Add and check captions on a screen tutorial

Remove unwanted sections and settle the sequence before doing detailed caption timing. If you cut or move a scene afterwards, review the captions around that change. A correct transcript can become misleading when it appears over the wrong action.

Keep the actual spoken wording where it matters. Do not silently replace an incorrect instruction with a correct caption while leaving contradictory audio. Re-record the line or make the correction explicit so viewers using either channel receive the same guidance.

A selectable caption track can be turned on or off in a compatible player. Burned-in text becomes part of the picture. A separate subtitle file needs a delivery route that accepts and associates it with the video. Choose according to where the lesson will be watched, not merely which export button is easiest to find.

ScreenFlow 10.5 documents caption-track export, burned-in captions and SRT files. These are ScreenFlow features, not claims that Reel generates captions. Keep the project and source recording so you can produce a different delivery version when the audience’s player requires one.

In ScreenFlow, View > Show Captions Track exposes the caption track; edit its caption boxes and timing. For a selectable export, use an appropriate supported export with Add Captions Track enabled. The user guide separately documents burned-in and SRT output.

Treat the preview as a working view. Export a short representative section before captioning a long course. That test should include a technical name, a quick phrase and a moment where important interface content sits near the caption area.

Listen while reading. Product names, numbers, keyboard shortcuts and negations deserve particular care: “do not delete” and “delete” are not a small transcription difference. Use enough time for the words to be read without leaving an instruction on screen after the relevant action has changed.

Break text into understandable phrases rather than filling the maximum width. If a sentence is too dense, improve the spoken explanation or divide it at a sensible pause. A transcript pasted as one long block is not yet a usable caption sequence.

A caption can cover the very button being explained. Inspect the lower part of the frame and any camera inset throughout the lesson. If needed, adjust the video’s framing or the editor’s supported text placement, while preserving readable proportions.

Do not assume a style that works over a dark slide will work over a white form. Check contrast and readability in the difficult scenes. Avoid relying on caption color alone to distinguish speakers or warn about a destructive action.

1. Play the export in the intended player, not only inside the editor.
2. For selectable captions, confirm the viewer can enable them and choose the right language.
3. Listen for missing words and check names, numbers and negative instructions.
4. Inspect captions over menus, results and the camera inset.
5. Check the opening, every edited join and the final sentence.
6. Keep the reviewed caption file or project with the corresponding video version.