Add FREE Auto Captions in OBS
45sReveals a free way to get the same captioning style top creators use, instantly hooking viewers looking for an easy win.
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This tutorial shows how to set up free automatic closed captions using OBS Studio and the Closed Caption via Google Speech plugin. It covers installation, configuration, styling, and a method for adding captions to pre-recorded videos using desktop audio and a green screen.
Chapters
[00:02]
Closed captions are essential but tedious
Top creators use closed captions on short-form content, but adding them manually is time-consuming. The video offers a free automated solution with OBS.
[00:32]
Download the free Google Speech plugin
Get the Closed Caption via Google Speech plugin from the GitHub page linked in the description and download the Windows zip folder.
[01:01]
Install the plugin into OBS
Copy the OBS Google caption plugin and paste it into C:\Program Files\obs-studio\obs-plugins\64bit.
[01:17]
Create a Text (GDI+) caption source
In OBS, click Add Source, choose Text (GDI+), name it (e.g., 'captions'), and click OK.
[01:44]
Configure Cloud Closed Captions
Open Tools > Cloud Closed Captions > Settings. Select your microphone, set the caption language, output to 'Streams and local recordings', set lines to 2, enable punctuation, and set caption timeout to roughly 5 seconds.
[02:54]
Style captions for readability
Double-click the caption source to adjust font (e.g., Eraser, size 24), add a black background at 50% opacity, set alignment to center and vertical to top, and add a 50% opacity blue outline.
[04:30]
Caption pre-recorded videos with desktop audio
Create a new scene, add a Text (GDI+) captions source, then change the Cloud Closed Captions source from microphone to desktop audio and play the video.
[05:18]
Use green screen for clean overlays
Add a green screen behind the generated captions, import into your video editor, and remove the green screen to overlay captions cleanly.
With a free OBS plugin and a few settings, you can generate automatic captions live or for pre-recorded content, saving hours of manual captioning.
Mentioned in this Video
Tutorial Checklist
1
00:32
Download the 'Closed Caption via Google Speech' plugin from the GitHub page linked in the video description (windows.zip folder).
3
01:01
Copy the OBS Google caption plugin and paste it into 'C:\Program Files\obs-studio\obs-plugins\64bit'.
6
01:44
Under Capture, select your microphone; set language to English (or your preferred language); set output to 'Streams and local recordings'; set lines to 2; enable punctuation; set caption timeout to about 5 seconds.
7
02:25
In the Open Captions tab, select your caption text source, set line length to about 20, lines to 2, and enable punctuation.
8
02:54
Double-click the caption source, choose a font and size (e.g., 24), set background color to black with 50% opacity, alignment center, vertical top, and add a 50% opacity outline.
9
04:30
For pre-recorded videos, add a new scene named 'CC', add a Text (GDI+) captions source, then in Cloud Closed Captions settings change the caption source from mic to desktop audio.
10
05:18
Play your video so desktop audio generates captions; put a green screen behind the captions, import into your editor, and remove the green screen.
Study Flashcards (8)
What tool does the tutorial use to generate automatic closed captions?
easy
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What tool does the tutorial use to generate automatic closed captions?
easy
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OBS with the 'Closed Caption via Google Speech' plugin.
00:17
Where do you paste the OBS Google caption plugin after downloading?
medium
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Where do you paste the OBS Google caption plugin after downloading?
medium
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C:\Program Files\obs-studio\obs-plugins\64bit
01:01
What OBS source type is used for the captions?
easy
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What OBS source type is used for the captions?
easy
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Text (GDI+)
01:17
In Cloud Closed Captions settings, what capture source do you select for live captions?
easy
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In Cloud Closed Captions settings, what capture source do you select for live captions?
easy
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Your microphone
01:44
What output setting should you choose to have captions in both streams and local recordings?
medium
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What output setting should you choose to have captions in both streams and local recordings?
medium
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Streams and local recordings
01:58
What caption timeout does the creator recommend?
easy
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What caption timeout does the creator recommend?
easy
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Roughly 5 seconds
02:12
How do you add captions to pre-recorded content?
medium
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How do you add captions to pre-recorded content?
medium
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Create a new captions scene, add a Text (GDI+) source, switch the caption source from mic to desktop audio, and capture audio while playing the video.
04:30
What technique does the creator suggest for removing caption backgrounds in a video editor?
medium
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What technique does the creator suggest for removing caption backgrounds in a video editor?
medium
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Add a green screen behind the captions and remove it in the editor (chroma key).
05:18
💡 Key Takeaways
📊
Free captions via OBS plugin
Using OBS with the Google Speech plugin gives creators a completely free way to generate automatic captions.
00:17
🔧
Correct caption settings matter
Choosing the right input, output, and formatting options results in clean, reliable captions for both live and recorded content.
