Captions from your script, timed as you read

Most caption tools listen to your video and guess the words. ClippCut already has them: it notes which word you’re on as you read and when, so the captions are spelled right from the start.

How it works

1. While you record, ClippCut follows your place in the script: from your voice with voice follow on, or from the reading line as the script scrolls.
2. It keeps a timing log: which word, at what moment.
3. It turns that into short captions of two or three words, broken at punctuation, the style short videos use.
4. Each word pops in as you say it, drawn into the video in the style you pick. Anyone can also download them as an .srt file.

You choose the punch words

Put a word in **bold** in your script, like Stop buying **bread**, and when you say it, it bursts out bigger and green. Other caption tools guess which words matter, and sometimes guess the words themselves wrong. ClippCut uses the words you wrote and the emphasis you chose.

Five caption styles

• Pop (free): each word pops in as you say it; the words still to come wait, faint.
• Punch: tall capitals with a heavy outline, the classic creator look.
• Karaoke: the whole line, filling with colour as you speak.
• Hero: one big word at a time in the middle of the frame, made for hooks.
• Clean: small and quiet at the bottom, no animation.

Every style keeps clear of TikTok’s and Reels’ buttons in 9:16, and looks the same on every phone: the fonts come with ClippCut, so they work offline too.

What it can’t do

Captions follow the script. If you go off script, the captions show the script line you were on, not your new words. For an off-script video, turn captions off.

Why script-based captions are more accurate

Speech-to-text captioning has to guess every word, so it trips on names, brand terms, numbers and accents, and you have to proofread every line. ClippCut doesn't guess the words: they're your script. What it works out is the timing, from where you were in the script as you read. If you ad-lib a sentence that isn't in the script, it won't appear in the captions, so keep ad-libs short or add them to the script for the next take.

Choosing a caption style

• Bold, centred styles suit fast tips and list videos.
• Lower, quieter styles suit talking-head explainers and LinkedIn videos.
• Use bold in the script sparingly: one punch word every sentence or two is enough.

Burned in or a separate file?

Burned-in captions are part of the picture, so they show everywhere, including apps that ignore caption files. An .srt file can be switched on and off by viewers and is read by YouTube. You can do both: burn them in for short-form apps and upload the .srt to YouTube.

Last updated October 18, 2026.