Readable podcast captions need accurate words, comfortable text size and enough time to follow the speech. Review the rendered video on a phone with sound off, then with sound on. Check names, numbers and negatives before adjusting the appearance.
Correct meaning before changing size
Review automatic English transcription against the source audio. Fix names, specialist terms and numbers, then check missing words that reverse meaning. Captions should represent the speaker, so do not rewrite a careful answer as a stronger claim. CastCuts caption editing requires an existing timed transcript; changing the text does not translate the recording into another language.
Choose size inside the actual composition
Larger captions can be easier to notice but may cover a face, a demonstration or a lower-third label. Preview the available size choices against the source you are using. A full-frame two-person conversation leaves a different amount of useful space from a close-up. If text competes with an opening headline, shorten the headline rather than forcing both into the same area.
Check speech and text together
Render the clip after making corrections. Watch whether the visible words follow the spoken passage, including at the start and end. A text correction alone will not repair every timing problem in the source transcript. If the result cannot be read comfortably, choose a clearer excerpt or use another caption workflow. Check the upload preview for interface elements that cover important words.
A small word can matter more than a larger font
Illustrative example. The people, recordings and results described here are fictional.
In a fictional recording, the speaker says ‘We did not change the deadline.’ An automatic caption reading ‘We did change the deadline’ gives the opposite meaning. Restore ‘not’, render again and check the corrected words during playback. Increasing the size of the wrong sentence would only make the error more prominent.
Review accuracy, timing and appearance in that order, then check the final file.
Check before you finish
- Names, numbers and negatives match the audio.
- Captions remain readable on a small screen without hiding essential visuals.
- The latest rendered MP4 contains the corrected text.
Practical questions
Can captions replace checking the audio?
No. Readability and transcription accuracy are separate checks. Listen to the source to verify meaning, then test the visual result without sound.
Can I download a separate subtitle file from this workflow?
This guide covers captions rendered into the clip video. It does not promise a separate SRT/VTT export or a translated subtitle track.
Use this workflow in CastCuts
Correct transcript captions in CastCuts
CastCuts selects continuous 1–90 second excerpts and exports 9:16, 720 × 1280 H.264/AAC MP4 files. Automatic transcription and transcript-based suggestions support English and require review. Free exports include CastCuts branding; Pro removes it from new renders for $9 USD/month, with the same processing and storage limits. Episode media is retained for 24 hours. Keep your originals and download finished clips before expiry. Publishing is manual.