01:44
🔧
Caption styling improves readability
Font, background opacity, alignment, and outline adjustments make captions pop and stay readable over busy visuals.
02:54
💡
Desktop audio mode for pre-recorded videos
Switching the capture source from mic to desktop audio allows the same plugin to transcribe any pre-recorded video.
04:30
🔧
Green screen post-production trick
Putting captions on a green screen and keying it out lets you overlay them cleanly on pre-recorded content without manual typing.
05:18Full Transcript
[00:02] short form content to new levels and we're seeing all the top creators use close captions on all their short form content but adding those close captions to your content could be a very tedious task but no longer to do this we're
[00:17] going to be utilizing our screaming software called OBS also if you want to help me reach 100,000 subscribers on this YouTube channel make sure you hit first thing we're going to do is go to the description in this video scroll
[00:32] down a little bit and click on the link for close caption via Google speech once go to download button it'll bring us to a GitHub page and then we're going to scroll down a little bit and then click on the windows. zip folder now that we
[00:47] to do is right click on it go down to extract all and then we're going to click extract we will then click into this folder a couple of times and we're going to copy the OBS Google caption plugin you will then go to where our OBS
[01:01] majority of you it's going to be in C program files then back slobs Studio once we're there we're going to click on OBS plugins 64bit and then we're going to right click and then paste our plugin into that location with our OBS open the
[01:17] source we're going to click on ADD Source then we're going to click on text GDI you see I have captions here already but we're just going to call it captions one and then click okay we'll then just click okay for now then we're going to
[01:31] click okay for now then we're going to click on tools and then Cloud close captions as you see it's already trying to capture everything I'm trying to say okay we're going to hit on settings then what we're going to do under capture
[01:44] you're going to find your microphone select your microphone caption when caption source is heard on stream we want to make sure that is selected English or your local language that you prefer to use output two for yours it
[01:58] will be set to streams only we want to change to streams and local recordings we want to change from lines to default four or five to lines two add punctuation if you wish caption timeout I would actually set this to roughly 5
[02:12] seconds then we want to go to transcripts real quick see that there's not going to use any of them we're going to go to open captions we're going to make sure our text Source we're going to select our captions M say captions too
[02:25] but we're just going to select captions for you line length probably 20 okay you bit less that's going to be an experimentation for you again lines to two add punctuation if you like to and normal English like after that we go to
[02:41] really there so we don't really have to worry about it after that we're just going to hit save so right now we see that our captions are being generated on the top left hand side before we move them what we want to do is just double
[02:54] click on captions we want to click on select font and find the font that works for us the best I'm going to go down to eraser because it just matches my theme a little bit better and I'm going to click on that I can adjust sizes here so
[03:07] too big you could just change the size right there but I'm going to choose probably uh probably 24 and then click okay I'm going to scroll down just a bit of a background color to help our text Pop a little so I'm going to click
[03:21] text Pop a little so I'm going to click on select color click on black it might and then I'm going to choose background opacity I'm going to crank that up to about 50% and as you can see it's helping our text Pop a little bit then I
[03:35] want to scroll down to alignment make sure is set to Center vertical alignment make sure it's set to top and then I want to click on outline outline adds a little bit of well outline to our text so we're going to change our outline
[03:51] color I like blue yellow can really help it pop but I personally like blue I'm going to click okay outline opacity I'm going to change that to 50% as well and and as you can see a nice little outline is now appearing on our text if we're
[04:04] just going to click okay then we're going to move our text and we're going to make it either a little bit bigger or a little bit smaller and I don't know I'm thinking that's looking pretty good if you were only trying to get close
[04:18] captions on your live streams or content that you're going to make in the near future you're pretty well done but if you want to add close captions to your pre-recorded content this is how we're going to do it the first thing we're
[04:30] going to need to do is add a new scene so we're going to click on the little plus icon on the bottom left hand side call it close captions or CC click okay click on that we're going to click on text GDI plus and add our captions we
[04:46] will then need to click on tools once again go down to Cloud Clos captions click on the settings button change caption Source from mic to desktop audio so when we play our audio on our web browser or whatever video it actually
[05:03] going to hit save then what we're going to do is just open up the video of the random vtuber Senpai and just click play to see to make sure that's actually capturing desktop audio audio is the most important thing for your live
[05:18] streams in your video content awesome it works now all you'll have to do is make sure you add a green screen behind those closed captions import into your video video editing program of choice take away the green
[05:32] screen and well all that hard work is now done again I'm your vtuber seai I upload here on YouTube every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard time and I at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard time and I also stream here on YouTube every Friday
[05:47] at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard time so come on by say hi and well I'll catch come on by say hi and well I'll catch you in the next one bye
