From browser recording to caption file
WEBM is what you get from a browser-based recorder, and captions are usually the next thing anyone needs from one. The gap between the two is timing: a transcript is just words, while a subtitle file has to know precisely when each line begins and ends so it matches the picture.
That timing comes out of the transcription itself rather than being added afterwards. Every segment carries a start and end point taken from the audio, so the SRT you download lines up with the recording without you nudging cues around in a subtitle editor.
Where SRT works and where you want VTT instead
SRT is the format almost everything accepts. Upload it alongside a video on a social platform, hand it to an editor, drop it next to a file for a desktop player to find, and it simply works. Its ubiquity is the whole reason to choose it despite being the older of the two common formats.
VTT is the one web video players expect, and it is what you want when the video will be embedded in a page using the HTML video element. We export both from the same transcript, so the decision costs you nothing and you can take one of each if you are unsure.
Frequently asked questions
Will the subtitle timings match my video exactly?
They come from the audio itself, so they line up with the recording as uploaded. If you later trim the start of the video in an editor, you will need to shift the cues to match the new beginning.
Can I edit the SRT after downloading it?
Yes. An SRT is a plain text file you can open in any editor to fix a name or reword a line. Keep the timing lines untouched and the file will still load correctly everywhere.
My caption lines are too long for the screen. Can I fix that?
Our free subtitle tools can reshape an existing file, including splitting overlong lines and shifting timings, all inside your browser without uploading the file anywhere.