropriate file extension, such as .mp4, .mkv, or .avi. Click "Next" to continue.
To ensure the subtitles are hardcoded into the video, activate the transcoding options.
Tick the "Activate Transcoding" box. From the profile dropdown menu, choose a profile that matches your desired output format. Click on the wrench icon next to the profile to open the profile settings.
Go to the "Subtitles" tab and check both "Subtitles" and "Overlay subtitles on the video". Click "Save" to return to the previous window, then click "Next".
Start the streaming process by clicking the "Stream" button at the bottom right of the window. VLC will begin transcoding your video, which may take some time depending on the file size and your computer's performance. Do not close VLC during this process. Once VLC finishes transcoding, your video will have hardcoded subtitles and will be saved to the location you specified.
VLC also allows you to load external subtitle files effortlessly. Here's how to do it :
Launch VLC Media Player and load the video you want to play. To do this, click on “Media” in the top menu and select “Open File.” Browse your computer for the video file, select it, and click “Open.” The video will start playing in the VLC interface.
If you have a subtitle file (e.g., SRT format) for the video, you can add it manually:
The subtitles will immediately appear on the video. VLC automatically syncs the subtitles to the video’s timeline based on the file’s timestamps.
If the subtitles do not align with the video’s audio, you can adjust their synchronization:
To toggle subtitles on or off while watching a video:
VLC includes an extension called VLSub that allows you to search and download subtitles directly:
Leveraging AI, Checksub simplifies the subtitling process in VLC while delivering professional results for creators, teams, and businesses :
Want to get quality subtitles on your VLC videos ? Try Checksub for free.
