Should You Put Subtitles in your Videos?
Nowadays, people are constantly watching video content. Whether it’s on their phone, on their computer, or even more obvious places like their television, a lot of our devices allow us to watch videos. And more social media platforms, like LinkedIn and Instagram, are tailoring their platforms so that people can watch videos seamlessly.
But video isn’t visual - video depends on visuals and audio. And audio can be incredibly important to the story you’re trying to tell, such as with a voice over or an interview - or even song lyrics.
This is where subtitles come in. Subtitles are captions displayed at the bottom of the screen that transcribe the video the viewer is watching. They are crucial when you watch foreign films.
But the question is, should you include them in your video?
Our answer is 100% yes!
Why should you include subtitles?
A lot of people are watching videos with no sound
With video content available in so many places, many people don’t have time to watch their videos with the sound on. They could be on their commute or at their desk - but either way, people are watching the video with no sound. That means they’re losing a lot of information that you’re trying to share. Not only does captions solve this problem, but it also tells the viewer that audio is important in this particular video.
A lot of people are hearing impaired
In Canada, it’s estimated that 19% of adults have mild hearing loss in the speech-frequency range. By including subtitles, you’re making your content more accessible. Depending on where you live, it may also be a requirement to make your videos accessible.
In Kaamil and Anjali’s wedding film, we had to include subtitles in the beginning as Kaamil’s grandfather recited an Urdu poem. The subtitles were a translation to English.
We’ve included subtitles and captions for some of our client projects, so we wanted to share a few tips we’ve learnt when it comes to inserting subtitles in your video.
Subtitle Style Matters
The style of your subtitles plays a role in the mood of your film. Choosing the right font and the right colour for your story enhances the overall film. However, make sure your captions are still legible.
Know Where You’re Distributing Your Captions
A lot of platforms, like YouTube and Instagram, have a captions system built in. This could lead to a problem where two layers of captions (one that already on your video, and one from the platform itself) are displayed. One solution that we’ve found is to create a separate file without captions burnt-in for these platforms.
Another thing is that the captions from these platforms are auto-generated, and are not always correct. So keep that in mind when making your decision. What we do is supply the SRT file, which is a subtitle file designed for the video. You can upload it to some of these platforms so they have accurate captions.
Video is a powerful tool for communication, so its important to make sure that your message gets across and is accessible to everyone. So for your next video, whether it’s a short video for Instagram or a branding film, consider adding captions!