How to Export SRT Captions from After Effects
After Effects excels at styled on-screen captions - but clients and platforms often need SRT, VTT, or CSV sidecar files too. Here's how to export subtitle files from AE and keep timing locked to your audio.
Does After Effects export SRT natively?
No. Adobe After Effects has no built-in File → Export → SRT option. Caption timing lives on text layers - to get a subtitle file you need a script or caption plugin that reads layer in/out points and writes standard formats.
Most professional AE caption workflows use a plugin that both creates and exports timed subtitles from the same transcript data.
SRT vs VTT vs CSV - which format?
| Format | Use case | Styling |
|---|---|---|
| SRT | YouTube, Vimeo, most players | None (plain text) |
| VTT | Web players, HTML5 video | Basic web styling |
| CSV | Spreadsheet review, localization handoff | None |
For social delivery, you usually render styled captions into the video from AE. SRT is for accessibility, YouTube closed captions, and archive.
How to export SRT from After Effects
Using a caption plugin (recommended)
- Generate or import captions in your AE project.
- Review timing in the Text tab.
- Choose Export → SRT (or VTT / CSV) from the plugin panel.
- Save the file alongside your project.
Cuemark exports SRT, VTT, and CSV from the same transcript used for on-screen text layers - so your sidecar file matches what viewers see.
Manual / script route
If you built captions as timed text layers manually, community scripts can dump layer markers to SRT. This works but breaks down when you have word-level karaoke layers instead of line-level subs.
How to sync subtitles to audio in After Effects
Export is only useful if timing is correct. Three ways to sync:
- AI transcription - word-level timestamps from cloud speech-to-text (fastest).
- Manual scrub - play audio, pause at each phrase, trim layer boundaries (J-K-L keys).
- Marker pass - add timeline markers at phrase starts, align text layers to markers.
If you change the edit after captioning, re-sync or regenerate - cached transcripts in tools like Cuemark let you re-apply without a new transcription charge when only the cut changed slightly.
Upload SRT to YouTube
- Export SRT from your AE caption workflow.
- Open YouTube Studio → Content → your video → Subtitles.
- Click Upload file and select your .srt.
- Review auto-sync in the subtitle editor.
Note: YouTube SRT does not include your AE fonts, colours, or animations - only timed plain text. Keep your styled render for social; use SRT for accessibility and search.
Frequently asked questions
Can After Effects export SRT files?
After Effects does not export SRT natively. Use a caption plugin such as Cuemark to export SRT, VTT, or CSV from timed text layers.
What is the difference between SRT and VTT?
SRT (SubRip) is the most widely supported subtitle format for YouTube and players. VTT (WebVTT) is the web standard with similar timing but slightly different syntax.
How do I sync subtitles to audio in After Effects?
Sync subtitles by trimming text layer in/out points to dialogue, using word-level AI transcription for automatic timing, or nudging layers while scrubbing audio.
Does YouTube accept SRT from After Effects?
Yes. YouTube accepts SRT uploads for closed captions. Export SRT from your AE caption workflow and upload via YouTube Studio.
Adobe and After Effects are trademarks of Adobe Inc.