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Auto Subtitles in DaVinci Resolve: Built-in vs. a Caption Plugin

Typing subtitles by hand is the slowest part of many edits. Here's what DaVinci Resolve can do automatically, where it stops, and when a plugin is worth it.

Updated September 30, 2026 · by The Bigger Studio

Paper cut-out caption style reading 'just one click' — Automatic doesn't have to mean plain.

What DaVinci Resolve does on its own

DaVinci Resolve can turn the audio on your timeline into a subtitle track. Look for Timeline › Create Subtitles from Audio. For years this feature was part of DaVinci Resolve Studio (the paid edition), so check what your version and edition include.

Select your timeline and choose Timeline › Create Subtitles from Audio.
Pick the language, the caption preset and the maximum characters per line.
Resolve adds a subtitle track. Review it and fix names, numbers and brand words.
Style the whole track in the Inspector, or drag an animated caption preset onto the track header (version 20 and later).

This is great for standard subtitles: interviews, documentaries, courses, and files you need to deliver as .srt.

Where the built-in tools stop

Lines, not words. Subtitles come in sentences. Social-style captions that appear one or two words at a time need extra work.
One look for everything. Every line shares the same style. Making a single word bigger or a different color is manual.
No sound design. The small clicks and hits that make captions feel alive have to be added by hand.

What a caption plugin adds: Bigger Subs

Bigger Subs is made for the social-video look. It writes the subtitles word by word on your own computer, decides which words deserve emphasis, and places finished, animated captions on your DaVinci Resolve timeline as a transparent ProRes 4444 clip.

45 premium styles for brands, podcasts, ads, churches, car shops and more.
Automatic emphasis: impact words, highlights and level changes you can accept or change.
600+ sound effects synced to the words.
Works with DaVinci Resolve Free and Studio, on Mac and Windows.
Private: your footage stays on your computer.

Side by side

	Built-in subtitles	Bigger Subs
Best for	Standard subtitles, .srt delivery	Social videos, ads, reels
Word-by-word	Manual	Automatic
Emphasis on key words	Manual	Automatic, editable
Styles	Presets + your own	45 ready-made
Sound effects	No	Yes
Price	Included with your edition	$59 once, 2-day free trial

Many editors use both: Resolve's subtitles for the .srt file a client needs, and Bigger Subs for the version that goes on social media.

I'm a video editor. I recently paid for a caption plugin that didn't do what it said. Bigger Subs was tested on long, messy, real client projects before it went on sale.

See it on your own footage

Download the full app and use it free for 2 days. One-time price after that: $59, no subscription.

Get the free trial

More guides: How to add animated subtitles in DaVinci Resolve · Word-by-word captions in DaVinci Resolve