The new Captions in Live Clipping introduces the ability for users to overlay customizable, burned-in AI captions directly onto their video clips and export AI closed captions within Studio.
This eliminates the dependency on external editing software, reducing the time and complexity involved in preparing short-form video content for social media.
By integrating AI-powered transcription directly into the live clipping workflow, we ensure users can maintain the speed and efficiency for which Grabyo is known.
Accessing Captions
Select the IN and OUT points of your content in the timeline
Select the ASPECT RATIO of your clip
Click on CAPTIONS in the top left corner of the content preview
On the CAPTIONS SIDEBAR, click on GENERATE AI OPEN CAPTIONS or GENERATE AI CLOSED CAPTIONS
The generated captions will be shown once the process is completed.
📕 Note: Users can stop the AI generation process if it is taking too long or if they have made a mistake.
📕 Note: Unlike AI open captions, AI closed captions can be downloaded from the Campaign page and exported to all supported destinations. Additionally, they can be optionally exported to file-based destinations such as S3, Google, and others.
Captioning formatting
Item | Details |
Line splitting | Captions auto-split into two lines of similar length when applicable |
Max duration | 7 seconds for 16:9 videos; 3 seconds for 9:16 videos |
Aspect-ratio changes | Must regenerate captions (rerun transcription) after changing aspect ratio to get correct formatting |
Post-export behaviour | Captions are removed from the timeline after export; edits must be redone after regeneration |
Burnt-in captions | Burnt-in captions create a new clip in the Campaign; export separate clips for versions with and without captions |
📕 Note: AI Closed captions do not support styling options; only AI Open captions offer this feature.
Caption Translations
Users can select 1-3 extra languages to translate the clip into.
📕 Note: Open captions are burnt into the video and therefore require multiple clips to be created for different languages.
Editing Captions
Edit the text
Action | Details |
Change a word | Click the caption in the sidebar to start editing |
Make a new line | Captions auto-wrap by video size; press Enter to force a new line |
Split a caption into two | Place the cursor where to split, press Shift + Enter to create a new caption below |
Delete a caption | Hover over the caption and click the bin icon on the right-hand side |
📕 Note: When splitting a caption into two, the duration of the original caption will be split across both captions.
How caption styling works
A clip has one primary style applied across the caption track. More specific changes can then be layered on top when an individual caption needs to look different.
Styling level | What it controls | Typical use |
Primary style | The default style applied across the caption track | Keep every caption on-brand with a consistent base look |
Speaker style | A saved style applied to every caption from one detected speaker | Visually separate an interviewer from an interviewee |
Per-caption override | A different saved style applied to a single caption segment | Make one caption stand out, or call out a quote |
Inline word styling | Formatting applied to selected words inside a caption | Highlight a key word or a short phrase |
Drag-and-drop position | The on-screen position of the current caption on the preview | Move a caption clear of action, faces or lower thirds |
Select a style for the captions
✅ Tip: Open the Styles tab in the sidebar, choose from the default Grabyo styles or your custom styles, and click a style card to apply it to the captions. To upload custom fonts, contact help@grabyo.com and provide fonts in WOFF or WOFF2 format.
Create, Edit, Save Styles (Edit as New), and Delete
Click Create style at the top of the sidebar to add a new style.
To change an existing style, open it and select Edit. To modify and save as a separate style, choose Edit as New in the edit sidebar.
Delete a style by clicking the bin icon on the style’s bottom toolbar.
The following attributes can be used to create a style in Grabyo:
Attribute | Description | Notes |
Name | Name of the style to be saved |
|
Font | Font used for captions (includes organisation's custom fonts) | Custom fonts must be uploaded via tools (WOFF/WOFF2) |
Font size | Exact font size applied to captions | Changes in video resolution will affect the appearance |
Font color | Colour of the caption text |
|
Font style | Text styling options | Bold, Italic, Underline |
Font alignment | Text alignment direction and placement | Center, Left-to-right, Right-to-left |
Vertical position | Vertical anchor for captions | Adjusts offset relative to chosen alignment (top/middle/bottom) |
Vertical margin | Margin distance from the chosen vertical edge | Applied from top when position = top, from bottom when position = bottom |
Background settings | Background fill behind captions | Colour and opacity are editable |
Stroke settings | Border around caption text | Border weight, colour, and opacity are editable |
Effects | Animation and treatment applied as the caption appears | See the effects table below |
📕 Note: A user cannot delete all styles in their account.
