Burned-in MP4
Burned-in MP4
An MP4 video file with subtitles permanently rendered into the pixel data, not as a separate caption track.
In depth
A burned-in MP4 has captions baked directly into the video frames during export. The captions are visible to every viewer on every platform regardless of caption support — there's no separate text track to lose. The trade-off: viewers can't toggle captions off, switch languages, or restyle. Burned-in MP4s are the standard delivery format for short-form social where captions don't survive cross-posting (TikTok, Reels, Shorts, X).
When to use it
Export a burned-in MP4 for short-form social, ad creative, and any deliverable where you don't trust the destination's caption rendering. Use a separate SRT for long-form YouTube and accessibility-critical contexts.
Frequently asked
How is a burned-in MP4 different from a regular MP4?+
Same container, same codec — only the pixel content differs. A burned-in MP4 has captions rendered into the frames; a regular MP4 has separate or no caption tracks.
Can a burned-in MP4 also have a soft caption track?+
Technically yes — you can mux a sidecar SRT track into the MP4 container alongside the burned-in captions. Most workflows ship one or the other, not both.
Subtitles permanently rendered into the video frame. They can't be turned off, but they look identical on every player and platform.
Subtitles rasterized into the video pixels during export. Identical on every platform, but viewers can't toggle them off.
Captions burned permanently into the video frame so every viewer sees them. The opposite of closed captions, which can be toggled.