| 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):
brew install openai-whisper
pip install openai-whisper
Requires ffmpeg:
brew install ffmpeg
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.
