DaVinci Resolve Transcription

How to transcribe audio in DaVinci Resolve

1. 1

   Install CaptionX and open it from DaVinci Resolve

   Run the installer, then in DaVinci Resolve click Workspace › Scripts › CaptionX. That connects CaptionX to the timeline you have open.

2. 2

   Choose Captions and pick the audio track

   Pick the track with the speech on it. Set the language, or leave it on auto-detect.

3. 3

   Click Create and check the transcript

   CaptionX transcribes the track and opens the transcript. Fix a name or a wrong word there, before anything is placed.

4. 4

   Keep it as captions, an SRT file, or both

   Captions are added to your timeline as editable titles. With Editable Text set to Unstyled, the transcript is also saved as an .srt file with timings.

DaVinci Resolve transcription in the free version

Resolve's own transcript tools belong to DaVinci Resolve Studio. Blackmagic's product page says Studio "includes everything in the free version plus the DaVinci AI Neural Engine" and lists text based editing among what it adds.

We checked the free version ourselves, in DaVinci Resolve 21.1.1: the Timeline › AI Tools menu is greyed out, and asking Resolve to create subtitles from audio does nothing. A subtitle track can still be added and an .srt file can still be imported, so the free version can show a transcript as subtitles. It just can't make one.

CaptionX opens from Workspace › Scripts, which the free version includes, so it gives the free version a way to transcribe.

How fast is the transcript?

Transcription runs in the cloud, so the speed doesn't depend on your computer. In our tests on Windows and Mac, a 17-second timeline came back in under 10 seconds and a 3 minute 48 second timeline in under 25 seconds. That includes exporting the audio from DaVinci Resolve.

DaVinci Resolve speech to text: three ways to use the transcript

• Captions on your timeline. Animated or plain, in 100+ languages. See DaVinci Resolve auto captions.
• An SRT file. Saved next to your other videos, ready for YouTube or another editor.
• Captions in another language. Editable Text captions can be translated into 89 languages as their own track, with your original left as it is.

Only need a plain text transcript?

If you want the words as a text file and not captions, you don't need DaVinci Resolve for it. Export your audio or video and use our video to text transcriber in the browser.

Questions

Does DaVinci Resolve have transcription?

DaVinci Resolve Studio does. Blackmagic lists text based editing and the DaVinci AI Neural Engine among the things the paid Studio version adds. In the free version of DaVinci Resolve 21 the Timeline › AI Tools menu is switched off, so transcription needs a plugin such as CaptionX or a transcript made elsewhere.

Is DaVinci Resolve transcription free?

Not Resolve's own: it is part of the paid Studio version. CaptionX works in the free version of DaVinci Resolve, and a free CaptionX account includes a limited number of caption generations, each of which transcribes your timeline.

How do I transcribe audio in DaVinci Resolve?

Install CaptionX, click Workspace › Scripts › CaptionX in DaVinci Resolve, choose Captions, pick the audio track and click Create. CaptionX transcribes the track and shows you the transcript to check and edit before it adds anything to your timeline.

Can I export the transcript from DaVinci Resolve?

Yes. Choose Editable Text and the Unstyled option, and CaptionX also saves the transcript as an .srt file with timings: in Videos › CaptionX on Windows and Movies › CaptionX on a Mac. If you only need plain text, our web transcriber gives you a text file without DaVinci Resolve.

Which languages can it transcribe?

More than 100, including English, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Portuguese, German and French. CaptionX can detect the language, or you can choose it.

Is this speech to text done on my computer?

No. CaptionX exports the audio of the track you chose and sends only that audio to be transcribed in the cloud, which is why it is fast on any computer. Your video is not uploaded.

Is it the same as text based editing?

No. Text based editing in DaVinci Resolve Studio lets you edit clips by selecting words in a transcript. CaptionX transcribes your timeline to make captions, a transcript you can correct, and an .srt file.