Caption Tool

Key Features

Caption Tool is a macOS utility built for editors who require complete control over subtitle workflows in Final Cut Pro. Convert captions into fully animated titles — and back again — translate entire projects with AI providers, apply consistent graphical templates, manage roles and subroles, and export in the exact formats your delivery requires.

Intelligent Conversion & Precision Editing

Caption Tool converts between subtitle standards and Final Cut Pro titles while preserving timecode accuracy and synchronization down to the frame.

• Bidirectional Conversion: Convert between captions and animated titles without losing timing.
• Format Support: Support for SRT, WebVTT, ITT, and FCPXML.
• Integrated Editor: Visible In/Out timecodes for precise adjustments.
• Precision Tools: Delete, merge, or split lines while maintaining timing integrity.
• Targeted Editing: Per-line selection for focused editing or translation.
• Multi-Sequence Imports: Choose which sequence to process when importing FCPXML files that contain multiple sequences.

AI-Powered Translation (Context-Aware)

Translate subtitles in seconds using Apple Translation or configurable AI providers directly inside the app.

• Contextual Translation: Applies a sliding window (previous, current, next line) to improve coherence where supported by the selected model.
• Provider Switching: Compare translation output by switching providers on selected lines.
• Show Original Text: Side-by-side comparison to validate translation quality.
• Long Line Warning: Optional warning for lines exceeding your character limits after translation.
• Provider Quality: Translation quality depends entirely on the selected provider.
• Apple Translation Languages: If a required language is not installed in macOS, the system may prompt a download. Manage languages in System Settings → General → Translation Languages.

Advanced Final Cut Pro Integration

FCPXML export allows you to transform captions into fully styled and animated Final Cut Pro titles using custom templates.

• Export Configuration: Define export resolution, frame rate, and aspect ratio.
• Role Mapping: Assign subroles under the Title role or create custom video roles.
• Template Selection: Apply Basic Title or load a custom template extracted from a reference FCPXML project.
• Template Manager: Import, rename, delete, export, and reuse templates.
• Portable Exports: Optional inclusion of the original Final Cut Pro template for portability.

Flexible Export & Collaboration

Caption Tool supports multiple output formats for delivery, review, and localization workflows.

• Export Formats: Export SRT, WebVTT, and ITT.
• Timecode Positioning: Choose absolute or timeline-relative timecode positioning.
• CSV Review: Export CSV for spreadsheet-based review and re-import updated text.
• TXT Transcripts: Generate clean TXT transcripts without timecode.

Preferences & Configuration

Caption Tool includes a dedicated Preferences panel to configure translation providers and workflow settings.

• Provider Settings: Import and export provider configurations.
• Target Language: Set a default target language.
• Warnings: Enable or disable Long Line Warning.
• Provider Management: Add, edit, or remove translation providers.
• API Keys: Securely store API keys where required.

Privacy & Security

Caption Tool operates within the macOS Sandbox environment. Files are processed locally, and the app does not collect, store, or transmit project data. It only accesses files you explicitly choose to open or drop into the application.

Technical Specifications

• System Requirements: macOS 15.5 or later.
• Architecture: Optimized for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
• Final Cut Pro Compatibility: Supports projects up to FCPXML version 1.13 (Final Cut Pro 11.1 and earlier).

Caption Tool is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc. Final Cut Pro is a trademark of Apple Inc.