How to Add Subtitles in DaVinci Resolve (Free or Studio)

To add subtitles in DaVinci Resolve, import an SRT file into the Media Pool and drag it onto your timeline: Resolve puts it on a subtitle track above the video, where you can style it and render it into the picture or export it as a separate file. That works in the free version. Creating subtitles automatically from the audio (Create Subtitles from Audio, in the Timeline menu) is a DaVinci Resolve Studio feature, $295, shown at $236 on Blackmagic's page on 1 November 2026.

This guide covers both routes in DaVinci Resolve 21, the export settings, and what to check when subtitles don't show up in the rendered file. It's part of our subtitles and captions guides.

The short answer

Free version: make an SRT elsewhere, import it (File > Import > Subtitle, or drag it into the Media Pool), drag it onto the timeline, and style it in the Inspector. Studio: Create Subtitles from Audio, in the Timeline menu, makes the track for you. To deliver, tick Export Subtitle in the Deliver page's video settings and choose Burn into Video or a separate SRT, WebVTT or TTML file.

Key takeaways

• The free version imports, edits, styles and exports subtitles; it doesn't transcribe speech into them.
• Blackmagic's guides mark automatic captions and transcription as Studio Version Only.
• Resolve imports SRT, TTML, XML and embedded MXF/IMF subtitles, so convert a VTT to SRT first.
• Subtitles only appear in the render if Export Subtitle is ticked in the Deliver page.
• Resolve 21 adds find and replace in subtitles, fade handles and word timing for imported captions.

Disclosure: we make QuickVeed and show how to do this in it, along with other ways. Details about other products come from their public pages, checked in November 2026 and linked at the end.

Can you add subtitles in DaVinci Resolve for free?

Yes, by hand or from a subtitle file, but not automatically. Blackmagic's edit page lists subtitle and closed-caption tools in the Edit page: importing timed text TTML, SRT, XML and embedded MXF/IMF subtitles, creating them from scratch, styling the track, and rendering them into the video or exporting TTML, SRT or VTT files. The Studio upgrade list on Blackmagic's site doesn't include any of that.

Automatic captioning is different. Blackmagic's 18.5 New Features Guide introduced Auto Caption as 'Studio Version Only', and its 20 guide marks improved transcription and automatic subtitling in more languages, animated subtitles and transcript exports the same way. Nothing on the Resolve 21 pages says that changed. So in the free version, the fastest route is to get an SRT from a transcription tool and import it.

How do you import an SRT into DaVinci Resolve?

You import an SRT into DaVinci Resolve through the Media Pool, then place it on the timeline:

1. Open your project and the timeline you want to subtitle in the Edit page.
2. Choose File > Import > Subtitle and pick the .srt file, or drag it from Finder or Explorer into the Media Pool.
3. Drag the subtitle clip from the Media Pool onto the timeline, lined up with the start of your video. Resolve adds a subtitle track above the video tracks if there isn't one.
4. Play it back and check that the first and last lines land on the right words.
5. To fix a line, select it on the track and edit the text in the Inspector's Caption tab.

If every line is early or late by the same amount, the SRT was made from a different version of the edit. Move the subtitle clips together, or shift the file before importing with the free subtitle time shifter. For drift that grows over time, see how to fix out-of-sync subtitles.

Got a .vtt? Resolve exports VTT but its import list doesn't include it, so convert it with the free SRT to VTT converter first. SRT vs VTT explains the differences.

How do you create subtitles from audio in DaVinci Resolve Studio?

In Studio, Resolve transcribes the dialogue and builds the subtitle track itself:

1. Open the timeline in the Edit page. Set In and Out points to caption part of it, or leave them clear for the whole timeline.
2. Open the Timeline menu and choose Create Subtitles from Audio (in recent versions it may sit under Timeline > AI Tools).
3. Pick the language, a caption preset and the maximum characters per line. Shorter lines (around 32 to 42 characters) read better on phones.
4. Click Create. Resolve adds the subtitles to a subtitle track, making one if needed.
5. Read every line against the audio and fix names, numbers and jargon in the Inspector.

Resolve 20 added an Extended Transcription Language Support package (DaVinci Resolve > Extras Download Manager) for many more languages, some still in beta, switched on in Project Settings > Subtitles and Transcription. In Resolve 21 you can also import a transcript or SRT for a Media Pool clip and let Studio work out word timings (AI Tools > Audio Transcription > Import and Detect Timing), which is what word-highlight animations need.

How do you style subtitles in DaVinci Resolve?

Select the subtitle track and use the Inspector to set font, color, size, background and position for the whole track, then override single captions where needed. Since Resolve 20 you can also drag a Fusion title template onto the subtitle track header to style every caption from one template, and Studio adds animated templates such as Word Highlight.

