Your videos are getting ignored: Here’s why
Did you know 85% of social media videos are watched on mute? That means most viewers never hear your audio but they still expect to understand your content.
Now think about a busy commuter scrolling through their phone, or someone in a noisy café. They stop on your video… but without subtitles, it’s meaningless. A quick swipe, and your content is forgotten.
This isn’t just about engagement, it’s about survival. Subtitles are the difference between a video that’s watched and one that’s ignored. They make your content accessible, searchable, and impossible to miss even with the sound off.
But here’s the problem: Adding subtitles isn’t easy especially when you’re dealing with hundreds (or thousands) of videos. Manual transcription is time-consuming, expensive, and painfully slow.
So how do you automate subtitles without the headache? Let’s dive in.
A subtitle is a text version of spoken dialogue in a video, allowing viewers to follow along with the conversation in the same language as the audio. Subtitles help overcome language barriers, clarify speech, and ensure that viewers can engage with the content even in sound-sensitive environments.
Many people confuse subtitles with captions, but they serve different purposes:
For example, if you’re watching a movie in a different language, subtitles help you understand the dialogue. But if you’re in a silent mode or have hearing difficulties, captions provide full context by describing sounds like [dramatic music playing] or [door creaks open].
In short, subtitles ensure your video remains accessible, whether your audience is watching on mute, struggling with an accent, or simply needs a little extra clarity.
To learn more about captions and subtitles, check out our blog Captions vs Subtitles.
Adding subtitles isn’t just about transcribing speech it’s about ensuring accuracy, synchronization, and readability. For developers, automating this process comes with several challenges that can affect the viewing experience. Here’s what makes subtitle generation tricky:
Traditional subtitle methods, like manual transcription or basic software, are slow, tedious, and prone to errors. APIs change the game, offering a faster, smarter, and more reliable way to create subtitles.
Here’s what makes APIs better:
Faster processing and real-time subtitle generation
Manually creating subtitles can take hours or even days, depending on the length of the video and the complexity of the dialogue. This delay is especially problematic for live broadcasts, news media, and content creators working with tight deadlines.
Subtitle APIs significantly reduce this turnaround time by processing audio in real time. Instead of transcribing, formatting, and syncing subtitles manually, APIs can automatically generate and insert accurate subtitles into videos within minutes or even seconds. This automation makes them ideal for businesses that need to scale their content production without delays.
Cost savings by reducing manual effort
Hiring professional transcribers or using dedicated subtitle software can be expensive, especially for companies that produce a high volume of video content. Subtitle APIs eliminate the need for manual transcription and post-production editing, reducing costs by up to 80%.
With an API, businesses can integrate subtitle generation directly into their workflows, reducing the need for human intervention while ensuring consistency and accuracy. This makes subtitle APIs a cost-effective solution for streaming services, media companies, and educational platforms that require subtitles at scale.
Support for multiple languages and translations
Many businesses today operate in a global market, making multilingual subtitles essential for reaching wider audiences. Subtitle APIs support over 100 languages, allowing developers to generate translated subtitles instantly.
Beyond simple translation, these APIs also preserve tone and meaning, ensuring that subtitles are not just literal translations but accurately reflect local expressions and cultural nuances. This feature is particularly useful for international companies, media platforms, and educators who need to deliver content in multiple languages without losing context.
Improved Accessibility Features
Subtitle APIs do more than just transcribe speech. They also include accessibility-focused features, such as:
By providing these advanced features, subtitle APIs help make videos more accessible to a broader audience, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Easy integration with existing workflows
A key advantage of subtitle APIs is that they seamlessly integrate with existing video production and streaming platforms. Developers can connect these APIs to their content management systems (CMS), video editing software, and live streaming platforms without needing complex configurations.
For example, a media company producing hundreds of videos per month can integrate a subtitle API directly into its workflow, automatically generating and embedding subtitles as soon as a new video is uploaded. This reduces manual effort and ensures that every video is instantly ready for distribution with accurate subtitles.
This guide will take you through each step of the process, from preparing your video to retrieving transcripts and customizing subtitles.
Before generating subtitles, ensure that your video’s audio is optimized for accuracy.
Ensure clear audio
FastPix supports video uploads from two sources:
To generate subtitles, include the subtitles object in your API request when uploading the video.
