Use ffmpeg to add text subtitles [closed]

ffmpeg -i infile.mp4 -i infile.srt -c copy -c:s mov_text outfile.mp4

-vf subtitles=infile.srt will not work with -c copy

The order of -c copy -c:s mov_text is important. You are telling FFmpeg:

1. Video: copy, Audio: copy, Subtitle: copy
2. Subtitle: mov_text

If you reverse them, you are telling FFmpeg:

1. Subtitle: mov_text
2. Video: copy, Audio: copy, Subtitle: copy

Alternatively you could just use -c:v copy -c:a copy -c:s mov_text in any order.

NOTE: This solution "burns the subtitles" into the video, so that every viewer of the video will be forced to see them.

If your ffmpeg has libass enabled at compile time, you can directly do:

ffmpeg -i mymovie.mp4 -vf subtitles=subtitles.srt mysubtitledmovie.mp4

This is the case e.g. for Ubuntu 20.10, you can check if ffmpeg --version has --enable-libass.

Otherwise, you can the libass library (make sure your ffmpeg install has the library in the configuration --enable-libass).

First convert the subtitles to .ass format:

ffmpeg -i subtitles.srt subtitles.ass

Then add them using a video filter:

ffmpeg -i mymovie.mp4 -vf ass=subtitles.ass mysubtitledmovie.mp4

You are trying to mux subtitles as a subtitle stream. It is easy but different syntax is used for MP4 (or M4V) and MKV. In both cases you must specify video and audio codec, or just copy stream if you just want to add subtitle.

MP4:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -f srt -i input.srt \
-map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 1:0 -c:v copy -c:a copy \
-c:s mov_text output.mp4

MKV:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -f srt -i input.srt \
-map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 1:0 -c:v copy -c:a copy \
-c:s srt  output.mkv

MKV container supports video and audio codecs Virtually anything and also supports subtitles and DVD menus. So you can just copy codecs from input video to output video with MKV container with subtitles. First you should convert SRT to ASS subtitle format

ffmpeg -i input.srt input.ass

and embed ASS subtitles to video

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -i input.ass -c:v copy -c:a copy -c:s copy -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 1:0 -y out.mkv

Also worked with VMW file.

ffmpeg -i input.wmv -i input.ass -c:v copy -c:a copy -c:s copy -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 1:0 -y out.mkv

see the wiki page Comparison of container formats