Add Subtitles to a Downloaded Video
Lots of media players will allow you to select multiple subtitle files to play with your movie, but sometimes you just can’t load the subtitles, no matter how hard you try. In these cases, you may want to hardcode the subtitles into the video file itself. This means that the subtitles will always appear, regardless of what media player you are using. To do this, you will need to re-encode the video file, which will add the subtitles directly to the frames. Read on after the jump to find out how.
Contents
Steps
TEncoder
- Place your video file and subtitle file in the same folder. Make sure that the subtitle file has the exact same name as the video file. For example, if the video file is called “MyMovie.mp4”, the subtitle file should be called “MyMovie” plus the extension, which may be .srt, .ssa, or some other subtitle format. Both of these files should be in the same location on your computer.
- Download TEncoder. There are a large variety of video conversion and encoding programs available online, and most can hardcode subtitles without too much difficulty. One of the most powerful and popular solutions is to use TEncoder, which is an open-source video encoder available for free download.
- Open the video file in TEncoder. Click the Add File button at the top of the TEncoder window to select the movie file that you want to add subtitles to.
- Select your video conversion options. Below the file list, you will find several conversions options that need to be set before you can continue. Most of these options can be left to their default settings. You can change each of the options to suit the needs of your project, but to simply add subtitles to your video, nothing needs to be changed.
- If you want to change the format of the converted file, choose a new format from the Video Codec list. If you want to keep it the same format, select Copy from them list.
- If you want to lower the quality of the video to speed up the encoding process, choose a lower Video Bitrate. Setting this lower than the default can result in a noticeable reduction in quality.
- Enable the subtitles. In the Other Options section, check the box labeled “Enabled subtitles”. Your subtitle file MUST be in the same folder as the video, and MUST have the same filename, otherwise the subtitles won’t load.
- Enable two passes for the encode. If you want the final video to have a higher quality, then check the box labeled “Do two passes”. This will essentially run the encoding process twice, resulting in a higher quality file. The encoding process will take about twice as long as normal.
- Start encoding. Once you have your options all configured, click the Encode button to start the process. This can take a significant amount of time if you have a slow computer, so start the encoding when you know you won’t need to use your computer for a few hours.
- Longer videos and higher quality processing will take much longer than lower quality settings.
VirtualDub
- Place your video file and subtitle file in the same folder. Make sure that the subtitle file has the exact same name as the video file. For example, if the video file is called “MyMovie.mp4”, the subtitle file should be called “MyMovie” plus the extension, which should be .srt or .ssa. Both of these files should be in the same location on your computer.
- Download VirtualDub. This is a free, open-source program that can be downloaded directly from the developer. It is a lightweight video editing program that can quickly add subtitles to your video.
- Download the Subtitler filter. Find the Subtitler filter for download on the VirtualDub website. This filter will add the subtitles to the video stream while it is being encoded.
- Install the filter by opening VirtualDub, clicking the Video menu, and selecting Filters. Click the Add button and then the Load button. Browse for the “subtitler.vdf” file that you downloaded and press Open.
- Convert your subtitles. If your subtitles are in the .srt format, they will need to be converted to .ssa in order to be read by VirtualDub. Use an SRT-to-SSA converter that can be found online. There are several free options. If your subtitle file is already .ssa, you don’t need to do anything.
- Load the video in VirtualDub. Click the Video menu in VirtualDub and ensure that “Full Processing Mode” is selected. Then, click the File menu and then select Open Video File. Browse for the video file that you want to add subtitles to.
- Add the subtitles. Once the video has been loaded, click the Video menu and select Filters. Click the Add button and select Subtitler from the list. Press OK and you will be asked to load the .ssa file. Browse for it on your computer and press OK.
- Set the compression. Click the Video menu and then select Compression. Select the codec that matches your file type. XviD Mpeg-4 will be one of the most common codecs that you will use.
- Start encoding. Click File and then select “Save As .avi”. Save the video wherever you would like on your computer. Once you click Save, the encoding process will begin. This could take a significant amount of time, depending on your system.
VLC Player
- Download and install VLC Player. If you don't already have it, download VLC player from the developer's website. It is a free program, and should only take a few minutes to get setup.
- Download the subtitles file for the video. VLC Player will automatically load subtitle files that are located in the same location as the video file that is playing, as long as the subtitle file lines up with the video. You can find subtitle files for virtually any movie or show in a variety of location online. Simply search for the title plus "subtitle file" or "srt". SRT is one of the most common subtitle file formats. Subtitles may also be in SSA format.
- Place the subtitle file into the same folder as your video. It can be in a folder with lots of different videos. Rename the subtitle files so that it has the same name as the video.
- Open the movie in VLC. You can either start VLC and then load the movie, or you can set the movie file to open automatically in VLC. Either way, make sure that VLC loads the movie.
- Load the subtitles. Once the movie file has started playing, Click the Subtitle menu and click "Add Subtitle File". Browse for the subtitle file and open it. The subtitles should then be displayed at the bottom of the video.
- The subtitle file will not be added to the video. You will need to keep the subtitle file in order to view them.
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