How to Add Auto Captions in DaVinci Resolve
August 9, 2025What is DaVinci Resolve?
Developed by Blackmagic Design—a company focused on video editing, cameras and color grading—DaVinci Resolve is one of the best professional-level video editors available for free. It provides complete set of tools for video editing, color correction, audio post production and visual effects at one place. DaVinci Resolve: A favourite among filmmakers, content creators and video editors alike as it offers a free version that is both advanced enough for professionals but easy to grasp by beginners.

Why Use DaVinci Resolve?
What makes DaVinci Resolve special is its really powerful editing qualities packaged in a very user-friendly way. It is ideal for editing everything from short social media clips to full-length films and provides a powerful playground where your creative vision can come to life. Leave as much color grading and audio work until last thanks to DaVinci Resolve: the entire suite is built into one package that allows you to finish your video without bouncing between software. But, davinci resolve auto caption addition is not completely automatic using the provided software itself. In fact, DaVinci Resolve does not have an auto-transcription feature built in it at all and video makers need to manually bring or type caption files into their timelines.
Steps to Add Auto Captions in DaVinci Resolve
Although DaVinci Resolve does not natively support fully automatic caption generation, you can still add captions using the following workflow:
Step 1: Generate the Captions
Launch DaVinci Resolve and bring in your project. Have your video already loaded on the timeline and the audio, especially dialogue, clean — higher audio quality leads to better transcription accuracy.
Then navigate to the top of the interface to the “Timeline” menu and click on “Create Subtitles from Audio.” DaVinci will create the subtitles for you automatically.
Before starting the transcript, you will be prompted to make a few settings:
● Language: Type it in yourself or have DaVinci guess it for you.
● Style preset: DaVinci comes with pre-installed subtitle styles, some of which are close to Netflix captions. Pick one to proceed.
After establishing these, hit the button to start transcription. DaVinci will work on your audio, transcribe it into words, and break it down into subtitle sections — all positioned onto the timeline. This will take only a few minutes at most based on your video length.
Step 2: Verify and Improve Caption Text
After complete transcription, you can view the subtitles in the Subtitles panel and your video track timeline.
Now, take a look at them. Open the page, then click on the pencil icon at each subtitle section and make sure it gets read right. Sometimes it does, but sometimes the background is noisy or fast talking and some words get lost. Click on any subtitle to correct it directly.
Then, check the timing. Simply drag subtitles on the timeline in time with your sound to achieve synchronised captions.
If you prefer a more customized representation of your subtitle, click on an individual subtitle block and open the Track panel. All of these are adjustable and all will help increase the overall polish written language while maintaining cleaner, more visually consistent appearance.
In addition, you have the option to save your own subtitle style presets for longer videos and this way work on future ones.
Step 3: Export the Subtitles
After you have accurately placed and styled your captions, it is time to export them.
Choose the next tab “Deliver” (or sometimes known as Render). The subtitle portion of the export settings mainly has two options.
● Burn in to video: Subtitles are embedded into the file so they will always show.
● Exporting as SRT or VTT: Exports the subtitles to a file that you can then upload separately.
Choose the best one for you, click Render and that’s finished subtitled video.
Other Alternatives to Add Captions
For a more embedded and automatic solution for captions you can use Vmake. Vmake is an online video editor which has amazing auto-caption feature and it uses AI to do that. This feature is an auto captioning tool powered by professional level speech recognition that provides automatic video captions along with the ability to edit, format and export your own videos with closed captions directly in browser. This makes this an attractive option for producers looking to get a quick turn on high-quality captions without the manual work required in DaVinci Resolve.
Features:
● AI Highest Accuracy: Lose less time editing with highly precise automatic speech-to-text conversions.
● Creative Control: Custom fonts and animations for captioning aesthetics.
● Browser-Based: No download needed; edit videos anywhere, anytime.
● Free Export: Allows exporting videos without watermarks on free plan (with some limitations).
Here‘s How to Add Auto Captions with Vmake
Adding subtitles in Vmake is fast and beginner-friendly. Just follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Open the Auto Generated Captions Page
Head to Auto Generated Captions tool and click “Use Now” to start.
Step 2: Upload Your Video
Then click on “Upload Video” and select the file from your computer.
Step 3: Pick a Caption Style
Pick any font, color and animation type or subtittle style you prefer.
Step 4: Edit the Text (If Needed)
Make edits in your text — correct typos, reword contents or change timings on the timeline
Step 5: Export
After everything is complete, export your HD project with no watermark into any social medias!
FAQs
Q1 : Is there an auto captioning with DaVinci Resolve in it ?
No. DaVinci Resolve does not currently offer a built-in completely automated speech-to-text captioning solution. Captions must always be imported with external tools AFTER transcription.
Q2: In DaVinci Resolve which caption file format is supported?
Also supports the format of subtitles: . srt and . vtt for importing captions.
Q3: Can we change captions in DaVinci Resolve?
Correct, after importing the captions you can then modify their timing, styling and positioning all in software.
Q4: Can we use Vmake for auto captioning free?
Vmake has a library of free and paid plans, which includes high-quality AI auto-captioning as part of its online video editing suite.
A5: The cleanest way to add captions dynamically (assuming you are not a DaVinci guru)?
You could use auto-caption tools to save time, such as Vmake or Kapwing, which offer automated transcription and even caption styling instead of having to manually import.