Subtitle Template Generator

Subtitle Template Generator builds a blank but structurally valid SubRip file for you to type into. Set Number of cues and Interval (ms), run it, and you get a numbered SRT whose cues are spaced evenly along the timeline, each carrying placeholder text reading Line 1, Line 2 and so on, downloadable as a .srt file.

It exists because starting an SRT from an empty text file is tedious and error-prone. Typing indices, arrow separators and millisecond fields by hand invites exactly the small syntax mistakes that make a parser reject the whole file. Transcribers building a first pass, translators who want a skeleton for target-language text, teachers preparing a captioning exercise and developers needing dummy subtitle data all benefit from a scaffold guaranteed to parse.

The timing model is straightforward. The first cue starts at zero and each later cue starts one interval on, so at 3000 ms the cues begin at 0, 3, 6 and 9 seconds. Each cue ends 200 ms before the next begins, building in the small inter-cue gap most style guides require so consecutive captions separate visibly. Times use the standard zero-padded HH:MM:SS,mmm --> HH:MM:SS,mmm form and indices run continuously from 1. An empty Number of cues produces 10 cues; an empty Interval (ms) defaults to 3000.

The file is assembled in your browser in one pass, so even a several-thousand-cue template appears instantly with nothing uploaded.

• Even, predictable spacing: Interval (ms) sets the pitch of the timeline so every cue starts exactly one interval after the last, giving a scaffold whose timings you can reason about at a glance.
• Built-in inter-cue gap: Each cue ends 200 ms before the next begins, producing the small visible break between captions that broadcast style guides ask for instead of back-to-back timings.
• Exact cue count: Number of cues produces precisely that many blocks, so you can generate a scaffold sized to a shot list or a script rather than trimming a longer file afterwards.
• Numbered placeholder text: Every cue contains Line N matching its index, which makes it obvious in a player or an editor which cue you are looking at while you replace the text.
• Valid SubRip syntax: Indices, timing lines and blank-line separators follow the SRT specification exactly, so the template opens without complaint in subtitle editors, players and import routines.
• Sensible defaults: Leaving both fields blank produces a 10-cue, 3-second-per-cue template, which is a realistic average caption length for a quick trial.
• Ready to download: The generated scaffold is offered directly as a .srt file, so it can go straight into your editor or your test fixtures.

1. Work out roughly how many captions you need, for example by counting lines in a script or shots in a sequence, and enter that in Number of cues.
2. Set Interval (ms) to your expected average caption length in milliseconds, such as 3000 for three-second captions or 2000 for faster-paced content.
3. Click Run to generate the scaffold and check the result panel, where the first cue should start at 00:00:00,000 and the indices should run continuously from 1.
4. Confirm the last cue's end time is close to the coverage you expected, since total length is roughly the cue count multiplied by the interval.
5. Use the download button to save the template with the .srt extension, or use Copy to paste it into your subtitle editor.
6. Replace each Line N placeholder with your real transcription or translation, working straight down the file.
7. Once the text is in, correct the timings against the video - a preview or shifting tool is the quickest way - because the even spacing is a starting point, not real sync.

Example 1 - a small three-second scaffold. Four cues at a 3000 ms interval produce a 12-second skeleton with a 200 ms gap between each caption.

Number of cues: 4
Interval (ms):  3000

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,800
Line 1

2
00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,800
Line 2

3
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,800
Line 3

Example 2 - fast-paced dialogue. Halving the interval doubles the density of the scaffold for content where captions turn over quickly.

Number of cues: 4
Interval (ms):  1500

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,300
Line 1

2
00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:02,800
Line 2

Choosing an interval close to your real average caption length means less retiming later, because most cues will already be within a second of where they belong.

• Start typing immediately: A ready scaffold removes the setup work of hand-building indices and timing lines, so transcription begins in the first minute rather than the tenth.
• No syntax errors to debug: Because the structure is generated correctly, you never lose time to a missing arrow separator or a mistyped millisecond field that stops a file parsing.
• Numbered placeholders keep you oriented: Working through Line 1 to Line N makes it obvious where you are and immediately visible if a cue was skipped.
• Realistic test data on demand: Developers and QA staff can produce a subtitle file of any size for import testing without hunting for a sample or sanitising a real client file.
• Gaps that match house style: The built-in 200 ms separation means the template already reflects the inter-cue spacing most broadcasters expect, one less thing to fix at delivery.
• Entirely local: The file is generated in your browser with no upload, so nothing about your project reaches a server.