How to fix out-of-sync SRT subtitles: re-time, translate and export
The short answer
Upload the SRT together with the video or audio it belongs to, and tick Re-time to the audio. Subtitle AI keeps your text and lines exactly as they are and moves each subtitle onto the speech. Then translate the project and export the SRT.
By Subtitle AI · Updated
- Time
- About 10 minutes, plus processing time
- Before you start
- The SRT file you want to fix.
- The video or audio file the SRT belongs to. Re-timing needs it.
- The languages you want to translate into, if any.
Step 1 of 5
Upload the SRT and the media together
Open the projects page and click Upload.
Drop the SRT file in the window.
Drop the video or audio file in the same window.
The Re-time option only appears once the media file is there.
app.subtitle.aiUploadSubtitle file ready for importinterview.srt • SRT • 412 subtitles • 1,310s▶interview.mp421:50Re-time to the audioFixes subtitles that are early, late or drifting. Your text stays as it is.UploadThe SRT and the media file, side by side.
Step 2 of 5
Tick Re-time to the audio
Tick Re-time to the audio.
Click Upload.
Subtitle AI listens to the media to find where each line is spoken. Your text, line breaks and grouping stay as they are. This is priced like a transcription, because the audio has to be processed.
app.subtitle.aiUploadSubtitle file ready for importinterview.srt • SRT • 412 subtitles • 1,310s▶interview.mp421:50Re-time to the audioFixes subtitles that are early, late or drifting. Your text stays as it is.UploadTick the box, then upload.
Step 3 of 5
Check the new timing
When the project says Ready, open it.
Play a few places: the start, the middle and the end.
If a line is still off, drag the edges of that subtitle on the waveform.
Check the end of the file first. Drift builds up over time, so the end shows problems the start hides.
Step 4 of 5
Translate it
Go back to the projects page.
Open the menu on your project and choose Translate.
Tick the languages you want.
Click Translate selected.
Translations use the new timing, so every language stays in sync.
app.subtitle.aiTranslate “Interview with Marie”Search languages...FrenchGermanSpanishItalianPortugueseArabicTranslate selectedTick the languages, then click Translate selected.
Step 5 of 5
Export the new SRT
Open the project and click Export.
Choose SRT as the format.
Click Download subtitles.
If you translated, tick each language under Languages first. The button then reads Download 4 languages (.zip), or however many you ticked, and you get one zip with a file for each.
app.subtitle.aiExport optionsExport for 1 project.Subtitle formatsChoose the subtitle files to download.LanguagesSelect allDutchFrenchGermanSpanishOne zip, with a file for each language and format.SRTDownload 4 languages (.zip)Choose SRT, then download.
Offset or drift: which problem do you have?
If every subtitle is early or late by the same amount, you have an offset. Shifting all timestamps by one fixed value fixes it. The free subtitle cleaner on this site does that in your browser.
If the subtitles start in sync and slip further out as the video plays, you have drift. A common cause is a subtitle file made for a different frame rate, such as 25 fps against 23.976 fps video. A fixed shift cannot fix drift. Re-timing can, because it checks each line against the audio.
If only one part of the video is wrong, such as after a cut scene, re-time the whole file and then check that part first.
Clean the SRT before you translate it
Subtitle files made for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers often carry [sound effects], (sighs), speaker labels and HTML tags. If you translate them, you pay to translate text you do not want.
Remove them first. The free subtitle cleaner on this site strips them, repairs broken accents and re-wraps long lines, all in your browser.
Do not translate before the timing is right
Fix the timing first, then translate. That way every language starts from correct timing, and you only check it once.
Common questions
How do I fix SRT subtitles that are out of sync?
- Upload the SRT with its video or audio, tick Re-time to the audio and upload. Subtitle AI moves each subtitle to where it is spoken. Early, late and drifting subtitles all get fixed in one pass.
Will re-timing change my subtitle text?
- No. Your text, line breaks and grouping stay exactly as uploaded. Only the start and end times change.
Why do my subtitles get further out of sync as the video plays?
- That is drift. It usually means the subtitle file was made for a different frame rate than your video, such as 25 fps against 23.976 fps. A fixed shift cannot fix it. Re-timing matches each line to the audio, so the gap does not grow.
How do I adjust subtitle timing?
- It depends on the problem. For a constant delay, shift every timestamp by a fixed amount: the Export window has a Timing offset field, and the free subtitle cleaner does the same. For drift or a file that is simply wrong, upload it with the media and tick Re-time to the audio. For one or two lines, drag their edges on the waveform in the editor.
How do I remove sound effects or SDH text from an SRT file?
- Use the free subtitle cleaner. It removes [bracketed] and (parenthesised) sound effects, music symbols, speaker labels and HTML tags from an SRT or VTT file.
What is the difference between a subtitle offset and drift?
- An offset is the same delay on every line, so one fixed shift fixes it. Drift is a delay that grows or shrinks over the video, so it needs re-timing or a stretch of the timestamps.
What if all my subtitles are late by the same amount?
- You can shift every timestamp by a fixed number of milliseconds with the free subtitle cleaner on this site. Use re-timing when the gap changes over the length of the video.
Do I need the video to re-time an SRT?
- You need the video or the audio. The tool has to hear the speech to know where each line belongs. An audio file is fine.
Does re-timing cost anything?
- Yes. It is priced as a transcription, because the media is processed. The upload window shows this next to the Re-time option.