Transcribe and subtitle a video without uploading it anywhere
A clean SRT subtitle file, generated on your machine, ready for YouTube, LinkedIn or your editor.
Beginner 30 min
The tools in this recipe
Local Whisper transcription, SRT and VTT export
FreeData stays localSecurity: nothing to flag
See the card →- MacWhisperApp
Same thing with a nicer interface on Mac (optional)
Freemium · from 59 €Data stays localSecurity: nothing to flag
See the card → Subtitle translation for an English version (optional)
Freemium · from 8.99 €Data with the vendorSecurity: nothing to flag
See the card →
Step by step
- 1
Pick the model
In Buzz, choose the “medium” model for French: “small” gets proper nouns wrong, “large” is three times slower for a small gain on a clear voice.
- 2
Run the transcription
Drop the video, set the language by hand (auto-detect fails on English intros). A 20-minute video takes 5 to 15 minutes depending on your machine.
- 3
Fix in the editor
Reread while listening at 1.5×. Fix proper nouns, acronyms and numbers: those are the three usual error sources.
- 4
Export as SRT
Export as SRT with segments of 2 lines maximum. A 3-line subtitle is unreadable on a phone.
- 5
Translate if needed
For an English version, run the SRT through DeepL keeping the numbers and timecodes: they are not translated.
Real example
- Situation
- 22-minute internal webinar, one voice, French, 480 MB MP4 file.
- What we asked / set
- No prompt: Buzz is a local tool without a chat. Settings used: Whisper medium model, French forced, SRT export.
- What we got
- Transcription in 9 minutes on a 16 GB laptop without GPU. 31 manual fixes over 2,900 words, almost all on product names. Final SRT of 214 segments.
Check by hand before using it
- ✓Proper nouns and acronyms are spelled as on your materials.
- ✓No subtitle exceeds 2 lines or 42 characters per line.
- ✓The first and last segments are in sync (drift shows there first).
Your data: precautions
- !The file never leaves your machine with Buzz or MacWhisper: that is the point of this recipe. A “free” online service often keeps a copy.
- !If the video shows people, the transcript contains their words: same retention rules as the video.
- !The Whisper “large” model needs 10 GB of memory; on a tight machine it crashes without a clear message.
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Each recipe was actually done. The tools cited are scored and rechecked every week; no placement is sold.