How to Add Auto-Captions to Instagram Reels?

How to add captions to Instagram Reels in the app

You can directly add auto captions to your Instagram Reels within the Instagram app, enabling your followers to effortlessly understand and engage with your videos.

Step 1: Create a New Post

Open the Instagram app on your device.

Locate the plus icon situated next to your username in the top - right corner of the screen. Tap on it to bring up the “Create” pop - up window.

From the list of available format choices, pick "Reel".

Step 2. Upload your video from your camera roll.

Select the video that you wish to incorporate into your Instagram Reel from your device's camera roll.

Then, after uploading your Reel, tap "Next" located at the top of your screen.

Step 3: Add Captions to Your Reel

In the Reels editor, tap the sticker icon. It's the fourth square - shaped icon positioned on the top right side of your screen.

Within the sticker menu, you'll come across the Captions sticker. In case it's not immediately visible, you can utilize the search bar to look for it.

Select the Captions sticker.

Instagram's captioning functionality will automatically transcribe the audio in your video and insert captions. Thankfully, these are far more advanced than the auto - captions of yesteryear. With Instagram's integrated captioning feature, you can edit the captions and customize their styling directly within the app.

Step 4: Customize Your Captions 

Choose the font style you like for your captions from the four options located at the bottom - right corner of the screen: classic, typewriter, scroll, or fade.

By default, the captions will be displayed in the middle of the screen.

You can freely relocate the captions to a position that enhances the user experience by using your fingers to drag the text. Keep in mind that the position you choose for the captions will remain fixed throughout the entire video. Once set, you won't be able to reposition them as different clips play.

Step 5: Share Your Instagram Reel 

Tap “Next” to compose an Instagram caption for your video (distinct from closed captions), tag other users, include your location, and perform other related actions.

Lastly, tap “Share” to post your Instagram Reel.

Pro tip: The captioning feature isn't limited to Reels. You can use it to add captions to all kinds of Instagram videos, such as Feed videos and Instagram Stories.

Why use a video editing tool to add captions to Reels

Employing a third - party editor such as Kapwing enables you to incorporate additional features, make effortless edits, and apply customized caption styles. You can even translate the captions of your videos into various languages.

With Kapwing's subtitle software, you can generate accessible and legible captions, while also having greater control over the captions' positioning, appearance, and precision.

Moreover, when creating Reels for a brand account involving multiple stakeholders, you have the ability to grant edit access to team members.

Now, let's examine some of these distinct advantages in detail:

Style and Placement

On Instagram, you're limited to just four caption style options: classic, typewriter, scroll in/out, and fade in/out. Each of these styles comes with a fixed font and text animation that can't be modified or personalized. Additionally, you can only select one position for your captions.

If your Instagram Reel consists of a single, unchanging scene, these limitations might not seem significant. But in reality, most videos don't feature a single static shot throughout. Instead, they usually contain multiple clips with different focal points. The inability to reposition captions for the best viewing experience is a major drawback when using Instagram Reels' built - in editor for adding subtitles.

In contrast, tools like Kapwing give you complete creative freedom over your caption's visual style. You can adjust the size, choose from a wide range of fonts, pick custom colors, create unique animations, and even control the number of words displayed on the screen simultaneously.

What's more, you can freely move the captions around and preview them within the Reels - like interface. This ensures that your captions remain clearly visible throughout the entire video.

Accuracy 

Third - party tools can also enhance the accuracy of captions, which is crucial for ensuring accessibility.

Auto - captioning tools, such as those on Instagram, sometimes misinterpret words. This misinterpretation can occur due to various factors, including accents, fast or excited speech, background noise, or the use of uncommon words like brand or product names.

In contrast, third - party tools allow you to review auto - generated captions thoroughly, ensuring that the written text precisely matches the spoken content. When an occasional error does slip through, you can edit the caption transcript as conveniently as you would edit a text document.