Twitter allows users to upload SRT caption files to videos directly from the compose tweet area.
Originally, Twitter users could only upload SRT files to their uploaded videos through the Media Studio which appears to be a feature that was not available to everyone. However, since the social media platform’s new design went live it seems a new feature has been added to make this process more front and center. Meryl Evans, a digital marketer(sometimes called by others the “accessibility marketer”) tested out the new feature and shared the results.
The process allows users to simply begin composing a tweet, drop in a video file, and then click a new “Upload caption file (.srt)” prompt that appears. SRT files contain information for subtitles or captions including the beginning and end of timecodes for each bit of text. With these files containing just the caption information, this means that the subtitles are closed captions and can be turned on or off by the user.
The creation of SRT files varies. While they can be created in Notepad or app alternatives, the most common seems to be using video editors such as Davinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere Pro. Another popular free alternative is using YouTube by uploading the video, going to Creator Studio, and using the subtitle creator, and then download the finished file. These methods allow the user to view the captions along with the visuals so that they’re confident that the timings are correct.
While SRT capabilities have been available to Twitter users for some time, it’s nice to see it open up to the wider audience and should, in theory, see people willing to put more effort into creating actual captions rather than using auto-generated methods that are unreliable.
