Free tool
Add subtitles in Final Cut Pro
To add subtitles in Final Cut Pro from a file, make an SRT from your project’s audio with the free generator below and bring it in with File > Import > Closed Captions. The captions land in their own lane at the top of the timeline.
- Free
- Imports as closed captions
- Nothing is stored
Drop your video or audio file here, or Choose your video or audio file
MP4, MOV, MKV or WebM video, or MP3, M4A or WAV audio. Up to 30 minutes of each file, 3 free files a day. The language is detected automatically.
Editing interviews on your Mac? NoteOwl transcribes them on that same Mac, unlimited, and saves SRT captions that name each speaker, ready for File > Import > Closed Captions.
How it works
How do you make an SRT for a Final Cut Pro project?
Export the project from its first frame, as a video or an audio-only file, and drop that file on the generator. Speech is transcribed piece by piece and set out as numbered captions with start and end times. Scan the preview, then download the SRT.
- 1
Export from Final Cut Pro
The whole project, so the first second of the file matches the start of the timeline. Audio only is fine.
- 2
Drop it on the generator
Captioning runs to 30 minutes per file. The preview lists each caption with its times and lines.
- 3
Download SRT
Keep the .srt next to your library so it’s easy to find in the import dialog.
How do you import an SRT file into Final Cut Pro?
Open the project in the timeline and choose File > Import > Closed Captions. Pick the .srt, give it a caption role and a language, choose an insertion time and click Import. Apple’s guide says the captions appear in a closed caption lane at the top of the timeline.
- 1
Open the project
Captions go into an existing project, so open it in the Final Cut Pro timeline first.
- 2
File > Import > Closed Captions
Select the .srt you downloaded from this page.
- 3
Import as Role
Choose a caption role and the language subrole that matches the speech.
- 4
Insertion Time, then Import
Choose Relative to Timeline or Absolute, then click Import.
Which caption formats does Final Cut Pro accept?
Three: SRT (.srt), iTT (.itt) and CEA-608 (.scc). Apple’s guide adds that SRT and iTT travel as separate files and can’t be embedded in an output media file the way CEA-608 can, and that CEA-608 allows four lines of 32 characters.
This page writes SRT, with lines of up to 42 characters. If a delivery asks for 32 characters a line or fewer, tick Short lines for a vertical video before downloading: every line then stays within 26.
Got captions as WebVTT? Final Cut Pro’s list leaves that format out, and the VTT to SRT converter rewrites the file as one it imports.
- SRT
- Extension.srt
- Embedded in the exported movie?No: exported as its own file
- iTT
- Extension.itt
- Embedded in the exported movie?No: exported as its own file
- CEA-608
- Extension.scc
- Embedded in the exported movie?Yes, within four lines of 32 characters
| Format | Extension | Embedded in the exported movie? |
|---|---|---|
| SRT | .srt | No: exported as its own file |
| iTT | .itt | No: exported as its own file |
| CEA-608 | .scc | Yes, within four lines of 32 characters |
How do you style SRT captions in Final Cut Pro?
Select a caption and open the Closed Caption inspector with Command-4. For SRT captions, Apple lists bold, italic, underline and color. To handle them as titles instead, Edit > Closed Captions > Duplicate Captions to Subtitles makes title clips from them with the Subtitles role.
How do you export a Final Cut Pro project with its captions?
First decide whether viewers should be able to hide them. For a caption file to upload beside the video, choose File > Export Closed Captions. To print them into the picture, open the Share window, go to Roles and use the Burn in captions pop-up menu.
- A separate caption file
- Final Cut Pro commandFile > Export Closed Captions
- SuitsYouTube and Vimeo, which take an uploaded SRT
- Text in the picture
- Final Cut Pro commandShare window > Roles > Burn in captions
- SuitsFeeds that take no caption file, and clips that must always show text
- Captions inside the file
- Final Cut Pro commandEmbed CEA-608
- SuitsDeliveries that ask for embedded CEA-608 captions
| Result | Final Cut Pro command | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| A separate caption file | File > Export Closed Captions | YouTube and Vimeo, which take an uploaded SRT |
| Text in the picture | Share window > Roles > Burn in captions | Feeds that take no caption file, and clips that must always show text |
| Captions inside the file | Embed CEA-608 | Deliveries that ask for embedded CEA-608 captions |
Can Final Cut Pro captions name the person speaking?
Not from this page: it writes words and times only. NoteOwl, a Mac app, transcribes recordings you import with on-device AI models, separates the voices and saves SRT captions that begin with each speaker’s name, unlimited. The recordings stay on the Mac you edit on.
FAQ
Questions about subtitles in Final Cut Pro
Can Final Cut Pro import a VTT file?
Apple’s guide names three closed caption formats it imports: CEA-608 (.scc), iTT (.itt) and SRT (.srt). WebVTT isn’t one of them, so download the SRT from this page rather than the VTT.
Can SRT captions be embedded in the exported movie?
No. Apple says SRT and iTT captions can be imported or exported as separate files but can’t be embedded in an output media file the way CEA-608 captions can. Export the SRT alongside the movie, or burn the captions into the picture.
Why don’t the captions line up after importing?
The SRT starts counting at the first second of the file you made it from. Check the Insertion Time you chose, Relative to Timeline or Absolute, and import again with the other one if the first caption misses the first words. Shifting the whole file works too.
Can I do this for an iMovie project?
Yes, by moving it to Final Cut Pro. Apple’s iMovie guide describes no caption import, but on a Mac File > Send Movie To Final Cut Pro sends the project across, and you can import the SRT there.
Are speaker names included?
No. Every caption holds what was said and when, without names. NoteOwl, on your Mac, starts each speaker’s captions with their name.
Is my project uploaded?
No. Your browser opens the export and takes out its sound; only short pieces of that sound go to a cloud AI transcription service, which transcribes each and deletes it. The SRT is assembled in the page, and nothing is saved anywhere.
How long can the export be?
Each file is captioned for its first 30 minutes, and you can do 3 files a day. For full-length recordings, NoteOwl transcribes on your Mac, unlimited.
Keep exploring
More subtitle generator tools
- Subtitle generatorA free AI subtitle generator: drop in a video or recording and download SRT or VTT subtitles timed to the speech, two short lines per cue; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Subtitles for DaVinci ResolveMake an SRT and import it into DaVinci Resolve’s Media Pool as a subtitle track, free or Studio
- Subtitles for TikTokTikTok takes no subtitle files: make short-line subtitles here and put them in the video before you post, or use TikTok’s captions
- Subtitles for Instagram ReelsInstagram takes no subtitle files: make short-line subtitles here and put them in the Reel before you post, or use Instagram’s captions
- Subtitles for VimeoMake a WebVTT or SRT file and upload it to a Vimeo video under Languages
Related
- Subtitles for iMovieIMovie can’t import subtitle files: make an SRT here, then use titles, Final Cut Pro or burned-in subtitles instead
- Subtitles for Premiere ProMake an SRT from your footage, import it into Premiere as a caption track, restyle it and export it burned in or as a file
- Subtitle generatorTurn a recording into an SRT subtitle file with timecodes and speaker names, on your Mac
Captions that know who is talking
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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