Guide
How to add captions to a dance tutorial or choreography breakdown on iPhone
Updated
To add captions to a dance tutorial or choreography breakdown on iPhone, record the counts and step names as a voiceover or say them with the music low, open the clip in CaptionAddr, let it transcribe the English speech on the iPhone, fix counts and step names and delete stray lyrics in Edit Captions, place the captions clear of your feet and export a captioned copy to Photos. Videos up to 2 minutes are free; CaptionAddr Pro covers up to 30 minutes.
Why caption dance tutorials
Dance tutorials, such as a slowed-down choreography breakdown, a count-by-count walkthrough of a short routine, a footwork drill or a trend dance taught in parts, are replayed again and again by viewers learning the moves, often with the sound off. Captions let them read each count and step name as you say it, and they help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
This guide is for breakdowns where you teach the moves out loud. For workouts and coaching cues, see the fitness video guide; for teaching an instrument, the music lesson guide. CaptionAddr burns the captions into the picture, so they show wherever you post.
Caption a dance tutorial on iPhone
- Record the breakdown. Say “five, six, seven, eight” and each step name with the music low or off, or record a voiceover breakdown over the footage and save it to Photos. Loud music covers counts, and CaptionAddr doesn’t remove music or 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 counts and step names. Counts said quickly over a beat and the names of steps are the words most likely to come out wrong. Song lyrics are usually not captioned, but delete any stray lyric that shows up. You can edit, delete and reorder words in Edit Captions, with undo and redo.
- Keep your feet in view. Choose one of the 20 fonts and a size that reads on a phone, turn on the tinted background over a busy room or stage lights, and drag the captions to the top of the frame so they don’t cover your feet or hands.
- 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 dance tutorial captions
- Say which side. Say “right foot” or “to your left” with each step, because the app doesn’t add arrows or labels and viewers may be copying a mirror image.
- Teach slow, then show it at speed. Talk through the counts slowly first, then dance the full eight with the music. Words over loud music may be missed.
- Keep the counts as you said them. Fix a count that came out wrong, and delete extra counts if you repeated yourself.
- Record a voiceover for a music-only clip. A routine set only to music has nothing to caption. Record yourself talking through the counts over the footage, save it to Photos, then caption that video.
- Keep your original. CaptionAddr exports a new copy and leaves the original clip in your library.
Limits
- Speech only. CaptionAddr captions spoken English. Music and singing are usually not captioned, and it doesn’t read text shown on screen.
- Captions only. The app doesn’t add arrows, count overlays, titles or mirrored views, and you can only fix, delete or reorder the transcribed words.
- No audio changes. The app doesn’t remove music or change the audio; deleting a word removes it from the captions only.
- 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, slow down or combine clips. 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 dance tutorial on iPhone?
Record the counts and step names with the music low or as a voiceover, open the clip in CaptionAddr, generate captions on your iPhone, fix counts and step names in Edit Captions, drag the captions clear of your feet and export a captioned copy to Photos.
Will the song lyrics be captioned?
Usually not. CaptionAddr leaves out sections that are clearly music or singing and keeps speech over background music. If a stray lyric shows up, delete it in Edit Captions.
Why are my counts missing or wrong?
Counts said quickly over a loud beat are easy to miss. Turn the music down while you count, or record a voiceover breakdown, then fix any remaining counts in Edit Captions.
Can I caption a dance video with only music?
No. CaptionAddr makes captions from speech, and you can only fix, delete or reorder the transcribed words. Record a voiceover that walks through the counts and steps, then caption that video.
Can CaptionAddr slow down the dance?
No. CaptionAddr only adds captions and doesn’t change the video’s speed. Make a slowed-down version in your video editor, save it to Photos, then caption it.