Adding subtitles to your videos

Subtitles is a great way to allow viewers to watch your video without sound to be more accessible and also to translate your video into another language and add language support to your videos. 

To add subtitles to your Qiwio videos, you need to upload a WebVTT file (.vtt) also known as a 'Web Video Text Track' file so the Qiwio video player can read your titles and show them at the right time. 

Thankfully, WebVTT files are super easy to create! 

Below, we will split this article into 4 steps, click on the links below to skip to that part of this article;

1. What are the components of a WebVTT 
2. How to create your own WebVTT file (Mac users)
3. How to create your own WebVTT file (Windows users)
4. How to upload your WebVTT file in Qiwio

What are the components of a WebVTT 

A WebVTT file has two requirements and many optional components.

The two requirements are:

• WEBVTT at the beginning of the transcript.
• A blank line in between each subtitle frame to indicate the end of a sequence.

The optional components are:

• A byte order mark (BOM) telling the reader the file is encoded with UTF-8. An example of a BOM could be EF BB BF.
• A header to the right of the WEBVTT. There must be a single space between and must not include a newline or “– –>”. You can use this to describe the file.
• Comments: indicated by NOTE and on separate lines.
• A sequence number to help keep subtitles organized.
• Positioning information on the same line after the second timecode.

All sequences begin with a timecode. The time format used is minutes:seconds.milliseconds or hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds, with the milliseconds rounded to 3 decimal places. A two-hash arrow separates each timestamp (“– –>”).

You can use a hyphen to indicate the start of a subtitle, such as:

Keep in mind that you do not want to have blank lines within a subtitle sequence. A blank line indicates the end of a sequence and should only be used to separate the subtitles in different timecodes.

Comments can be added, and the end-user will not see them. You can use comments to describe a file or keep reminders within the file. Comments must start with NOTE, followed by a space or a new line. Similar to a sequence, you cannot have a blank line between a single comment. You can include as many characters as you need within a comment.

Comments can look like this:

How to create your own WebVTT file (Mac users)

1. Open a new file in TextEdit.
2. First, type “WEBVTT” to indicate this is a .vtt file, then press enter twice to leave a blank line. 
   
   Note: You can include a title or comment before your subtitle sequence. If you decide to include a comment, either do it on the same line as “WEBVTT” or press enter and start a new NOTE. Enter the beginning and end timecode using the following format:hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds –> hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds
   
   
   
   
3. If you choose to add a sequence indicator, such as a “1,” do so on a separate line above the timecodes. Then press “enter.”
4. In the next line, begin your subtitles. Try to keep a 32-character limit with 2 lines per subtitle so that the viewer doesn’t have to read too much and the subtitles doesn’t take up too much screen space.
5. After the last text line in the sequence, press “enter” twice. Make sure to leave a blank line to indicate a new subtitle sequence. Here is an example of what it should look like.
   
   
   
   
6. Repeat the steps until you have a completed transcript.
7. To save your file as a .vtt, go to Format → Make Plain Text or use the keyboard shortcut: Shift + Command + T.
   
   
   
   
8. Next, go to File → Save.
9. Under “Save As,” type the name of your file but switch “.txt” to “.vtt”
10. Uncheck both “Hide Extension” on the bottom left-hand side of the menu. “If no extension is provided,” use “.txt”
    
    
11. Then hit save.
12. Congratulations! You are now ready to upload your subtitles.

How to create your own WebVTT file (Windows users)

1. Open a new file on Notepad.
2. First, type “WEBVTT” to indicate this is a .vtt file, then press enter twice to leave a blank line. 
   
   Note: You can include a title or comment before your subtitle sequence. If you decide to include a comment, either do it on the same line as “WEBVTT” or press enter and start a new NOTE.
   
   
3. Enter the beginning and end timecode using the following format:hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds – –>hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds
   
   
   
   
4. If you choose to add a sequence indicator, such as a “1,” do so on a separate line above the timecodes. Then press “enter.”
5. In the next line, begin your subtitles. Try to keep a 32-character limit with 2 lines per subtitle so the viewer doesn’t have to read too much and the subtitle doesn’t take up too much screen space.
6. After the last text line in the sequence, press “enter” twice. Make sure to leave a blank line to indicate a new subtitle sequence. Here is an example of what it should look like.
   
   
7. Repeat the steps until you have a completed transcript.
8. To save, go to File → Save.
9. Under “File Name,” type the name of your transcript using “.vtt” at the end.
10. Under “Save as type:” select “All Files.”
    
    
11. Then hit save.
12. Congratulations! You are now ready to upload your subtitles.

How to upload your WebVTT file in Qiwio

Once you have finished creating your amazing WebVTT files, do the following to upload them and turn on subtitles to your videos;

1. Log into Qiwio.
2. Find the video you will like to add subtitles to and click on it to go to the video's page.
3. In the customize panel, toggle on subtitles
4. Type the language of your subtitles in the first field.
5. Click upload WebVTT file underneath and find your piece of art you created on your computer.
6. Thats is! The subtitles will appear in your video like magic! 

Great job on creating your subtitles to offer a better viewing experience to your audience!

High five!