Add Captions to YouTube Shorts
Upload your Short, pick an animated caption style, and download it with captions burned in. Free while in early access, with no watermark on the export.
Caption my Short →Pick a look for your Short
How to caption a YouTube Short in three steps
- Upload your clip.Sign in with Google and drop in your vertical video. Common video files up to 4.8 GB are accepted.
- Pick a style.Aura transcribes the speech automatically. Choose neon, glitch, LED, typewriter, holographic, rainbow, handwrite or cotton-candy.
- Download, then upload to YouTube.Preview the result, download the captioned video, and publish it as a Short from your usual YouTube app.
Burned-in captions vs YouTube auto-captions
YouTube can generate closed captions, but viewers have to turn them on and they all look the same. Burned-in captions are part of the picture, so they show for everyone scrolling the Shorts feed, including people watching on mute, and they carry your style. Many creators use both: burned-in captions for the look, plus YouTube's own captions for accessibility and search.
Styles that suit Shorts
- LED / neon – bold and readable over busy backgrounds → LED captions, neon captions
- Typewriter – tutorials, explainers and talking heads → typewriter captions
- Glitch – gaming and tech channels → glitch captions
- Handwrite / cotton-candy – lifestyle, vlogs and softer content → see them in the gallery
Prefer something shinier? Try holographic or rainbow, or browse every caption effect.
Tips for Shorts captions
- Keep captions in the middle third of the frame so the title, channel name and buttons along the bottom and right edge don't cover them.
- Short lines of 2–4 words are easier to read at scroll speed.
- Export in vertical 9:16 so the Short fills the whole screen.
Related pages
FAQ
How do I add captions to a YouTube Short?
Upload the clip to Aura Captions, pick an animated style, download the video with captions burned in, then upload it to YouTube as a Short.
Is it free?
Yes. Aura Captions is free while in early access: no credit card, no credits to buy, and no watermark. You sign in with Google to upload; no other account is needed.
Are these the same as YouTube's captions?
No. Aura burns styled captions into the video itself, so everyone sees them. YouTube's closed captions are a separate track that viewers switch on or off.
What size works best for Shorts?
Vertical 9:16. You can upload common video files up to 4.8 GB, and the captioned export renders at 30 fps.
Which languages work?
Automatic captions are currently tuned for English speech.
Can I use the same captioned video on TikTok and Reels?
Yes. The export is a normal video file, so you can post it anywhere.