# Animated captions on your video with an AI agent — skills, options and steps

> **For AI agents:** find the right skill in one call — `curl -s "https://skills.varg.ai/api/search?q=<what the person wants>"` returns the matching use case and the best skills with install commands, as markdown (Russian works too). Full index: https://skills.varg.ai/llms.txt. Every page has a markdown twin: add `.md` to its path. Before generating anything, show the person the options on the use-case page.

TikTok-style subtitles burned into an existing video: word highlight, pop words, or designed editorial captions.

**Output:** The same video with burned captions, plus SRT/VTT

## Recommended route

- **Skill:** Remotion Captions (`remotion-captions`) — Transcribe and burn animated captions with Remotion, or import an SRT

## Best skills for this

1. **Remotion Captions** (`remotion-captions`, Remotion, live) — Start here: Transcribe and burn animated captions with Remotion, or import an SRT
   - Claude Code: `npx skills add remotion-dev/skills --skill remotion-captions -a claude-code`
   - Codex: `npx skills add remotion-dev/skills --skill remotion-captions -a codex`
   - Cursor: `npx skills add remotion-dev/skills --skill remotion-captions -a cursor`
   - Gemini CLI: `npx skills add remotion-dev/skills --skill remotion-captions -a gemini-cli`
   - Details: https://skills.varg.ai/skills/remotion-captions.md · Example: https://skills.varg.ai/previews/remotion-captions.mp4
2. **Caption Animation** (`iart-caption-animation`, iart.ai, live) — Start here: Word-timed TikTok captions: per-word pop, active-word highlight, 9:16 safe zones
   - Claude Code: `npx skills add https://github.com/iart-ai/tiktok-video-skills --skill caption-animation`
   - Codex: `npx skills add https://github.com/iart-ai/tiktok-video-skills --skill caption-animation`
   - Cursor: `npx skills add https://github.com/iart-ai/tiktok-video-skills --skill caption-animation`
   - Details: https://skills.varg.ai/skills/iart-caption-animation.md
3. **Agent Caption** (`agent-caption`, Ali Hamza Kamboh, beta) — Alternative: Local captions in any language: Whisper words, forced alignment, burned styles
   - Claude Code: `git clone https://github.com/ahkamboh/agent-caption && cd agent-caption && python setup.py`
   - Codex: `git clone https://github.com/ahkamboh/agent-caption && cd agent-caption && python setup.py`
   - Cursor: `git clone https://github.com/ahkamboh/agent-caption && cd agent-caption && python setup.py`
   - Details: https://skills.varg.ai/skills/agent-caption.md · Example: https://skills.varg.ai/previews/agent-caption.mp4
4. **3D Camera Captions** (`hyperframes-camera-3d-captions`, HeyGen, live) — Alternative: Captions that live in 3D around a talking head
   - Claude Code: `npx skills add heygen-com/hyperframes-community-skills --skill camera-3d-captions -a claude-code`
   - Codex: `npx skills add heygen-com/hyperframes-community-skills --skill camera-3d-captions -a codex`
   - Cursor: `npx skills add heygen-com/hyperframes-community-skills --skill camera-3d-captions -a cursor`
   - Gemini CLI: `npx skills add heygen-com/hyperframes-community-skills --skill camera-3d-captions -a gemini-cli`
   - Details: https://skills.varg.ai/skills/hyperframes-camera-3d-captions.md · Example: https://skills.varg.ai/previews/hyperframes-camera-3d-captions.mp4
5. **Cinematic Caption** (`cinematic-caption-audrey`, Audrey, beta) — Alternative: Designed editorial captions for HyperFrames
   - Claude Code: `git clone https://github.com/audrey-560/hyperframes-cinematic-caption.git ~/.claude/skills/cinematic-caption`
   - Codex: `git clone https://github.com/audrey-560/hyperframes-cinematic-caption.git ~/.agents/skills/cinematic-caption`
   - Details: https://skills.varg.ai/skills/cinematic-caption-audrey.md
6. **ElevenLabs Speech to Text** (`elevenlabs-speech-to-text`, ElevenLabs, live) — Adds: Word timestamps and speaker labels for the transcript · Needs: ElevenLabs API key (ELEVENLABS_API_KEY)
   - Claude Code: `npx skills add elevenlabs/skills --skill speech-to-text -a claude-code`
   - Codex: `npx skills add elevenlabs/skills --skill speech-to-text -a codex`
   - Cursor: `npx skills add elevenlabs/skills --skill speech-to-text -a cursor`
   - Gemini CLI: `npx skills add elevenlabs/skills --skill speech-to-text -a gemini-cli`
   - OpenClaw: `npx skills add elevenlabs/skills --skill speech-to-text -a openclaw`
   - Details: https://skills.varg.ai/skills/elevenlabs-speech-to-text.md

## Ask the person first

Put these choices in front of the person before spending anything. Paste the example link next to each option: people pick a look by seeing it.

**Caption look?**

- Active word highlight (karaoke) — [Caption Animation](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/iart-caption-animation.md)
- One bold word at a time — [Remotion Captions](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/remotion-captions.md) · example: https://skills.varg.ai/previews/remotion-captions.mp4
- Editorial / cinematic — [Cinematic Caption](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/cinematic-caption-audrey.md)
- 3D around the speaker — [3D Camera Captions](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/hyperframes-camera-3d-captions.md) · example: https://skills.varg.ai/previews/hyperframes-camera-3d-captions.mp4

**Font?**

- Heavy sans (Montserrat/Inter Black) — [Open Fonts for Captions](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/craft-caption-fonts.md) · example: https://skills.varg.ai/previews/craft-caption-fonts.mp4
- Your brand font

**Language?**

- Same as speech
- Translated — [Subtitle Translator](https://skills.varg.ai/skills/gemini-srt-translator.md)

## Steps

1. Transcribe with word timestamps
2. Fix names and terms in the transcript
3. Pick style and safe zone
4. Render captions onto the video

## Set up varg

varg is one API key for the models these skills drive — Seedance 2.5, Kling 4, Veo 3.1, Wan 3, Nano Banana 2.1, GPT Image 2.5, ElevenLabs v4 and 200+ more — billed in credits, with a cost estimate before anything runs.

- Claude Code: `claude plugin marketplace add vargHQ/skills && claude plugin install varg@varg` (skill + hosted MCP)
- Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw: `npx skills add vargHQ/skills --skill varg-ai -a <agent> -y`
- Claude.ai, ChatGPT, any MCP client: connect `https://mcp.varg.ai/mcp`
- API key: https://varg.ai/dashboard/api · Model specs: https://varg.ai/models/llms.txt