How to Add Subtitles in Shotcut and Kdenlive

Why a free editor is often enough

Paid editors add a lot, but for putting an SRT over a finished video, Shotcut and Kdenlive do the job. They read the file, show each cue on a track you can edit, and render the subtitles into the picture. If you're coming from iMovie, which can't import subtitle files, either is a practical next step; adding subtitles in iMovie covers that situation.

Both editors change between versions. The steps below describe recent releases; if a menu differs, look in the program's own documentation for "subtitles".

Shotcut: the Subtitles panel

1. Open your project or the finished video in Shotcut.
2. Open the Subtitles panel from the View menu.
3. In the panel's menu, import the .srt file. Shotcut creates a subtitle track with each cue listed in the panel.
4. Select a cue to edit its text or adjust its start and end.
5. To show the subtitles in the exported video, add the subtitle burn-in filter to the timeline output (Shotcut's filter list has one for subtitles), and set font, size and position there.

Shotcut can also export subtitle tracks as files, so you can keep a corrected SRT after editing text in the panel.

Kdenlive: the subtitle track

1. Open the project in Kdenlive.
2. Use the Project menu's subtitle options to import a subtitle file. Kdenlive adds a subtitle track above the video tracks.
3. Edit text in the subtitle editing area and drag cue edges on the track to change timing.
4. Adjust style (font, size, outline) in the subtitle settings.
5. When rendering, Kdenlive includes the subtitles in the picture; recent versions also offer exporting the subtitle track as a separate file.

Fix timing and long lines first

If the first line is right but later ones slide, the SRT came from a different cut; regenerate it from the final export rather than nudging cues by hand. Syncing subtitles with video explains offset versus drift. Long single-line cues, common in automatic subtitles, read better split at phrase breaks; subtitle segmentation covers where to break.

Where mydubly fits

The subtitle generator makes the SRT and VTT files these editors import. Export your final video, upload it (the video stays on your device; only the audio is sent), and download the subtitles in the spoken language or translated into one of 21 languages. It costs 1 credit per minute, with 100 free credits when you sign in. Every run also returns timestamped and plain transcripts.

Limits of burning in with free editors

• Burned-in subtitles can't be switched off or corrected after export. Keep the project and the SRT so you can re-render.
• Rendering re-encodes the whole video, which takes time on long projects and slightly reduces quality compared with the original.
• Styling options are simpler than in paid editors. For heavy styling (karaoke effects, positioning per line), a dedicated subtitle editor such as Aegisub may suit better; see free subtitle editors.
• Automatic files have no speaker labels or sound descriptions; add them if you need captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers.

Soft subtitles instead of burning in

Burning in isn't always necessary. If the video goes to YouTube, Vimeo or a media player, export the video without subtitles and keep the corrected SRT next to it; viewers can turn it on and off, and you can fix a typo without rendering again. Embedded versus sidecar subtitles compares keeping a track inside the file, beside it, or in the picture. If you want a single MP4 with a switchable subtitle track, HandBrake can add one without opening an editor; adding an SRT to an MP4 with HandBrake shows how.

Translating the subtitles for another audience

Free editors import any SRT, including translated ones. Make a second file in the target language from the same export and import it as another subtitle track, or render a second copy. For long videos, check the translated lines for length: some languages run longer than English, and a line that fit in English may need splitting. Text expansion in translation explains why, and subtitle file formats covers what else these editors can read, such as ASS files with styling.

A working order that avoids rework

1. Finish the edit completely, including music and the final trim.
2. Export the video, and make the subtitles from that export with the SRT generator or any tool you prefer.
3. Import the SRT, fix names and split long lines in the editor.
4. Export the corrected SRT before rendering, so the fixed text exists outside the project.
5. Render the burned-in version, or deliver the clean video and the SRT separately.

Doing the subtitles last is the single habit that saves the most time. Every trim after step 2 shifts the timings, and fixing hundreds of cues by hand takes longer than generating a fresh file. How to edit an SRT file covers small text fixes outside the editor if you need them later.