Automatic word-by-word captions for your iPhone videos
Most people scroll with the sound off. To them, a talking video without captions is just someone moving their mouth. Captions aren't decoration. They're how your message gets through at all.
The short answer
In RawCut, open your cut and tap Subtitles. Everything said in your clips becomes captions, timed to the word. They're burned into the exported video, so they look the same on TikTok, Reels and Shorts as they did in the app.
Why word-by-word timing matters
Show a whole sentence at once and people read ahead and stop listening. Change the caption with every word and the eye stays in step with the ear. RawCut uses your iPhone's own speech recognition to find exactly when each word is spoken, then breaks the text into short lines that end where you naturally pause. It reads the way you talk.
Four styles
- Highlight: the line stays up and the word being spoken lights up. The look you know from TikTok.
- Box: a solid block sits behind the spoken word. Readable on busy or bright footage.
- One word: one big word at a time. Punchy, good for hooks and fast talkers.
- Classic: the whole line, no highlight. Calm, and the closest to film subtitles.
A style applies to the whole video, so you can try all four on the same cut in seconds.
Captions and your own text are separate
Captions come from what was said. For words nobody said, like a title, a price or "wait for it", use the Caption tool on a single shot. It adds your own text for the length of that shot, in one of six colors, at the top, middle or bottom of the frame.
Getting clean captions
Captions are off by default, so you choose per video whether you want them. When you do:
- Speak toward the phone. The clearer the audio, the better the timing. Wind and loud music are the usual culprits.
- Allow speech recognition. The word timing is worked out on your iPhone, so the app asks for permission the first time. Without it, RawCut can't hear where the words fall.
- No speech, no captions. A cut made only of scenery has nothing to caption, so Subtitles is grayed out. Add a line of your own text instead.
Languages
Captions work in every language your iPhone's speech recognition supports, and that covers most major languages. RawCut works out the language from your phone's settings and from what it heard, so a Dutch clip normally gets Dutch captions without you touching a setting.
What captions can't do yet
The words follow what was said, and you can't type corrections into them yet. If a name comes out wrong, swap that shot for another take, or cover the moment with your own text.
Related guides
- Make an Instagram Reel from your iPhone videos
- Edit a talking video without cutting mid-sentence
- Short videos for small businesses
Questions
How do I add automatic captions to a video on my iPhone?
Make your cut in RawCut and tap Subtitles. What is said in your clips becomes captions timed word by word, and they are burned into the exported video so they show on TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
Which caption styles does RawCut have?
Four: Highlight, where the spoken word lights up; Box, with a block behind the spoken word; One word, one big word at a time; and Classic, the whole line without a highlight.
Can I edit the caption text?
Not yet. Captions follow what was said in the clip. For words nobody said, add your own on-screen text to a shot with the Caption tool, or swap the shot for a cleaner take.
Do captions work in languages other than English?
Yes. Captions use the speech recognition built into your iPhone, so they work in the languages it supports. The language is picked from your phone settings and from what was heard in the clip.
Free to try. iPhone, iOS 15 or later.