How to Add Subtitles to Your Sony Vegas Pro Videos

One way to make your content stand out and reach a larger audience is by adding subtitles and captions to the video. Not only does having on-screen text help those with hearing impairment but a lot of viewers often watch videos with little to no sound so having captions help a lot.

Subtitling your video is a basic skill in video editing that greatly enhances the quality of your content. However, it can feel overwhelming to add captions to your videos using Sony Vegas, especially for videos that last more than an hour.

Adding Subtitles to Sony Vegas

Subtitling a video in Sony Vegas can take a long time, especially for longer videos. However, the process of doing so is actually quite simple. Here are the steps you can follow to add captions to your videos:

• Open a new project

To get started, open Sony Vegas and click on ‘File.’ From the dropdown menu, select the ‘New’ option. A dialogue box displaying ‘New Project’ will then pop up. This is where you can adjust the properties of your project.

When you’re done, select ‘OK’ to start the project.

• Insert the video that you want to edit

Head to the upper left corner of your menu bar and click on ‘File.’ In the dropdown menu, you will see the option to ‘Import.’ After selecting it, a list will then appear. Select the option to ‘Import Media.’

This will then open up your documents so you can browse your computer for the video file that you want. After you’ve found the file, select the video and click the ‘Open’ option. You will then notice the video appear in the ‘Project Media’ section.

To add it to your timeline, click on the video and drag it. Once it’s on the timeline, it is now ready for editing.

• Edit your subtitles

You can then head to the editing tabs and select the ‘Media Generators’ option. It will then show you various media options that you can add to your content. Go to the ‘All’ folder where you can find the ‘PrototypeTitler’ option.

After selecting, Sony Vegas will show you all the different types of subtitles that are available to be added to the video. Scroll through the list and find one that you think would suit your video. Then, drag it to the timeline where you inserted your video file.

A window will then open up where you can write your subtitles on the screen. You can also adjust them and move them to the place that you prefer. You can also choose to alter their transparency, as well as their font, color and other related adjustments.

Keep in mind that in order to move the subtitles around, you have to click on the editing screen’s upper part that shows you that you are in edit mode.

• Save your subtitles

If you like the type of subtitles that you have created, save them. Afterwards, you would have to adjust them and make sure they’re placed in the correct timeline.

Repeat this process until you have finished adding all the subtitles that your video needs.

• Importing a caption file

There is also another way to add subtitles to your video in Sony Vegas. Go to the menu bar and select ‘Insert’ then click on ‘Insert Subtitles from File.’ A dialogue box will then pop up.

Using the ‘Folder’ dropdown, find the location of the caption file that you have downloaded. You can leave the ‘Preset’ option as the default. Then, select ‘OK’ to import your caption file.

Make sure that the caption file that you have saved is in SRT format. Compared to other formats, exported SRT captions are easily readable and can also be edited using a plain text editor.

• Preview your captions

From the right side of the menu bar, click on ‘Overlays.’  The dropdown menu then allows you to choose the caption type that you prefer. CC1 is usually used for primary language captions.

Make sure to keep the ‘Overlays’ button depressed so the captions will appear in the preview of your video. This also makes it easier to check the timing and the appearance of your captions while the video is playing.

Caption Editing

You can edit your captions to offer your audience the best viewing experience using markup language. This is how you can edit or add the following properties of the captions in your Sony Vegas videos:

• Roll-up text
• Paint-on text
• Italic text
• Size of text
• Background color
• Tabs
• Pop-up text
• Flashing text
• Color of text
• Transparency of background
• Rows

Here are the following steps to editing your caption in Sony Vegas:

• Use caption markers

Hover your cursor over the video timeline and open the ‘Insert’ menu. You should then select ‘Command’ to pull up the ‘Command Properties’ dialogue box. You can also just press ‘C’ while placing your cursor over the timeline to add a new marker.

Once you have placed all the caption markers, select an appropriate format for your closed captions. To move a marker, drag the marker tag across the timeline to the position that you prefer. When you double click on the marker tag, it allows you to edit it.

• Edit the format of your caption

After opening the ‘Command Properties’ dialogue box, type the relevant markup language for your closed captions in the ‘Comment’ text field. This allows you to achieve the properties for your caption that you prefer.

• Edit your caption content

In the ‘Command Properties’ dialogue box, you can find your caption content in the ‘Parameter’ field. If you want to change that caption marker’s content, you can edit the text in the ‘Parameter’ field.

Once you’re satisfied, select ‘OK.’

Exporting Videos with Caption

When you’re satisfied with everything, select ‘File’ in the menu bar and then click ‘Render As’ from the dropdown menu. Choose your preferred file destination as well as format.

Remember to check the ‘Save project markers in media file’ to make sure that your captions are embedded into your video file. Then, click the ‘Render’ button and wait for the video to finish processing.

Final Thoughts

Remember that the process of adding subtitles in Sony Vegas can take time so don’t be too impatient. Rushing it can only lead to more mistakes that you would eventually have to fix later, taking even more of your time. It’s a repetitive process that requires practice and patience. But, once you get the hang of it and view the end result for yourself, then the entire process becomes satisfying.