How I get Instagram captions right with my Mac
In the Fomenkova household, auto-correct on iPhone (or on any app that uses it) is lovingly referred to as ‘Auto Coconut’, because of the number of errors it throws up when your brain is engaging more quickly than your fingers can.
There’s now another contender for this: auto-captions on apps like Instagram. I’ve renamed it ‘Auto Craptions’ because, quite frankly, that’s what it is…
You know me, I love Insta. I think it IS my favorite social media platform, and when I’m not posting, I do find I spend a lot more time browsing it than other apps of the same ilk.
I’ve also noticed it happens with a lot of other influencers’ posts. I’ll be listening along, but the captions are often mistranslated or completely incorrect.
Why auto-generated captions Instagram fail sometimes
OK, here’s an example. I wanted to upload a short video I’d taken of some beautiful flowers in a relative’s garden with a short voiceover I’d done to accompany it.
I set off uploading the vid as a reel and hit Instagram’s built-in subtitle generator, thinking it would work. Even though the clip was short, it had me chatting away. It said there was no speech detected… that’s crazy.
There are also times when I upload things the same way and just make stupid mistakes, like misspelling names or getting words muddled up.
I got to thinking I could probably do a lot better with something else that I can use on my Mac or my iPhone.
Here’s how I generate better Instagram captions on my Mac
There’s an app called VidCap which helps with this. Using it, I can upload content directly to my Mac (or the iPhone app) and get it to automatically generate the captions I need.
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I’m able to edit the text and look at how it would appear for either Instagram (or TikTok).
There’s also a handy feature that means I can translate audio into about 60 other languages, too.
Once it’s complete, I’m able to use the text formatting tools to match my captions to the style of my social media by changing text color, font, style, and backgrounds.
Another really useful tool for Instagram captions
OneUp is a tool that’s slightly different but on the same theme. This is useful for generating post captions when the muse completely deserts me, or I just need a helping hand.
If I feed it some general details about what I’m posting, it’ll throw something back at me that I can either use without editing or tweak to fit my own TOV a bit better.
I reckon it’ll work for a lot of folks who want to post but are short on time and struggle with things like coming up with the right hashtags or getting their spelling and grammar spot on. It can look a bit AI-y if you’re not careful, so beware. But it’s a solid, no frills tool that’ll really get the job done.
Be the winner of your own Insta caption competition
Using apps to help with auto-generating captions and subtitles can provide a real uplift to your posts. They’re just going to look way more professional and polished. Given how janky Instagram’s own effort is at times, I think they’re necessary.
It’s not just about looking better for your audience; it’s also about inclusivity. Followers with hearing or sight issues, or who need extra assistance understanding posts, should feel they’re not being left behind or left out.
If you’re a regular social media poster like me, then a small workflow change like this can make a visible difference in video quality. I feel more confident about posting and less likely to get snarky comments from people!
If you’ve tried this or any other tools for captions, let me know what you think in the comments below!
