Guide
How to add captions to a cosplay or costume build video on iPhone
Updated
To add captions to a cosplay or costume build video on iPhone, explain each step with the heat gun, rotary tool and sewing machine off, record any talking for a masked or helmeted reveal as a voiceover, open the clip in CaptionAddr, let it transcribe the English speech on the iPhone, fix character and material names in Edit Captions, place the captions clear of the costume and export a captioned copy to Photos. Videos up to 2 minutes are free; CaptionAddr Pro covers up to 30 minutes.
Why caption cosplay build videos
Cosplay and costume build videos, such as a foam armor build in parts, a prop walkthrough, a wig styling session or a Halloween costume transformation, are watched in a feed with the sound off and paused by viewers who want to copy a technique. Captions let them follow each material and step, and they help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
This guide is for costume and prop builds that end in a reveal. For sewing, knitting and other fiber crafts on their own, see the sewing and knitting guide; for chatty makeup and getting-ready routines, the GRWM guide. CaptionAddr burns the captions into the picture, so they show wherever you post.
Caption a cosplay build video on iPhone
- Talk with the tools off. Explain the next step, then run the heat gun, rotary tool or sewing machine, or record a voiceover over the build afterward. A mask or helmet muffles your voice, so add a voiceover for the reveal too. CaptionAddr doesn’t remove noise.
- Choose the video. Tap Select Video in CaptionAddr and pick the clip with Apple’s Photos picker. Vertical, square and landscape videos all work, and the video keeps its shape.
- Let the captions generate. Captions start as soon as the video opens; keep the app open; the English speech is transcribed on your iPhone, not on a server.
- Fix character and material names. Character names, series titles, made-up words and material names are the words most likely to come out wrong. Correct them in Edit Captions. You can edit, delete and reorder words, with undo and redo.
- Keep the costume in view. Choose one of the 20 fonts and a size that reads on a phone, turn on the tinted background over a busy workbench or a bright costume, and drag the captions to an edge of the frame where they don’t cover the details or your face.
- Export and post. Tap Export Video to save the captioned copy to Photos, then upload it to TikTok, Reels, Shorts or any other app. The watermark is off unless you turn it on.
Tips for cosplay build captions
- Say the character once, clearly. Name the character and the piece you’re building near the start, because captions come from your speech, not from reference images or the text in your post.
- Read out patterns and sizes. Say the size or the template piece you’re cutting, such as “the left gauntlet,” because the app doesn’t read patterns, templates or notes on screen.
- Say the part number. For a build in parts, say “part one” at the start of each clip, because the app doesn’t add titles.
- Leave the reveal music uncaptioned. Music on its own is usually not captioned, while speech over music is usually kept. Delete any stray lyric that slips into the captions.
- Keep your original. CaptionAddr exports a new copy and leaves the original clip in your library.
Limits
- Speech only. CaptionAddr captions spoken English. It doesn’t read patterns, templates or text shown on screen, and it doesn’t caption tool sounds, music or sound effects.
- No audio changes. The app doesn’t remove tool noise, clear up a voice muffled by a mask or change the audio; deleting a word removes it from the captions only.
- Captions only. The app doesn’t add character names, material lists, before-and-after labels or titles, and you can only fix, delete or reorder the transcribed words.
- English only. CaptionAddr transcribes English speech and doesn’t translate.
- Single-word captions. Words appear one at a time, timed automatically, always in uppercase; there are no speaker labels, full-sentence layouts or manual per-word timing.
- Length. Free covers videos up to 2 minutes; CaptionAddr Pro covers up to 30 minutes. CaptionAddr doesn’t trim, split or combine clips, so cut a long build into parts in Photos or your video editor first. The App Store shows the current Pro price in your currency.
- Burned-in captions only. There is no SRT, VTT or text export, and the app doesn’t post to social platforms.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add captions to a cosplay build video on iPhone?
Explain each step with the tools off or in a voiceover, open the clip in CaptionAddr, generate captions on your iPhone, fix character and material names in Edit Captions, drag the captions clear of the costume and export a captioned copy to Photos.
Can I caption a reveal where I’m talking inside a mask or helmet?
You can try, but a muffled voice is more likely to be missed or come out wrong, and CaptionAddr doesn’t clean up audio. For the clearest captions, record a voiceover with the mask off and caption that video.
Why are character names spelled wrong?
Character names and made-up words aren’t always ordinary English words, so the transcription may guess. Tap each one in Edit Captions and correct the spelling before you export.
Can I add the character name as a title on the video?
No. Captions come from the speech in the video, and you can only fix, delete or reorder the transcribed words. Say the character name out loud, or put it in your post description.
My costume build video is longer than 2 minutes. What can I do?
Split it into parts in Photos or your video editor first, then caption each part. CaptionAddr Pro covers videos up to 30 minutes.