YouTube is the most important website with online video content. With some videos, the subtitles are part of the video itself, while others have specially created subtitles available. Even if there aren't any, YouTube automatically generates subtitles for many videos using speech recognition. How to download these subtitles depends on the source.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Download a YouTube video with subtitles
Step 1. Copy the video URL
Step 2. Find a good web application
Popular sites include KeepVid and ClipConverter. You need a common YouTube video download site for this job.
- These sites often allow you to download from other popular video sites, such as Vimeo.
- Before choosing a download method, click on the white "CC" box in the top right corner of the video you want to download. If the text you need appears or disappears, it is either added or generated text. If the text remains regardless of the button, it is part of the video itself and cannot be downloaded separately. In that case, follow method 1.
Step 3. Paste the video URL in the appropriate field
This is normally an open field next to a button. On KeepVid, it's a white field that starts with 'enter the link', next to a gray button with 'Download' on it. On ClipConverter, the field is gray and black with no text, next to a black button that says 'Continue'.
Step 4. Choose the format of the video
Modern video downloaders let you choose from a variety of video qualities and formats. Commonly used formats include mp4, AVI and FLV.
- On ClipConverter, they are immediately below the URL field, under the heading 'Conversion format'. Once you click 'continue', you can choose the video quality. When you click 'Start' afterwards, the conversion process and conversion to the download window will begin.
- On KeepVid, the options will appear after you enter the link and click 'Download'. The various quality and format options appear as a list of individual links.
Step 5. Download your video
The video will be saved to your downloads folder by default, but if you right-click the link and click "Save As", you can download the video elsewhere and rename it if you want. Since the subtitles are part of the video, they appear regardless of format or quality.
Method 2 of 2: Copy subtitles entered or generated in YouTube
Step 1. Copy the video URL
Step 2. Find a good web application
Be aware that there are far fewer applications that download subtitles than regular video downloaders. DownSub is an example of such a site and KeepVid also has this functionality.
Before choosing a download method, click the white 'CC' box in the lower right corner of the video you want to download. If the text you need appears and disappears, it is added or generated text, which can be downloaded separately from the video. Use method 2 for this
Step 3. Paste the video URL in the appropriate field
On DownSub, it's a white field with text starting with "Enter the link," next to a blue button that says "Download."
Step 4. Download the separate subtitles
The files generated for this purpose are of the SRT format. These are text files with time codes, which indicate what and when should appear on the screen. You need a video player that can handle SRT to see the subtitles.
- In DownSub, after entering the URL and clicking 'Submit', you will be presented with a series of links, each next to a language label, either the original language or a translation.
- To download Tom SRT files from KeepVid, you have to go all the way down to the list of format options presented to you after you enter the URL. You can choose subtitles in the original language or in different translations.
- Be aware that there are often significant imperfections in the automatically generated subtitles in YouTube. If you don't understand what someone is saying in your language, auto-generated subtitles aren't the solution. They can help people with hearing disabilities or foreign languages.