Closed Captions VS Open Captions...? Subtitles?! - What's the difference?

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Closed Captions VS Open Captions...? Subtitles?! - What's the difference?

Hey everyone, I'm Jason Taves, the CTO and co-founder here at Quick. Today, I'm excited to share what we've learned about open captions, closed captions, and subtitles, including how and where to use them effectively in your video strategy.

As you dive into video content, understanding where your user is coming from and viewing your content is crucial. Are they watching your content on YouTube? Maybe they’re on LinkedIn, where the audio is off by default. Knowing how to connect and engage with those users without any interaction on their part is essential.

Closed Captions

Closed captions are text that appears on the screen and can be turned on or off by the user. For example, on YouTube, you can click the closed captioning button to see the words on the screen, and click it again to make them disappear. Closed captions require user action, making them less ideal for news feeds or social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, where the volume defaults to off. However, they serve an essential purpose for the deaf and hard of hearing community, as they have the option to turn on the captions.

Open Captions

Open captions, on the other hand, are text burned directly into your video. This means the words are always visible and can't be turned off. Open captions are ideal for video feeds where the volume is off by default, such as social media platforms. Here at Quick, we focus on providing open captions and also supply an SRT file for closed captions if needed later on. By using open captions in these scenarios, viewers can immediately see your message without toggling any buttons.

Subtitles

Subtitles are targeted at non-native language speakers. For instance, if I'm speaking in English and someone consuming the content is a language learner or does not know English at all, subtitles can relay what I’m saying either in English or translated into another language. Subtitles can be displayed in either closed caption or open caption formats, depending on the need. If social media is the platform in question, where audio is often off, open captions containing subtitles are recommended. Conversely, for platforms like YouTube, closed captions might suffice for user flexibility.

Understanding your audience and the platforms they use is essential. For videos on social media, open captions are generally the way to go. For platforms like YouTube, closed captions offer the flexibility users might prefer.

If you’d like to try a captioning platform that is fast and easy to use, whether for open or closed captions, give Quick a try. You can try it for free using the link in the description below and see how effortlessly you can brand your videos.

Before you go, make sure to level up your content by checking out this video or that one for more information on captioning and distributing your video content online. See you next time!

Keywords

  • Closed Captions
  • Open Captions
  • Subtitles
  • Video Strategy
  • Social Media
  • YouTube
  • Accessibility
  • Non-Native Language Speakers
  • Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  • User Interaction
  • SRT File

FAQ

1. What are closed captions? Closed captions are text displayed on the screen that can be turned on or off by the user.

2. What are open captions? Open captions are text that is permanently burned into the video and cannot be toggled on or off.

3. What are subtitles typically used for? Subtitles are generally used for non-native language speakers to understand the spoken content in a video or to translate the content into another language.

4. When should I use open captions? Open captions should be used for social media platforms or any video feed where the audio is off by default.

5. When are closed captions preferable? Closed captions are preferable on platforms like YouTube, where users have the ability to toggle captions on or off based on their preferences.

6. Are open captions useful for accessibility? Yes, open captions ensure that text is always visible, making them accessible to everyone, which is particularly useful on platforms where the sound is off by default. However, closed captions are crucial for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community who may prefer the option to toggle captions on and off.