Create or import a subtitle track in DaVinci Resolve, then review the words and timing against the finished edit. This guide focuses on correcting captions and keeping their style readable. If you already have an SRT file, use the separate import and delivery guide.
Choose manual text, a file or available speech tools
Resolve supports subtitle clips on a dedicated timeline track. You can write captions manually, import a supported subtitle file or use speech-based tools available in your edition. Blackmagic's Edit page overview describes track editing and styling. Do not treat a title overlay as a switchable subtitle track.
The Resolve 20 Editor's Guide, lesson 9, documents Timeline → AI Tools → Create Subtitles from Audio. Check your edition and available language options before depending on it. Speech-based AI features may require Studio; a missing option is not a reason to purchase anything without checking the current feature list. Manual entry or an existing file may suit the job.
Work after the main picture and audio edits where practical. If you create captions earlier, review them again after cuts, retiming or alternate takes change what is said and when.
Correct the words before polishing their appearance
- Play the timeline and select a subtitle clip. Edit its wording in the Inspector. Check names, numbers, units and any short word that changes the meaning.
- Replay the complete phrase. Move or trim the subtitle clip so it matches the current speech, then inspect the next cue too.
- Check useful non-speech audio and speaker identification where needed for understanding. Do not add a guessed word when the recording is unclear.
- Review after a picture cut or pause removal. The caption must follow the new timeline, not the earlier source recording.
One wrong word can reverse the instruction
Illustrative safety of meaning check
Spoken line: “Do not mute the main mic.”
Draft caption: “Do mute the main mic.”
Review: restore “not”, replay the phrase and check its cue boundaries. Styling the incorrect sentence would not make it usable.
Authored text example, not a speech-recognition result or a native Resolve processing test.
| Pass | Question |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Are names, numbers and negations right? |
| Timing | Does each cue follow the current spoken phrase? |
| Reading | Can you read the line without missing the picture? |
| Delivery | Does the actual output contain the intended captions? |
Use track style deliberately, then check exceptions
Use the Inspector's track controls for a consistent base style. Individual captions can have local overrides, so inspect a cue that looks different before repeatedly changing the whole track. Resolve 20's guide distinguishes track settings from Customize Caption controls on one cue. Check placement against the actual picture and any lower thirds.
View the result at a realistic reading size. Do not rely on a large editor viewer alone. Long lines, poor contrast or captions over a key demonstration can make correct words hard to use. The text-layout guide covers that separate composition task.
Choose the output needed by the destination, then follow the subtitle import and export workflow. A separate text file does not preserve every visual treatment; burning captions into the picture makes them permanent. Keep an editable project and the reviewed caption file.
For creating a reading transcript rather than synchronized captions, use the transcript review guide. For Gling's separate spoken-editing workflow, check the current desktop feature and plan limits. Free MP4 exports are watermarked, and editable timeline export requires a paid desktop plan. No native Resolve import, new processing or export has been tested for this article.
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