# Add Cinematic Captions to Talking-Head Videos

Plain subtitles can feel disconnected from a polished talking-head video. This skill builds readable rails, embedded hero captions, and themed motion treatments while preserving the original footage.

## Install

```bash
npx skillstore add heygen-com/embedded-captions
```

## Metadata

- - Slug: heygen-com-embedded-captions
- - Version: 1.0.0
- - Author: heygen-com
- - GitHub username: heygen-com
- - License: MIT
- - Repository: https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/tree/main/skills/embedded-captions/
- - Ref: main
- - Supported tools: Claude, Codex, Claude Code
- - Risk level: medium
- - Risk factors: external\_commands, network, filesystem, scripts, env\_access
- - Quality score: 50
- - Quality tier: warning
- - Public page: https://skillstore.pages.dev/skills/heygen-com-embedded-captions
- - Manifest: https://skillstore.pages.dev/api/skills/heygen-com-embedded-captions/manifest

## Capabilities

- Selects a caption identity from a documented catalog based on tone, scene constraints, and readability needs.
- Transcribes speech into word-level timing data for caption authoring.
- Builds matte-aware embedded captions that can appear behind the subject.
- Generates Hyperframes HTML compositions for cinematic and themed caption styles.
- Runs preview and validation checks for timing, occlusion, overflow, and visual readability.
- Composites rendered caption layers with the source video into a final MP4.

## Use Cases

- Social Video Captioning: Add readable subtitle rails and a few designed emphasis moments to a short talking-head clip.
- Product Explainer Captions: Create polished caption treatments for founder updates, product demos, or launch videos.
- Editorial Motion Typography: Use themed caption identities such as neon, documentary, chalkboard, or brush styles for a specific visual tone.

## Prompt Templates

### Add Basic Captions

```
Add clear captions to this talking-head MP4. Use the conservative anchor style unless another identity is a better fit.
```

### Recommend Caption Styles

```
Review this clip and shortlist three caption identities. Explain which one is best for readability and visual tone.
```

### Create Embedded Hero Captions

```
Build captions with a readable rail and one embedded hero word at the strongest moment. Preview frames before rendering.
```

### Produce a Themed Caption Treatment

```
Create a full themed caption treatment for this single-speaker clip. Use transcription, safe zones, visual QA, and final compositing.
```

## Limitations

- Requires Hyperframes, FFmpeg, headless Chromium dependencies, and local media tooling.
- Designed for single-subject talking-head clips, not complex multi-speaker edits.
- Does not remove existing burned-in captions or repair source footage.
- May need manual review when transcription, matting, or bright backgrounds reduce caption quality.

## Best Practices

- Use short single-subject clips with clear speech and no burned-in subtitles.
- Preview frames before rendering so washout, overlap, and occlusion issues are caught early.
- Choose rail-first identities when every spoken word must be readable.

## Anti Patterns

- Do not use this skill for multi-speaker videos with hard cuts unless the clip is split first.
- Do not embed every word when the user needs accessible verbatim captions.
- Do not run the scripts on untrusted project folders or sensitive directories.

## Security Audit

- - Safe to publish: true
- - Audited at: 2026-06-28T09:16:38.716\+00:00
- - Summary: Static analysis produced many critical and high alerts, but manual review found most keyword-based alerts are false positives from visual theme vocabulary, font metric data, and documentation. The confirmed risk is operational: this community skill runs local media tools, headless Chromium, Whisper tooling, and file operations over user project directories, so it should be published with clear warnings and sandbox expectations.

## Stats

- - Views: 0
- - Downloads: 1
- - Favorites: 0
- - Popularity score: 0