# External, embedded or burned-in subtitles: which do you need? After generation, export separate SRT, VTT or ASS subtitle files, or burn subtitles directly into your videos in SubLunio Desktop. Separate subtitle files can be loaded in a player or edited further. Burn-in makes the text part of the picture, so it stays visible. Preview and adjust the style before burn-in. Subtitle generation supports 110+ target languages. ## Choose the outcome before converting anything Start with where the finished video will be watched. For your own computer, a separate SRT is often enough. For a single file containing several optional languages, a container with subtitle tracks may be useful. For a social feed or a device that cannot load the required subtitle, burned-in text may be the practical choice. These are different delivery goals, not a ranking of subtitle quality. Keep your original video and downloaded subtitle before using an editor. A packaged or rendered copy should be a new file until you have checked it. SubLunio creates the subtitle text and timing; its download does not silently rewrite your video. This separation lets you choose how to distribute the result later without committing to a particular video format now. ## External subtitles are easy to replace and translate A sidecar file sits beside the video. You can correct a line, download another language or change subtitle size in a compatible player without rendering the movie again. This makes external subtitles useful for a draft translation, language study or an archive where multiple people may need different text. Keep a clear filename so the file remains associated with the right video. The tradeoff is that the recipient needs both files and a player that can load the subtitle. A messaging service may transfer the video but omit its companion file. Before sending, explain that the SRT, VTT or ASS is a separate item. For public web playback, the site may need a specific subtitle format and configuration rather than simply two files placed in a folder. ## Embedded tracks keep subtitles inside a container Embedding or muxing adds a selectable subtitle track to a container. A compatible player can enable it, disable it or switch to another language. Matroska documents several subtitle mappings, including text and styled formats. Support depends on both the container and the playback application: a subtitle format that works in one combination is not automatically supported in another. To keep subtitles inside the video file while allowing viewers to switch them on or off, choose “Embed subtitle track” for supported video formats. This is different from exporting a separate subtitle file or burning text into the picture. Desktop offers this option only when the file meets container, codec and track-preservation requirements. Some subtitle formats do not preserve fonts, colors or opacity; check the result in the actual destination player. Set the subtitle track’s language and label, and check its default-display setting. Do not mark an ordinary full-dialogue translation as forced merely to make it appear. You can also use another compatible packaging tool within its supported formats. For the files SubLunio Desktop supports for embedding, the existing video and audio tracks are copied without re-encoding. Subtitle appearance still depends on the subtitle format and player. Other packaging tools may behave differently. [Matroska subtitle mappings](https://www.matroska.org/technical/subtitles.html) [Download the desktop app](https://sublunio.com/download) ## Burned-in subtitles cannot be switched off Burning renders the text into the video picture. A viewer does not need a separate subtitle decoder, but also cannot hide the words, select another language or change their size. Producing that new picture normally involves video encoding, so it can take substantially longer than generating or downloading a small text subtitle. Check your encoder settings to avoid an unexpected change in quality or file size. Preview and adjust subtitles in the desktop player, choose “Write subtitles to this video”, select “Burn in subtitles”, then choose the save mode and review the file. A new video file is created by default. Where supported, you can replace the original video; the final action explicitly confirms replacement. For batches, select completed tasks and use “Write subtitles to video” above the list. Check text contrast, line breaks and safe margins, especially for vertical video and bilingual layouts. An external editor that supports burn-in is also an option; select the correct editions of both subtitle and video files. [HandBrake subtitle options](https://handbrake.fr/docs/en/latest/advanced/subtitles.html) ## Review the text before making it permanent Generate a preview in SubLunio and listen to several lines before continuing with a full result. The target menu supports 110+ subtitle languages, but names, jokes, specialist terms and unclear speech still deserve review. For bilingual viewing, compare the original and translated text. Correct problems before embedding or burning, because changing a standalone subtitle is easier than rebuilding a delivered video. Check the source audio track as well. Translating a commentary track when you intended the main dialogue creates a convincing-looking but irrelevant subtitle. Auto language detection can help with a clear primary language, while an explicit source selection is useful when detection is wrong. Neither option reconstructs dialogue that is absent from the chosen audio. After full subtitle generation, open the player from the desktop task and check the text and style near the beginning, middle and end before opening the video-output settings. Desktop playback and style preview use the existing subtitles. ## Test the delivered result and preserve editable files Open the exported video from its final location and check a line near the start, the middle and the end. For embedded tracks, confirm that language selection and switching off subtitles work. For burned-in output, confirm that the picture contains exactly the intended text and that a player is not also displaying a second subtitle over it. Retain the original video, the editable subtitle and a note of the delivery settings. If a later correction or another language is needed, those originals prevent unnecessary repeated work. Share only material you are entitled to distribute. Choosing a technical packaging method does not itself grant permission to publish the film, recording, translation or other underlying content. For videos with multiple audio tracks, also check the retained tracks individually. When checking burn-in, disable any external subtitle file automatically loaded by the player so the same text is not displayed twice. ## Does SubLunio burn subtitles into my video? Yes. In the desktop app, preview and adjust generated subtitles, then burn them directly into a video. You can also export separate SRT, VTT or ASS subtitle files. Burn-in saves a new video by default, with the option to replace the original where supported. ## Can an embedded subtitle be turned off? A compatible player can usually switch an embedded subtitle track off. Burned-in text cannot be removed by changing a subtitle setting. ## Will embedding always avoid video re-encoding? For the files SubLunio Desktop supports for embedding, the existing video and audio tracks are copied without re-encoding. Subtitle appearance still depends on the subtitle format and player. Other packaging tools may behave differently. ## Which approach is easiest for revising a translation? Keep an external editable subtitle and the original video. That makes corrections possible before rebuilding a packaged or rendered deliverable. ## Keep exploring - [Choose a subtitle format](https://sublunio.com/guides/srt-vtt-ass) - [Create bilingual subtitles](https://sublunio.com/bilingual-subtitles) - [Subtitles for creator videos](https://sublunio.com/creator-video-subtitles) Source page: https://sublunio.com/guides/embed-burn-subtitles Last updated: 2026-10-08