YouTube to SRT

Turn a YouTube video's captions into subtitles for DaVinci Resolve, a few words per line, each one right on time.

Add it

Drag this button to your bookmarks bar (Ctrl+Shift+B shows the bar).

YouTube to SRT

Can't drag it? Make the bookmark by hand

Add a bookmark named YouTube to SRT and paste this code as its address.

javascript:(async()=>{if(document.getElementById('ytsrtl'))return;const L=document.createElement('div');L.id='ytsrtl';L.textContent='Loading captions\u2026';L.style.cssText='position:fixed;left:0;top:0;z-index:99999;background:rgb(24,24,24);color:rgb(238,238,238);font:14px Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;padding:12px 18px;border-radius:12px;box-shadow:0 8px 30px rgba(0,0,0,.6);pointer-events:none';document.body.append(L);L.style.left=(innerWidth-L.offsetWidth)/2+'px';L.style.top=(innerHeight-L.offsetHeight)/2+'px';const id=new URLSearchParams(location.search).get('v');const f=()=>performance.getEntriesByType('resource').map(e=>e.name).filter(u=>u.includes('/api/timedtext')&&u.includes('pot=')&&(!id||new URL(u).searchParams.get('v')===id)).pop();let j;try{let url=f();const b=document.querySelector('.ytp-subtitles-button');if(!url&&b){performance.clearResourceTimings();if(b.getAttribute('aria-pressed')==='true'){b.click();await new Promise(r=>setTimeout(r,500))}b.click();for(let i=0;i<20&&!(url=f());i++)await new Promise(r=>setTimeout(r,500))}if(!url){L.remove();alert('Turn on captions (CC), play the video for a second (after any ad), then click again.');return}const u=new URL(url);u.searchParams.set('fmt','json3');u.searchParams.delete('tlang');j=await(await fetch(u)).json()}finally{L.remove()}const w=[];j.events.forEach(e=>{if(!e.segs)return;e.segs.forEach(s=>{const t=s.utf8.trim();if(t)w.push({s:e.tStartMs+(s.tOffsetMs||0),t})})});w.sort((a,c)=>a.s-c.s);const vd=document.getElementById('movie_player')?.getVideoData?.()||{},fname=((vd.video_id===id&&vd.title)||document.title.replace(/ - YouTube$/,'')).replace(/[\\/:*?"<>|]/g,'').trim()||'captions';const p=(x,l)=>String(x).padStart(l,'0');const md=(a,c)=>a-Math.floor(a/c)*c;const ts=m=>p(Math.floor(m/3600000),2)+':'+p(md(Math.floor(m/60000),60),2)+':'+p(md(Math.floor(m/1000),60),2)+','+p(md(m,1000),3);const st={n:3,gap:900,hold:800,sent:1};try{Object.assign(st,JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('ytsrt')||'{}'))}catch(e){}const build=()=>{const r=[];let i=0;while(i<w.length){const g=[w[i]];let q=i+1;while(q<w.length&&g.length<st.n&&w[q].s-w[q-1].s<=st.gap&&!(st.sent&&/[.?!]$/.test(w[q-1].t))){g.push(w[q]);q++}const x=w[q],l=g[g.length-1];let e=x&&x.s-l.s<=st.gap?x.s:l.s+st.hold;if(x)e=Math.min(e,x.s);r.push([g[0].s,Math.max(e,g[0].s+100),g.map(y=>y.t).join(' ')]);i=q}return r};document.getElementById('ytsrt')?.remove();const el=(t,css,txt)=>{const d=document.createElement(t);if(css)d.style.cssText=css;if(txt!=null)d.textContent=txt;return d};const P=el('div','position:fixed;left:0;top:0;z-index:99999;width:300px;background:rgb(24,24,24);color:rgb(238,238,238);font:14px Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;padding:14px 16px;border-radius:12px;box-shadow:0 8px 30px rgba(0,0,0,.6);cursor:move;user-select:none;touch-action:none');P.id='ytsrt';const fit=(l,t)=>{P.style.left=Math.max(0,Math.min(innerWidth-P.offsetWidth,l))+'px';P.style.top=Math.max(0,Math.min(innerHeight-P.offsetHeight,t))+'px'};const tb=el('div','position:absolute;display:none;z-index:1;box-sizing:border-box;background:rgb(44,44,44);color:rgb(230,230,230);border:1px solid rgb(80,80,80);border-radius:8px;padding:8px 10px;font-size:12px;line-height:1.5;box-shadow:0 6px 20px rgba(0,0,0,.5);pointer-events:none');const tip=txt=>{const q=el('button','width:18px;height:18px;margin-left:6px;padding:0;border:1px solid rgb(120,120,120);border-radius:9px;background:none;color:rgb(170,170,170);font:600 11px/16px Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;cursor:help;vertical-align:1px','?');q.setAttribute('aria-label',txt);const show=()=>{let r=q;while(r.parentElement!