Resolve 21 adds fade-in and fade-out handles on subtitle clips and find and replace across a whole subtitle track (the search icon in the subtitle inspector), handy for fixing a misspelled product name in 200 lines at once.

Check reading speed as well as looks: lines that flash past are unreadable in any font. The free subtitle reading speed checker flags them; subtitle reading speed explains the limits.

Should you burn in subtitles or export an SRT from Resolve?

Both are set in the Deliver page, under Subtitle Settings in the Video tab of the render settings. Tick Export Subtitle, then choose:

Many teams render twice: a burned-in copy for social feeds and a clean copy plus an SRT for YouTube. How to burn subtitles into a video and open vs closed captions cover the trade-offs.

Why are DaVinci Resolve subtitles not exporting or rendering?

Usually because of one setting in the Deliver page. Check these in order:

If an imported SRT won't load at all, it usually has a formatting error, such as a missing blank line or a period instead of a comma in a timecode. How to edit an SRT file shows the correct layout.

How do you make an SRT for DaVinci Resolve in QuickVeed?

If you use the free version of Resolve, or need a language or translation Studio doesn't give you, make the SRT in QuickVeed's auto subtitles and import it:

1. Open auto subtitles (Captions & subtitles in the sidebar) and upload the video, up to 3 hours long, or pick one from your library.
2. Pick a caption style (11 to choose from) and a position: bottom, middle or top. Untick the captioned-video option if you only want subtitle files.
3. Press Transcribe. Allow about a minute of processing per 10 minutes of video.
4. On the Edit tab, click a time to jump to it, correct the text and save. Saving clears any translations, so edit before you translate.
5. On the Translate tab, tick up to 5 of 32 languages at a time. Each line keeps its timing.
6. On the Download tab, get an SRT, VTT or TXT file per language. On the Burn in tab, make a captioned copy per language; it's saved to your library.

A transcript costs 1.5 credits a minute, rounded up (2 credits for a 1-minute video, 15 for 10 minutes). Each burned-in copy is a credit a minute, 3 at least, for videos up to 30 minutes, and translation usually adds a credit or two per language. Export your final cut from Resolve first and transcribe that, so the timing matches the edit. Already have the exact script? The free text to SRT converter turns it into an SRT with estimated timings.

What QuickVeed doesn't do: it isn't a timeline editor, so it can't edit your Resolve project, and its burned-in captions (11 styles, videos up to 30 minutes) are drawn by QuickVeed rather than Resolve's track styles. For a full walkthrough of the format, see how to make an SRT file; Premiere users can follow how to import an SRT into Premiere Pro.

Frequently asked questions

Can DaVinci Resolve free generate subtitles automatically?

No. Create Subtitles from Audio is a DaVinci Resolve Studio feature. The free version can import an SRT made elsewhere and edit, style and export it.

How do I import an SRT into DaVinci Resolve?

Choose File > Import > Subtitle (or drag the .srt into the Media Pool), then drag it onto the timeline. Resolve places it on a subtitle track.

Can DaVinci Resolve import VTT subtitles?

Blackmagic lists TTML, SRT, XML and embedded MXF/IMF subtitles for import, and VTT only for export. Convert a VTT to SRT before importing.

How do I burn subtitles into a video in DaVinci Resolve?

In the Deliver page, open Subtitle Settings in the Video tab, tick Export Subtitle and choose Burn into Video, then render.

Why don't my subtitles show in the exported video?

Export Subtitle is usually unticked in the Deliver page, or it's set to export a separate file instead of burning them in.

How much is DaVinci Resolve Studio?

$295, shown at $236 on Blackmagic's product page on 1 November 2026. It's a one-time purchase.

Try it with your own video

Using the free version of Resolve and need an accurate SRT, in English or 31 other languages? Upload your exported cut, fix the transcript, and download an SRT to import. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 250 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.

Sources

Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in November 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.

• Blackmagic Design: DaVinci Resolve 21 (free and Studio versions, Studio price)
• Blackmagic Design: DaVinci Resolve Studio 21
• Blackmagic Design: DaVinci Resolve edit page (subtitle import and export formats)
• Blackmagic Design: DaVinci Resolve 18.5 New Features Guide (Auto Caption, Studio Version Only)
• Blackmagic Design: DaVinci Resolve 20 New Features Guide (transcription languages, animated subtitles)
• Blackmagic Design: DaVinci Resolve 21 New Features Guide, April 2026 (subtitle find and replace, word timings, fades)
• QuickVeed Help: add captions and subtitles