Captions and Markers

Two tools turn a bare animatic into a document people can read and navigate: captions (on-screen subtitle text) and markers (named timecode bookmarks for jumping around the timeline).

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Captions

Captions are subtitle overlays that appear on top of the video during playback and in the exported MP4. Every beat can have its own caption with its own timing.

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Adding captions from a script

If your project has dialogue (pulled from your script), the fastest path is automatic:

1. Open the Timeline editor.
2. Open the Captions panel from the Inspector.
3. Click “Generate from Dialogue” — Ozu creates one caption per dialogue line, timed to match the line’s beat.
4. Review and tweak. Generated captions inherit dialogue text verbatim. Edit wording, timing, or styling as needed.

This is the fastest way to caption a scene with dialogue — the timing is already derived from the script, so you just fix wording.

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Adding captions manually

For moments without dialogue (narration, scene headings, supertitles), add captions by hand:

1. Scrub to the moment you want a caption to appear.
2. Click “Add Caption” in the Inspector’s Captions panel.
3. Type your text. Set start time, duration, and position (top, middle, bottom).
4. Preview by scrubbing over the caption’s time range.

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Styling captions

Captions have a shared style for the whole timeline — font, size, color, background, and position. Set it once in the Captions panel; every caption inherits it.

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Markers

Markers are named timecode bookmarks. They don’t render — they only exist in the editor, as navigation aids and notes to yourself or collaborators.

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Common uses

• Scene boundaries — “Scene 2 begins” at the first beat of scene 2
• Review notes — “Needs tighter cut” on a beat that isn’t working
• Client feedback — “Client requested alt take here” with a note
• Milestones — “Act break,” “Climax,” “Resolution”

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Adding a marker

1. Scrub to the timecode you want to bookmark.
2. Press M (or click “Add Marker” in the Inspector).
3. Type a label. Keep it short — it displays on the timecode ruler.

Markers appear as small flags on the timecode ruler. Click a marker’s flag to jump the playhead to it.

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Marker colors

You can color markers by purpose — for example, red for “needs fix,” blue for “review note,” green for “approved.” Colors are purely organizational; they don’t affect export.

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Captions in exports

If you need a separate subtitle file (for re-use in an external editor or streaming platform), plan to re-caption in that editor after importing the MP4. Most professional editors have caption tools that round-trip to SRT or VTT.

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Markers in exports

Markers never appear in exports. They’re editorial-only — a working layer for you and your collaborators, not an audience-facing element.

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Workflow: captioning a dialogue scene

The most common captioning case:

1. Build the scene with dialogue flowing through the Audio Node.
2. In the Timeline, open Captions → Generate from Dialogue.
3. Review the generated captions. Check that line breaks are natural and text fits the visible frame.
4. Adjust the shared style — for example, lowered captions and larger text for mobile viewing.
5. Add markers at scene boundaries and any notes you want to act on later.
6. Export the MP4. Captions render on the video; markers do not.

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Related

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FAQ

Can I export captions as a separate subtitle file? Not directly. Captions are rendered into the MP4. If you need SRT or VTT, re-caption in a downstream editor that supports those formats. Why did my auto-generated captions pick up only some dialogue lines? “Generate from Dialogue” pulls from approved takes in the Audio Node. Lines you haven’t approved won’t appear. Approve the missing takes and regenerate captions. Can I have different caption styles on different clips? No. Caption style is timeline-wide. If you need a different look for one section, consider using a text overlay instead of a caption (future Effects feature). Do markers survive across sessions? Yes. Markers are saved with your Timeline and persist between sessions. They never export, but they’re always there when you re-open the project. Can I see all markers in a list? Yes. The Captions panel includes a Markers list showing every marker with its timecode and label. Click any entry to jump the playhead there. Will captions display in the right aspect ratio? Captions position themselves relative to the visible frame. If your project is 9:16, captions fit the vertical frame; 16:9, they fit the widescreen. Position settings (top/middle/bottom) are consistent across ratios.