# Importing Qawlak captions into CapCut desktop

CapCut has no public plugin or scripting API, so this is a short manual workflow. Refreshed 14 Sep
2026 against CapCut's own help page ("How do I import subtitles?",
https://www.capcut.com/help/how-to-import-subtitles). **Not verified on a CapCut install on the
build PC** — if a menu name differs in your version, tell us which.

CapCut desktop (Windows/macOS) and CapCut web import subtitle files. The CapCut **mobile app does
not** import SRT files; edit on desktop or web, then continue on the phone through CapCut's cloud
space if you need to.

## Which file to take from Qawlak

| You want | Download from Qawlak | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Editable Arabic captions | `captions-original.srt` (ZIP) or **Plugins → SRT** with lane *original* | One script per file. Do **not** import `captions-both.srt` into CapCut: Arabic and English in one text box reorder unpredictably. |
| Editable English/translation | `captions-translation.srt` | Import as a second caption track if you want both. |
| Word-by-word (karaoke-style) | `/api/projects/{id}/export/srt?lane=original&words=true` | One cue per word; CapCut makes one text clip per cue. |
| Qawlak's styled captions, not editable | `captioned.mp4` | Captions already burned in. |
| Styled layer over your own edit | `green.mp4` (+ CapCut Chroma Key) | `alpha.mov` (ProRes 4444) is not reliably transparent in CapCut; prefer `green.mp4`. |

## Steps (desktop)

1. Import your video and drag it to the timeline.
2. **Text → Auto captions → Local captions → Import** (some builds: **Captions → Add captions →
   Import file**). Choose the `.srt` file. The file must be UTF-8 — Qawlak's always is.
3. CapCut creates one text clip per cue, aligned to the SRT timestamps.
4. **Timing:** SRT times start at 0:00 of the *uploaded* media. If you trimmed the head of the clip
   in CapCut, select all caption clips and slide them by the same amount.
5. Select all caption clips → **Text** panel → set the style once for the whole track.

## Arabic (RTL) caveats

- **Pick an Arabic font** on the imported track. CapCut's default caption face is Latin; Arabic
  glyphs then fall back per glyph and letters can look disconnected. Choose a font whose preview
  shows Arabic (e.g. one tagged Arabic in CapCut's font list) and apply it to all clips.
- **Keep the alignment centred or right.** Left-aligned Arabic wraps from the wrong edge.
- **Mixed lines** (Arabic with an English brand name or digits): CapCut may show the Latin run on
  the wrong side at the line edge. Qawlak's text is correct in the file; if CapCut flips it, move
  the brand name inside the sentence or edit that clip by hand.
- **Do not letter-space Arabic** (Text → Spacing): it breaks the joining between letters.
- **Do not run CapCut's auto-translate or auto captions** on the imported track; they replace the
  cues you imported.
- **Tashkeel** (diacritics) survives import; some CapCut fonts draw it poorly. Test one clip first.
- **Urdu/Hindi** files work the same way; pick a Nastaliq/Naskh or Devanagari font for them.

See also `EDITOR-HANDOFF.md` inside every Qawlak export ZIP (Premiere, Resolve) and
`docs/plugins/README.md` for the Premiere panel, Resolve scripts and the Final Cut FCPXML export.