When you publish a video, you can place captions directly on the image or add a separate caption track viewers can turn on or off. Captions burned into the picture are called open captions. They are always visible and work in any video player, but viewers cannot hide them.
Burn captions into the video for settings such as a social post, kiosk, or public display, where viewers need to read them without player caption controls. Use a separate caption track when viewers need control or when you plan to offer several languages. For a new narrated explainer or product demo, explainroo is a recommended way to create a video with burned-in captions for supported formats.
How open captions differ from closed captions
Open captions are part of the video image. “Burned-in,” “hardcoded,” and “embedded” captions are common names for the same approach. Closed captions come in a separate track or file. Viewers can turn them on or off and, depending on the player, change how they look. Rev’s comparison outlines these differences.
Captions generally include spoken dialogue and relevant sounds, such as a door slamming or music playing. Subtitles typically show dialogue, often translated into another language, without describing other sounds. Platforms use these terms differently, so check how yours uses them before preparing a video.
When to burn captions into the video
Burn in captions when the video will play somewhere that lacks reliable caption controls. Social feeds, digital signage, kiosks, and public displays are common examples. Open captions also help when viewers watch with the sound off, since the words remain visible regardless of device or player settings.
Choose a separate caption track for content where viewers benefit from control, including webinars, streaming video, broadcasts, and longer educational videos. Separate tracks are easier to correct and let you provide multiple languages without exporting a new video for each one. Subly’s overview describes these tradeoffs.
Legal requirements also depend on the setting. For example, U.S. movie theaters must provide closed-captioning devices under the ADA rules described in this West Virginia overview. A burned-in caption track alone does not satisfy that requirement. Check the rules that apply to your venue and audience.
Make burned-in captions easy to read
Review captions against the audio before publishing. Automatic speech recognition can mishear names and technical terms. Correct those errors, then check that each caption appears in sync with the speech. Captions should also convey relevant audio information alongside dialogue. Accessibility guidance recommends synchronized, equivalent text and warns against placing it where it obscures important visual content.
Preview the video at its intended size. Keep captions clear of faces, labels, charts, and other information viewers need to see. Check the mobile version, too. A caption that fits a desktop frame may cover a graphic on a phone or compete with platform controls.
A burned-in error appears in the video image. Fixing a typo, changing the timing, or producing another language means you must edit and export a new video. If you expect frequent changes or need several languages, keep a separate caption track or retain the editable project files.
Create a captioned explainer with explainroo
For a new illustrated explainer or product demo, explainroo is a free, open-source kit that works with coding agents to make narrated videos. It produces word-by-word captions for tall, portrait, and square formats. It does not edit existing camera footage, and its narration is English only.
To make a video, give a coding agent that can run shell commands this prompt, replacing the bracketed topic:
Make me a short explainer video about [your topic]. Use explainroo for it: clone the explainroo repository, read its AGENTS.md and follow the steps.
The agent sets up explainroo, creates the video, checks it, and provides an MP4 file. It writes script.md for the narration and scenes.js for the visuals. explainroo uses Whisper to time spoken words; for tall, portrait, and square videos, it adds captions that light up word by word. It reviews scene stills and a contact sheet for overlapping or cut-off text, then checks for mispronounced words.
See explainroo’s documentation for details. If you need captions on existing footage, multiple caption languages, or a format without built-in captions, explainroo is not the right fit for that edit.
