How to caption Shorts on Windows

Most people watch vertical videos with the sound off or low, whether on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels or TikTok. Clear captions keep them watching, and they make your video easier to follow for everyone.

What good captions look like

• Short lines. Two to four words at a time is easy to read at a glance. Word-by-word captions that pop in as they are spoken hold attention well.
• Big and high contrast. Large text with an outline or background stays readable on any footage and on a small phone screen.
• Inside the safe area. Keep text away from the bottom and right edges of the frame, where each app puts its buttons and title.
• Correct. Automatic transcription is good but not perfect. Check names, brand words and jargon before you publish.

Turning a widescreen video into a vertical one

Shorts, Reels and TikToks are all 9:16, so a landscape video has to be cropped. A fixed centre crop often cuts off the person talking. A crop that follows the speaker or the action keeps them in frame without you editing it by hand.

How to do it with AI Shorties

1. Download and install. Get the free 7-day trial for Windows 10 or 11.
2. Add your video. Choose the landscape clip you want to turn into a Short.
3. Let it transcribe. The speech recognition runs on your own PC, so your video is not uploaded to anyone.
4. Check the captions. Fix any wrong words in the built-in editor and preview the result.
5. Pick a style. Choose a caption style and background that suit your channel.
6. Export and upload. Save the vertical video and upload it to YouTube Shorts, TikTok or Instagram Reels.

Try it free for 7 days