The problem
Typing subtitles by hand is slow. If a producer subtitles 20 short videos a month at 3 minutes each and each takes 25 minutes to type and time, that's 500 minutes, about 8.3 hours a month.
What the AI does
Upload the finished video or its audio to Happy Scribe, get an AI transcript and subtitles, correct them and export as SRT or VTT, which the site says it supports. The Basic plan includes 120 AI minutes a month, enough for 20 three-minute videos (60 minutes). The site describes AI transcription as around 90% word accuracy on real multi-speaker meetings, so every file needs a read-through. Human proofreading starts at €1.75 a minute if you need more certainty. The site states recordings stay in the EU and don't train AI unless you say so.
A worked example
A video production company in Leeds makes about 20 short client videos a month, each around 3 minutes, and adds subtitles to every one for social media.
Before
20 videos at 25 minutes of typing and timing each: 500 minutes, about 8.3 hours a month
After
If AI subtitles plus a check take about 8 minutes each: 160 minutes, about 2.7 hours a month
What it's worth
About 5.7 hours a month saved (340 minutes), worth about £170 at £30 an hour, if the check takes about 8 minutes (an assumption to test). Cost: Basic is €17 (about £15) a month on monthly billing or €8.50 (about £7) a month billed annually. Prices are shown in euros. Extra minutes cost €0.20 each.
How to set it up
- Use the free trial (10 minutes) on a finished video to check the accuracy for your speakers.
- Pick Basic or Pro by counting the minutes of audio per month.
- Upload each video, correct names, brand terms and punctuation, and watch it with the subtitles on.
- Export SRT or VTT and add it to your editor or the social platform.
- For legal, medical or technical content, consider the human proofreading option.
What goes wrong
- AI subtitles get names and technical words wrong, and a wrong subtitle can change the meaning. Check every file.
- The page doesn't mention burned-in subtitles, so check how you will get them onto the video.
- Minutes are used for each language, so translations use the allowance faster. Check how the plan counts them.
- Client interviews can contain personal data. Check Happy Scribe's data terms and your client contracts.