Effects
Effects are configured inside the style controls, alongside the core attributes. They help captions hold up against busy video backgrounds and give social-first clips a more dynamic look. Where available, effect settings such as duration and distance can be configured and previewed before the style is applied.
Effect | Description |
Fade | Animates the caption in or out with a fade |
Colour change | Changes the caption colour as part of the effect |
Slide up / down | Moves the caption vertically as it appears or transitions |
Slide left / right | Moves the caption horizontally as it appears or transitions |
Pop | Adds a more noticeable pop-style animation to the caption |
Blur | Applies blur to the caption text |
Drop shadow | Adds a shadow behind the text |
Gradient bar | Adds a gradient bar behind or around the caption text |
✅ Tip: Check readability after applying an effect, especially over busy or high-contrast footage.
Style a word or phrase inline
Inline editing applies formatting to selected text inside a caption, so only part of a caption changes rather than the whole segment.
Select the caption that needs editing.
Click into the caption text in the sidebar or on the video preview.
Select a single word, or several words, depending on the change required.
Apply the inline formatting controls to the selected text.
Review the caption on the preview to confirm it still reads clearly.
Override the style on a single caption
A saved style can replace the primary style on one caption segment, leaving the rest of the clip untouched. This is useful for emphasis, speaker changes, quote callouts, or short sections where the default style is not clear enough on screen.
Generate or open the captions for the clip and apply the primary style.
Find the caption segment that needs a different style.
Open the style override control for that caption.
Select the saved style to apply to that caption only.
Review the preview to confirm the override is correct.
📕 Note: Use overrides for exceptions. Heavy use makes a clip harder to maintain — the primary style should remain the main source of consistency.
Reposition a caption with drag-and-drop
The current caption can be moved directly on the video preview, without changing the style's position settings.
Open the captions on the clip and select the caption that needs repositioning.
Hover over the video preview until the caption can be selected.
Click and drag the caption to its new position, then release.
Play or scrub the clip to confirm the caption does not cover important action, faces, graphics or lower thirds.
✅ Tip: Use drag-and-drop when a caption needs to move for one specific shot. Use the style's vertical position and margin settings when the same placement should apply across the whole clip.
Manage speakers
When more than one speaker is detected in a clip, Grabyo shows speaker controls in the captions sidebar. Speakers can be reviewed, corrected, renamed, styled individually, and optionally shown on screen as a caption prefix.
Capability | Description |
Automatic detection | Speakers are detected from the generated transcript; controls appear when more than one is found |
Speaker labels | Each caption segment shows the speaker it is assigned to |
Set speaker | Change the speaker on a caption when the detected assignment is wrong |
Rename speaker | Give a speaker a clearer name for review and on-screen use |
Style by speaker | Apply a saved style to every caption from one speaker |
Show speaker on screen | Display the speaker name as a prefix in the visible caption output |
Set or change a speaker
Open the generated captions in the captions sidebar.
Find the caption segment with the assignment that needs changing.
Open the speaker control for that caption.
Select the correct speaker, or add a new speaker if one is not listed.
Review nearby captions to confirm the assignment is consistent.
Rename a speaker
Open the speaker menu on a caption or speaker entry.
Select CHANGE NAME.
Enter the new name and save.
Confirm the name appears in the caption list and speaker controls.
Apply a style to a speaker
Find a caption assigned to the speaker to be styled.
Open the style control for that caption.
Select the saved style to use.
Choose whether to apply it to this caption only, or to all captions from that speaker.
Review the clip to confirm the speaker style is applied correctly.
📕 Note: A speaker style applies to every caption from that speaker. A per-caption override applies to one caption segment only.
Show speaker names on screen
Open the speaker menu for the relevant speaker or caption.
Select the option to show the speaker on screen.
Check the preview to confirm the name appears as a caption prefix.
Rename the speaker if the visible name needs to be clearer.
Export the clip once speaker names and styles are correct.
✅ Tip: Rename speakers before turning on on-screen prefixes, and check that the prefix does not make captions too long to read comfortably.
Best practice for multi-speaker clips
Review speaker assignments before export, especially where voices are similar or speech overlaps.
Use speaker-specific styles sparingly so the clip stays visually consistent.
Test speaker styles against the video background to confirm captions remain legible.
📕 Note: Speaker detection accuracy depends on the source audio. Similar voices, overlapping speech, background noise or poor audio quality may need manual correction. Renaming a speaker changes the label only — it does not rewrite the caption text.