=P)r=r.parentElement;const pr=P.getBoundingClientRect(),qr=q.getBoundingClientRect(),W=230,s=tb.style;tb.textContent=txt;s.display='block';if(pr.right+8+W<=innerWidth||pr.left-8-W>=0){s.width=W+'px';s.left=(pr.right+8+W<=innerWidth?pr.width+8:-W-8)+'px';s.top=qr.top-pr.top-8+'px'}else{s.width=pr.width-32+'px';s.left='16px';s.top=r.getBoundingClientRect().bottom-pr.top+4+'px'}};q.onmouseenter=q.onfocus=q.onclick=show;q.onmouseleave=q.onblur=()=>{tb.style.display='none'};return q};const head=el('div','display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;margin-bottom:6px');const x=el('button','background:none;border:0;color:rgb(170,170,170);font-size:18px;cursor:pointer','\u00d7');x.onclick=()=>P.remove();head.append(el('b','font-size:15px','YouTube to SRT'),x);P.append(head);const info=el('div','color:rgb(170,170,170);margin:6px 0');const prev=el('div','background:rgb(15,15,15);border-radius:8px;padding:8px;font-size:12px;line-height:1.6;height:118px;overflow:hidden;white-space:pre');const refresh=()=>{const r=build();info.textContent=r.length+' lines, '+w.length+' words';prev.textContent=r.slice(0,6).map(a=>ts(a[0]).slice(3,10).replace(',','.')+'  '+a[2]).join('\n')};const slider=(label,key,min,max,step,fmt,help)=>{const row=el('div','margin:8px 0');const top=el('div','display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center');const v=el('span','color:rgb(191,255,0)',fmt(st[key]));const nm=el('span','',label);nm.append(tip(help));top.append(nm,v);const s=el('input','display:block;width:268px;accent-color:rgb(191,255,0);cursor:pointer');s.type='range';s.min=min;s.max=max;s.step=step;s.value=st[key];s.oninput=()=>{st[key]=+s.value;v.textContent=fmt(st[key]);refresh()};row.append(top,s);P.append(row)};slider('Words per line','n',1,8,1,v=>String(v),'The most words on one line. Lines can be shorter at pauses and sentence ends.');slider('New line after a pause of','gap',300,2000,100,v=>(v/1000).toFixed(1)+' s','If the speaker pauses longer than this between two words, the next word starts a new line.');slider('Hold the last word','hold',200,1500,100,v=>(v/1000).toFixed(1)+' s','How long a line stays on screen after its last word before a pause.');const lab=el('label','display:flex;gap:8px;align-items:center;cursor:pointer');const cb=el('input','cursor:pointer');cb.type='checkbox';cb.checked=!!st.sent;cb.onchange=()=>{st.sent=cb.checked?1:0;refresh()};lab.append(cb,el('span','','New line after . ? !'));const crow=el('div','display:flex;align-items:center;margin:8px 0');crow.append(lab,tip('Keeps the end of one sentence and the start of the next on separate lines.'));P.append(crow,info,prev);const dl=el('button','margin-top:10px;width:268px;padding:9px;border:0;border-radius:18px;background:rgb(191,255,0);color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:600;cursor:pointer','Download .srt');dl.onclick=()=>{try{localStorage.setItem('ytsrt',JSON.stringify(st))}catch(e){}const o=build().map((a,k)=>(k+1)+'\n'+ts(a[0])+' --> '+ts(a[1])+'\n'+a[2]+'\n').join('\n');const a=document.createElement('a');a.href=URL.createObjectURL(new Blob([o],{type:'text/plain'}));a.download=fname+'.srt';a.click()};P.append(dl,tb);document.body.append(P);refresh();fit((innerWidth-P.offsetWidth)/2,(innerHeight-P.offsetHeight)/2);let dr=null;P.onpointerdown=e=>{if(e.button||e.target.closest('input,button,label'))return;const r=P.getBoundingClientRect();dr=[e.clientX-r.left,e.clientY-r.top];tb.style.display='none';try{P.setPointerCapture(e.pointerId)}catch(_){}};P.onpointermove=e=>{if(dr)fit(e.clientX-dr[0],e.clientY-dr[1])};P.onpointerup=P.onpointercancel=()=>{dr=null};})();

Use it

Click it on the YouTube video's page, not here.

Open the video on youtube.com (your own private videos work when you're signed in).
Click YouTube to SRT, set the words per line and click Download .srt.
In Resolve, right-click the Media Pool, choose Import Subtitle and pick the .srt from your Downloads.

By default a line never runs across a pause or a sentence end, so some lines have fewer words.

If it asks you to turn on captions, press C on the video, let it play a second and click again.