Install Captions from your app store and create an account. The app is designed for phones because that is where short-form creators do most of their work, though it also runs on desktop for easier typing. Choose your project type; for this guide we assume you are starting from an existing video of you speaking.

Import a video from your camera roll that contains clear speech. Captions listens to your audio and automatically transcribes what you say. Review the generated text for mistakes, because an accurate base makes every animated caption look clean and professional instead of full of typos.

Choose a caption style from the templates. Captions offers the popular word-by-word pop animations, highlight styles and color-coded keyword effects commonly seen on viral content. Pick one that reads quickly, set the font size and position so it never covers your face, and let the app time each word to your speech.

Polish your on-camera presence with AI. Use the eye-contact correction to make your gaze feel locked onto the viewer rather than at the screen, which dramatically increases perceived trustworthiness. If your background is noisy, apply the audio cleanup to remove hum and room tone so your voice stays crisp beneath the captions.

Add motion and hooks to hold attention. Captions lets you zoom, pan and add punch-ins to avoid a static shot, and you can drop in an attention-grabbing hook clip at the very start. These small pacing choices are what separate an average post from one that people watch to the end.

When you feel comfortable, explore the AI avatar tools. You can type a script and have an AI presenter deliver it, or animate a photo into a talking clip. This lets you keep producing content at high volume on days when you do not want to film yourself, while keeping a consistent on-brand look.

Preview the full video, checking that captions match the words, transitions feel smooth and the audio levels are right. Make any tweaks: adjust caption timing, swap the background music, or shorten a slow intro. Re-watching before exporting prevents embarrassing mistakes from going live.

Export in the correct format for your platform. Choose 9:16 vertical for TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts, and select the highest quality your plan allows so text stays sharp after compression. Save it to your camera roll and you are ready to post.

You now have a workflow for turning a bare talking video into an engaging, captioned short. Consistent captions and clean polish will make your channel look far more professional and keep more viewers watching. Film a quick clip, run it through Captions and publish your next reel today.