1{
2 "inputs": [
3 {
4 "type": "video",
5 "url": "https://example.com/sample.mp4",
6 "startTime": 0,
7 "endTime": 60
8 }
9 ],
10 "metadata": {
11 "key1": "value1"
12 },
13 "subtitles": {
14 "languageName": "english",
15 "metadata": {
16 "key1": "value1"
17 },
18 "languageCode": "en"
19 },
20 "accessPolicy": "public",
21 "maxResolution": "1080p"
22}
Key parameters
Important: Double-check that the languageCode matches the spoken language in your video, as the subtitle model will use this setting for transcription.
Once the request is submitted, FastPix processes the video using OpenAI's Whisper model. The model transcribes spoken words into text and synchronizes the subtitles with the video.
You can check the processing status using FastPix’s API or platform interface.
Once the subtitles are generated, you can retrieve them in different formats for playback, editing, or integration into other workflows.
Get a plain text transcript (TXT format)
A plain text transcript contains only the speech content without timestamps.
Use the following URL format to retrieve it:
https://stream.fastpix.io/{PLAYBACK_ID}/text/{TRACK_ID}.txt
Download WebVTT subtitles (VTT format)
WebVTT files include timestamps and are widely supported by video players.
Use the URL format below:
https://stream.fastpix.io/{PLAYBACK_ID}/text/{TRACK_ID}.vtt
Retrieve secured transcripts (Signed media)
If your video is protected, you must include a JWT token when requesting subtitles:
https://stream.fastpix.io/{PLAYBACK_ID}/text/{TRACK_ID}.txt?token={JWT}
For WebVTT format:
https://stream.fastpix.io/{PLAYBACK_ID}/text/{TRACK_ID}.vtt?token={JWT}
If the AI-generated subtitles require corrections, follow these steps:
Step 1: Download the existing subtitle file
Retrieve the WebVTT file from:
https://stream.fastpix.io/{PLAYBACK_ID}/text/{TRACK_ID}.vtt
Step 2: Edit the Subtitle File
Use a text editor or specialized subtitle software like Aegisub or Subtitle Edit to make corrections.
Step 3: Remove the Auto-Generated Track
Use the Delete Track API to remove the incorrect subtitles.
Step 4: Upload a New Subtitle Track
Upload your manually corrected subtitles using the Add Track API.
Not every video creator or business requires an API to generate subtitles. If you only work with a small number of videos or don’t need automation at scale, there are alternative approaches that might be more suitable for your needs. Here’s a look at some manual and software-based methods for adding subtitles:
Most popular video editing software, such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro, includes basic subtitle editing features. These tools are ideal for small-scale projects, allowing users to manually add subtitles and sync them with video timelines. However, they often require significant manual effort and may not handle complex workflows efficiently.
Platforms like Kapwing and Veed.io provide easy-to-use tools for generating subtitles automatically. While convenient for quick tasks, these tools often lack accuracy, especially in noisy environments or with diverse accents, and are not designed for high-volume or professional-grade subtitle creation.
Automatically adding subtitles to videos using APIs is a simple yet powerful way to make your content accessible to a wider audience. Whether you're looking to streamline video production or expand your reach, FastPix provides the tools you need for efficient subtitle generation. For a seamless video delivery experience, explore the On-Demand solution to learn how FastPix can help you manage and stream videos effortlessly at scale.
Subtitles are text versions of spoken dialogue, while captions also include descriptions of non-verbal sounds, such as music or sound effects. Captions are primarily for accessibility, whereas subtitles focus on translating dialogue.
No, many subtitle APIs are designed to be user-friendly and easy to integrate. Basic technical knowledge, such as understanding JSON requests, can help, but detailed coding experience is not required.
Subtitles improve accessibility, boost engagement, and enhance SEO by providing searchable text, helping your videos reach a broader audience and increasing viewer retention.
While some subtitle APIs allow for basic customization, such as font size and color, others offer more advanced options to control the layout, style, and positioning of the subtitles within the video.
Subtitle APIs, like FastPix, can provide up to 95% accuracy, especially when used with clear audio. The accuracy can vary depending on the quality of the audio, background noise, and speaker clarity.