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How do captions work in Synthesia?

Written by Meg Farley

Caption Types Explained

Closed Captions (CC)

  • Captions that viewers can toggle on/off in the video player.

  • Appear in the same language as your video script.

  • Not customizable in terms of font, size, or style.

  • Can be downloaded as .srt or .vtt files for external use.

Dynamic Captions

  • Fully customizable captions that display on screen like other visual elements.

  • Sync automatically with your script.

  • Can be styled with:

    • Fonts, sizes, and colors

    • Text shadows

    • Word-by-word animation

  • Movable and resizable on the canvas.

  • Ideal for branded or stylized videos.

Burned-in Captions

  • Captions that are permanently embedded in the video.

  • Cannot be turned off by viewers.

  • Not customizable.

  • Added at the video generation stage.

Managing Closed Captions

Closed Captions are included by default and can't be styled. Viewers can toggle them on or off in the video player.

If you want to exclude Closed Captions from the exported video entirely, turn off the Burned-in captions toggle in the Generate panel before selecting Generate — this same toggle controls whether Closed Captions are included in the final file, even though it's labeled "Burned-in captions."

Dynamic Captions

  1. Navigate to the Captions section in the top menu bar of the video editor.

  2. Choose a preset (default shows the full scene script).

  3. On the right-hand Inspector panel, customize:

    • Font and text size

    • Color and shadows

    • Active word highlighting

    • Animation type

  4. Move and resize the caption box as needed.

  5. Use Triggers to control when specific parts of the script appear in each caption element.

✍️ Dynamic Captions adhere to your brand kit fonts and colors.

Burned-in Captions

  1. Selecting Generate on your video.

  2. Toggle Burned-in captions on before selecting the blue Generate button.

  3. Burned-in captions will be visible in the final video and cannot be turned off by viewers.

Downloading Caption Files

Once your video is generated:

  1. Select the three-dot menu next to the video.

  2. Select Download subtitles.

  3. Choose between .srt or .vtt formats.

💬 FAQs

Can I edit closed captions?

Yes, indirectly. Closed captions reflect exactly what’s written in your script.

To change how something appears:

  • Edit your script text directly.

  • Type your script as you want the captions to appear, and use the pronunciation tool to adjust pronunciation if needed.

Can I change the size or font of Closed Captions or Burned-in Captions?

No. Only Dynamic Captions can be styled and formatted. Closed and burned-in captions are fixed.

Can subtitles appear in a different language than the script?

No. Captions always match the language of your video script.

Where can I manage my caption file downloads?

After generating a video, use the video menu to download captions as .srt or .vtt.

Do captions automatically translate if I change the script language?

Yes, captions regenerate based on your script language.

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