You can add subtitles in DaVinci Resolve by writing them manually, importing a subtitle file or using available speech-based AI tools. This guide covers file import and delivery; use the caption creation and correction guide to start from speech or written text. For an SRT file, import it into the media pool and align its subtitle track with the edit it describes.
Import a subtitle file for the right edit
Keep the original video, subtitle file and project. Confirm the file describes the same version of the video you are editing. A file made before a cut can contain correct words at the wrong times. For creating and correcting text first, see the caption creation and review guide.
- On the Edit page, select a media-pool bin and choose File → Import → Subtitle. Select the supported subtitle file.
- Drag the imported subtitle asset to the timeline above the video tracks. Align it to the start that its timings describe, rather than to the first spoken word by guesswork.
- Check that the intended subtitle track is enabled. Name language tracks clearly so you can choose the correct one later.
- Play the beginning and a later passage. Select cues to correct their text or adjust their timing as necessary.
These steps follow lesson 9 of Blackmagic's Resolve 20 Editor's Guide. Menu wording can differ in another version. Blackmagic's current Edit overview also describes subtitle tracks, supported file workflows and Inspector styling.
Diagnose a start offset before changing every cue
Illustrative subtitle version check
Original edit: a sentence begins at 00:08. The subtitle was prepared for that edit.
Revised edit: two seconds before that sentence were removed, so it now begins at 00:06.
Check: a file imported unchanged is late at that point. If more cuts occurred elsewhere, shifting the whole file by two seconds will not necessarily fix the rest.
Authored timing arithmetic, not an imported SRT receipt, processed video or native Resolve test.
- Every cue is displaced equally: check the alignment and the timeline start used by the file.
- Only later cues are wrong: check which edit version supplied the subtitle timings.
- No captions appear: check the enabled track and whether the playhead is over a cue.
- Words are wrong: correct them against the audio before focusing on visual style.
Choose the format the destination actually needs
| Choice | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Separate subtitle file | The destination accepts the file, language and timing. Do not assume the file carries the editor's visual style. |
| Burn into video | The active track and style are right. Viewers cannot turn these words off. |
| Embedded captions | The selected container and destination support the caption type. This is not the same as a separate SRT. |
In Resolve 20's Deliver page, open Subtitle Settings and enable Export Subtitle. Choose the delivery method and the tracks required. For a separate file, choose a supported format such as SRT and the intended language tracks. For burned-in captions, check the active track and its appearance before rendering. You can also export a track from its timeline-header menu.
YouTube accepts separate subtitle uploads; burning captions in is a choice, not a requirement imposed by YouTube. Follow the YouTube subtitle delivery guide for that platform's distinct upload and review steps.
Inspect the file you will actually send
Play the exported video. For a separate file, open it in the destination's supported preview with the correct video and check the first cue, a middle passage and the end. Confirm language, names and timing after any final cut. For burned-in text, also check that no second subtitle layer duplicates it. Keep the editable project and caption text for corrections.
The video-format guide covers the video container decision. No native Resolve render, upload or new subtitle-processing test is claimed here; the workflow is based on the linked documentation and the labeled example.
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