DIY Karaoke Videos with FFmpeg and SRT: Format, Sync, and Style

Creating karaoke videos can be a fun and engaging way to share music, whether it’s for sing-alongs, teaching, or even just for your enjoyment. Many assume you need advanced software or a professional studio to create these, but with FFmpeg and SRT (SubRip Subtitle) files, you can easily craft high-quality karaoke videos at home. FFmpeg, a versatile multimedia tool, combined with SRT subtitles, provides a powerful yet straightforward way to add synchronized text to videos.

This article will guide you through the steps to make your own karaoke video using FFmpeg and SRT files. We’ll cover essential formatting options for font size, color, and text positioning, ensuring that your lyrics look great on screen. With a few commands, you’ll be able to produce a polished karaoke video that syncs lyrics to music seamlessly.

Table of Contents

Use Cases

Using FFmpeg with SRT subtitles opens up a wide range of applications beyond karaoke videos. Here are several other creative and practical use cases:

1. Educational Videos with Captions
   Instructors and creators can use FFmpeg and SRT files to add captions for tutorial videos. This enhances accessibility for viewers with hearing impairments and provides a better learning experience for non-native speakers. You can also customize the subtitles to emphasize key terms or steps in a process by adjusting the font size, color, and timing.
2. Language Learning and Translation
   FFmpeg can help language learners by displaying subtitles in both the original language and a translation simultaneously. Adding subtitles in multiple languages allows learners to compare vocabulary and grammar structures. You could also use different colors or positions for each language to distinguish them clearly.
3. Closed Captions for Movies and Series
   FFmpeg is frequently used in media production to add closed captions for accessibility. This setup allows content creators to add and customize closed captions easily without needing specialized software. It’s especially helpful for indie filmmakers or content creators who want to produce fully accessible content on a budget.
4. Song Lyric Videos for Artists
   Artists and music producers can use this method to create lyric videos for songs, similar to karaoke videos but focused on showcasing the lyrics along with visuals. Customizing font, color, and positioning of the lyrics adds a visual appeal that complements the music style and enhances the viewer’s engagement.
5. Storytelling and Poetry Presentations
   FFmpeg with SRT allows writers and performers to create video presentations of poetry or storytelling, synchronizing text with spoken word or background music. Different formatting options enable an expressive display of words that enhances the narrative or emotional impact of the content.
6. Corporate Training Videos with Annotated Text
   For internal training or onboarding videos, FFmpeg can add annotations, tips, and subtitles in sync with the video content. This is ideal for emphasizing important points in a training session, providing guidelines during safety videos, or adding reminders for specific procedures.
7. Fitness and Exercise Guides
   Fitness instructors can use FFmpeg with SRT subtitles to add captions indicating specific exercises, timings, or tips during workout videos. This keeps viewers on track with their routines, even if they need to watch without sound, and can also highlight safety tips or reminders.
8. Video Presentations and Speeches
   Event organizers or speakers can use FFmpeg to subtitle speeches, presentations, or webinars, either for live streaming or recorded versions. This ensures that viewers can follow along even in noisy environments or when audio clarity is an issue. The subtitle formatting options can also emphasize certain points or quotes for additional impact.
9. Virtual Tours and Narrated Documentaries
   In video tours or documentaries, creators can use FFmpeg with SRT to add location names, historical context, or narration in sync with the visuals. This can be especially useful for virtual museum tours, wildlife documentaries, or travel guides, where text adds informative layers to the visuals.
10. Social Media Video Content with Accessible Subtitles
    For short social media videos, FFmpeg and SRT subtitles allow creators to add visually engaging captions. Using colors and text effects can help captions stand out, increasing accessibility and engagement on platforms where viewers often watch videos on mu

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Prepare Your SRT File

Create an SRT file with timestamps aligned to the lyrics. Each entry in the SRT file will look like this:

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500
When ever I see girls and boys

Step 2: Use FFmpeg with Formatting Options

You can adjust font size, color, and position directly through FFmpeg commands. Here’s a sample command for embedding subtitles with customization:

ffmpeg -i input_video.mp4 -vf "subtitles=subtitle_file.srt:force_style='Fontsize=24,PrimaryColour=&H00FFFF&,Alignment=10'" -codec:a copy output_karaoke_video.mp4

This command specifies Fontsize and PrimaryColour, where &H00FFFF& sets the text color to cyan. Modify Alignment=10 to control the position, where values like 8 (top) or 2 (bottom) will change the text’s vertical position.

Sample Outputs

Larger Font with Yellow Text

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "subtitles=lyrics.srt:force_style='Fontsize=32,PrimaryColour=&H00FFFF00&'" -c:a copy output_yellow.mp4

Bottom Centered with Small Font

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "subtitles=lyrics.srt:force_style='Fontsize=18,Alignment=2'" -c:a copy output_bottom_center.mp4

Conclusion

By combining FFmpeg with SRT subtitle files, creating karaoke videos becomes a highly customizable and user-friendly process. You can control the look of the lyrics on the screen to suit the style of the song, making it easier for viewers to follow along. This approach is ideal for karaoke enthusiasts, educators, or anyone looking to make engaging music videos without costly software.

With just a few simple commands, FFmpeg lets you bring lyrics to life, syncing perfectly with your favorite tunes. As you experiment with different formatting options, you’ll gain full control over your karaoke videos, ready to share with friends or on social media.