Caption and Subtitle Editor

Use the caption and subtitle editor to review and correct your captions or subtitles before you download them. You can edit the text, timing, and on-screen position of each caption group, and your changes save automatically. To try the editor before you order, open the editor demo.

In this article

Accessing The Editor

To open the editor, click the file in My Files or in a workspace.

You can also open the editor from Order history. Select the order number, then click Edit next to the file.

If you don’t see Edit, your screen may be too narrow to show it. Click the ellipses menu (•••), then click Edit.

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Navigating The Editor

The editor is split into three sections:

  • Left: Settings menu
  • Top: Media player
  • Bottom: Text editor

Your changes save automatically, and the status next to Download shows when they were last saved. To undo your most recent change, click Undo at the top left of the text editor.

Caption editor with the Caption File Tools menu on the left, the media player at the top, and the caption groups with their start and end times at the bottom.

 

On the media player you have the following controls below your video: 

  • Play/pause
  • Playback speed (from x0.5 to x2)
  • Volume
  • Your video/audio file timeline

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Caption/Subtitle Timing

You can change the timing of individual captions/subtitles or offset the entire file to change the timing of all the captions/subtitles. 

 

Adjust individual caption/subtitle groups

The bar below the media player displays the caption/subtitle groups on your video timeline. 

Timeline bar showing caption groups as labeled blocks under the time markers, with a red line at the current play point.

When moving your cursor over the timeline bar, your cursor icon will change based on what section you are hovering over. 

  • Hand Icon: Grab and drag on the timeline to navigate forward or backward through the captions/subtitle groups. The red line in the center is the current play point. 
  • Four Arrows: Click and drag on the center of the caption/subtitle group to move the group forward or backward on the timeline. Drag the group to the time that you want it to start. 
  • Two Arrows: Click and drag on the front of the caption/subtitle group to change the start time of the group without moving it (shorten or extend the caption group). 

 

Offset the Entire Caption or Subtitle File

You can shift the timing of every caption at once when you download your file.

  1. After editing, click Download in the top right corner.
  2. In the Download Captions window, choose your file format(s).
  3. Click Advanced Options, then enter a new start time under Set a new start time (hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds).
  4. Click Download.
Download button

Files start at 00:00:00.000 by default. For example, if your video’s timecode starts at 24 minutes, enter 24 in the min field.

Advanced Options section with Set a new start time fields for hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.

To move captions earlier (a negative offset), email support@rev.com with:

  • The SRT file you downloaded, so your edits are included
  • How far back to move the captions, in -00:00:00.000 format
  • Any file formats you need besides SRT

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Caption/Subtitle Position

To move a caption so it doesn’t cover on-screen text, drag it to the top or bottom third of the video in the media player.

Position changes only appear in caption formats that support positioning: TTML (DFXP), WebVTT, SCC, MCC, STL, and Cheetah CAP. SRT, TXT, Facebook SRT, and QuickTime always show captions at the bottom.

If you ordered burned-in captions, you can reposition all caption groups at once. See Burned-in Captions and Subtitles. 

Animation of a caption being dragged from the bottom of the video to the top in the media player.

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Caption/Subtitle Text

Editing the text displayed in each group and editing the groups is done in the bottom section of the editor.

Click on a caption/subtitle group to edit the text in that group. 

Caption group selected for editing, with an X button on the right to delete it.

Click on the X to the right of a group to delete it. 

As you move your cursor between caption/subtitle groups, two options will pop up on the right between each group:

  • Add Caption: creates a new group between those two groups
  • Merge Captions: Merges those two groups into a single group. 
Add caption (+) and Merge captions buttons between two caption groups.

If you add new groups, ensure that you delete any empty groups before downloading your file to avoid issues with your file functioning on some platforms. 

You can split a group by clicking where you want the separation to be and then hitting Enter/Return.

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Editor Options

The left part of the editor has various settings that can be adjusted. The options are split into four menu tabs.

Editor menu tabs: Spellcheck, Find, Keyboard shortcuts, and Caption File Tools.

 

  • Spellcheck - detect and correct spelling errors. 

  • Find and Replace - Search for specific words. You can also add text to the Replace bar to replace the found words individually or all at once. 

  • Keyboard Shortcuts - A list of handy keyboard shortcuts that function in the editor.

  • Caption File tools - Various options to modify your captions/subtitles explained in detail below:

Reload Original Rev Version

Restores the version Rev delivered and removes all of your edits. A Reload Caption File window asks you to confirm. Click Ok to reload, or Cancel to keep your edits. This can’t be undone.

 

Change Atmospherics

Atmospherics describe important sounds that are heard but not seen. Choose Remove atmospherics to delete them, or Change atmospherics to show them in parentheses, for example (footsteps approaching), or brackets, for example [whimsical music]. Then click Change.

 

Replace Casual Words With Formal

Changes casual words to formal ones, for example “gonna” to “going to.” Click Replace to confirm.

 

Replace US Words With UK Spelling

Changes US spellings to UK spellings, for example “color” to “colour.” Click Replace to confirm.

 

Remove Gaps Between Captions

Extends caption groups so there’s no empty time between them. Choose 0.1 to 1 second under Close gaps for, then click Change. You can undo this with Undo only until your editing session ends.

 

Paint On Caption Groups

Applies the paint-on effect to all caption groups. To apply it to the first group only, select Only the first caption group, then click Change.

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Technical Troubleshooting

Read-Only Mode

Currently, only one person at a time can edit a caption file. If someone is already viewing the editor, you will see a Read-Only notice and will not be able to edit the captions. This is a common experience for shared accounts, where multiple people have access to the same file. In order to edit the captions, the other person will need to exit the editor first.

If you're certain no one else should be accessing your file, first ensure that the editor isn't open in any other tabs or windows, then try clearing your cache and refreshing the editor. Your browser is likely recognizing an older session, and once you clear this you should be able to edit again.

 

Draft Unavailable Error

On occasion, our captions editor may display an error that reads "This draft is no longer available to you." To work around this error, please use one of the following methods:

  1. Clear your cache and history in your current browser. Close the browser and relaunch.
  2. Use an incognito window
  3. Use another browser for this session (we recommend Chrome or Firefox)

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