An SRT file, or a SubRip Subtitle file, is a plain text format commonly used to add subtitles to video content. It’s one of the most popular subtitle formats due to its simplicity and wide compatibility.
First, you need to learn the structure of an SRT file
An SRT file is in textual format, meaning it can be opened and edited with a text editor. We recommend using Notepad++, which you can download from here, but any good text editor will do the job.
Let’s start with a short example of an SRT file:
1 00:02:56,642 --> 00:02:59,396 This is an example of a subtitle. 2 00:03:02,182 --> 00:03:04,689 This is an example of a second subtitle.
The SRT file is composed of subtitles separated by a blank line. In our example, we have two subtitles.
Each subtitle starts with a numeric counter. The counters are numbered sequentially starting at 1. In our example, the first subtitle has a counter value of 1 and the second has a counter value of 2.
The next part is the time the subtitle should appear on the screen, followed by –>, and the time it should disappear. The format of each timestamp is Hours:Minutes:Seconds,Milliseconds. In our example, 00:02:56,642 means the following: Hours: 00, Minutes: 02, Seconds: 56, Milliseconds: 642.
The last part is the text of the subtitle.
Here is how to create an SRT file:
- Transcribe your video dialogue
- Open Notepad++
- Add sequential subtitle numbers
- Include timestamp markers
- Type the subtitle text under the proper timestamps
- Save the file with a .srt extension
Here is how to edit an SRT file:
- Open the SRT file with Notepad++
- Change the timestamp markers to better sync the subtitle text to the video
- Change the subtitle text to reflect better the transcription of the video
- Save the file
You can use the Subtitle Validator to validate your SRT file, and fix errors or warnings if exist.
Now you create and edit SRT file and enjoy subtitles while watching videos.