video-subtitles

name	video-subtitles
description	Generate SRT subtitle files from video or audio using OpenAI Whisper. Free, local, no API key needed.

Video Subtitles (Whisper)

Generate .srt subtitle files from any video or audio file using OpenAI Whisper. Runs locally — no API key, no cloud, no cost.

Prerequisites

Install Whisper (one-time):

# macOS
brew install openai-whisper

# pip (any OS)
pip install openai-whisper

Requires ffmpeg:

# macOS
brew install ffmpeg

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ffmpeg

Usage

Basic — Generate SRT from a video

whisper video.mp4 --model medium --output_format srt

Output: video.srt in the current directory.

Specify language

whisper video.mp4 --model medium --output_format srt --language es

Multiple output formats at once

whisper video.mp4 --model medium --output_format all

Produces .srt, .vtt, .txt, .tsv, and .json.

Process multiple files

whisper *.mp4 --model medium --output_format srt

Output to a specific directory

whisper video.mp4 --model medium --output_format srt --output_dir ./subtitles

Models

Model	Size	Speed	Accuracy	Best for
tiny	39 MB	Fastest	Lower	Quick drafts, short clips
base	74 MB	Fast	OK	Casual use
small	244 MB	Medium	Good	Most videos
medium	769 MB	Slower	Great	Recommended default
large	1.5 GB	Slowest	Best	Professional use, difficult audio

The model downloads automatically on first use.

Tips

• Start with medium — best balance of speed and accuracy for most content
• Use small for quick iterations — review, fix, re-run if needed
• Non-English content: add --language flag for better accuracy
• Long videos: Whisper handles them fine, just takes proportionally longer
• Edit the SRT after: Whisper is good but not perfect — review timestamps and fix any errors

SRT Format

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,500
This is the first subtitle line.

2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,200
And this is the second one.

SRT files work in VLC, YouTube uploads, Premiere, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, and most video editors.

Supported Input Formats

Any format ffmpeg can read: .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mkv, .webm, .mp3, .wav, .ogg, .flac, .m4a, and more.