Guide

Export a transcript

Save SRT, VTT, plain text, or full JSON, and drop a sidecar next to the media if you want

Sometimes the transcript is the deliverable. A subtitle file for the editor downstream, a plain-text dump for the producer, a JSON payload for whatever tool eats it next. ReelChest exports all four.

Four formats

  • SRT. Subtitle Resource Tracks. Carries segment timing. Imports cleanly into Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, YouTube, and almost everything else with a captions track.
  • VTT. Web Video Text Tracks. Same idea as SRT, slightly different syntax, native to the web. Pick this one when the destination is a <video> element.
  • TXT. Plain text segments joined with spaces. No timestamps. The version you paste into a doc when somebody asks "what did she say."
  • JSON. The full payload, including word-level timing. Pick this if you're piping into another tool that needs more than the line-by-line view.

Pick the format that matches what comes next. SRT is the safe default for an editor. JSON is the one to keep around if you're not sure yet, because it has everything and you can always strip down later.

Sidecar mode

Two ways to save:

  • File picker. Save the transcript anywhere you like. Useful when the transcript is going to a different person or a different folder than the media.
  • Sidecar mode. Write a .srt next to the original media file, same folder, same base name. Most editors and players auto-pick up a sidecar that matches the filename, which means subtitles just appear without anybody having to wire them up.

Sidecar mode is the move if the media is staying where it lives and you want the transcript to follow it around.

The export sheet with format set to SRT and Save next to media file checked.

A note for the FCP and captions workflow: if you're sending a Paper Edit or Mosaic to Final Cut Pro, captions ride along inside the FCPXML as editable title clips. You don't need to export an SRT separately for that path. SRT export is for the editors who aren't FCP, or for handoffs where the captions live alone.

One working tip: export JSON for your own archive, even when the deliverable is SRT. Word-level timing is hard to recover later, and disk is cheap. Future you will thank present you.