WaveSpeedAI Subtitle OCR is a fast AI subtitle extraction model that extracts subtitles from videos and returns an SRT file URL. Ready-to-use REST inference API for OCR-based subtitle extraction, video caption recovery, subtitle generation, content localization, accessibility workflows, social media videos, and professional video processing with simple integration, no coldstarts, and affordable pricing.
WaveSpeed AI Subtitle OCR extracts subtitles from a video using OCR and returns an SRT file URL. It is designed for subtitle recovery, caption extraction, accessibility workflows, localization prep, and video processing tasks where on-screen subtitles need to be converted into reusable subtitle files.
OCR-based subtitle extraction
Detect and extract burned-in or embedded on-screen subtitles from video frames.
Direct SRT output
Returns a subtitle file URL that can be reused in editing, publishing, or localization workflows.
Simple one-input workflow
Upload a video and generate subtitle output with minimal setup.
Useful for accessibility and repurposing
Supports caption recovery, subtitle reuse, localization prep, and content accessibility workflows.
Production-ready API
Suitable for subtitle extraction pipelines, social media processing, archive recovery, and post-production workflows.
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| video | Yes | Input video to analyze for subtitle extraction. |
Extract burned-in subtitles from a fitness or tutorial clip and reuse them as an editable SRT file for republishing or translation.
Returns one SRT file URL in the standard WaveSpeed prediction response.
Pricing is billed in started 60-second units.
| Video Duration | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1s–60s | $0.16 |
| 61s–120s | $0.32 |
| 121s–180s | $0.48 |
| 181s–240s | $0.64 |
video is required.Grab a WaveSpeedAI API key, then call POST https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/wavespeed-ai/subtitle-ocr with your input as JSON. The endpoint returns a prediction id. Start polling the result endpoint around every 2 seconds, increase the interval for long-running tasks, and stop on any terminal status. On completed, read output values from data.outputs. Examples for Subtitle Ocr below.
set -euo pipefail
: "${WAVESPEED_API_KEY:?Set WAVESPEED_API_KEY}"
REQUEST_BODY=$(cat <<'JSON'
{
"video": "https://interactive-examples.mdn.mozilla.net/media/cc0-videos/flower.mp4"
}
JSON
)
# 1. Submit the prediction.
SUBMIT_RESPONSE=$(curl --silent --show-error --fail-with-body \
-X POST "https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/wavespeed-ai/subtitle-ocr" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $WAVESPEED_API_KEY" \
-d "$REQUEST_BODY")
TASK=$(printf '%s' "$SUBMIT_RESPONSE" | jq 'if has("data") then .data else . end')
PREDICTION_ID=$(printf '%s' "$TASK" | jq -r '.id')
if [ -z "$PREDICTION_ID" ] || [ "$PREDICTION_ID" = "null" ]; then
printf 'Submission response did not contain a prediction id
' >&2
exit 1
fi
RESULT_URL=$(printf '%s' "$TASK" | jq -r '.urls.get // empty')
if [ -z "$RESULT_URL" ]; then
RESULT_URL="https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/predictions/$PREDICTION_ID/result"
fi
# 2. Poll until the prediction finishes.
while true; do
RESPONSE=$(curl --silent --show-error --fail-with-body "$RESULT_URL" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $WAVESPEED_API_KEY")
RESULT=$(printf '%s' "$RESPONSE" | jq 'if has("data") then .data else . end')
STATUS=$(printf '%s' "$RESULT" | jq -r '.status')
case "$STATUS" in
completed) printf '%s\n' "$RESULT" | jq '.outputs'; break ;;
failed|cancelled|timeout) printf '%s\n' "$RESULT" | jq . >&2; exit 1 ;;
created|processing) sleep 2 ;;
*) printf 'Unexpected status: %s
' "$STATUS" >&2; exit 1 ;;
esac
doneconst submitUrl = "https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/wavespeed-ai/subtitle-ocr";
const apiKey = process.env.WAVESPEED_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error('Set WAVESPEED_API_KEY');
async function requestJson(url, options = {}) {
const response = await fetch(url, options);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(await response.text());
return response.json();
}
// 1. Submit the prediction.
const body = await requestJson(submitUrl, {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Authorization": `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"video": "https://interactive-examples.mdn.mozilla.net/media/cc0-videos/flower.mp4"
}),
});
const task = body.data ?? body;
if (!task.id) throw new Error("Submission response did not contain a prediction id");
const resultUrl = task.urls?.get ||
`https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/predictions/${task.id}/result`;
// 2. Poll until the prediction finishes.
while (true) {
const resultBody = await requestJson(resultUrl, {
headers: { "Authorization": `Bearer ${apiKey}` },
});
const result = resultBody.data ?? resultBody;
if (result.status === "completed") {
console.log(result.outputs);
break;
}
if (["failed", "cancelled", "timeout"].includes(result.status)) throw new Error(JSON.stringify(result));
if (!["created", "processing"].includes(result.status)) throw new Error("Unexpected status: " + result.status);
await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 2000));
}import json
import os
import time
from urllib.request import Request, urlopen
api_key = os.environ["WAVESPEED_API_KEY"]
headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}", "Content-Type": "application/json"}
payload = {
"video": "https://interactive-examples.mdn.mozilla.net/media/cc0-videos/flower.mp4"
}
def request_json(url, data=None):
request = Request(url, data=data, headers=headers, method="POST" if data else "GET")
with urlopen(request) as response:
return json.load(response)
# 1. Submit the prediction.
body = request_json("https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/wavespeed-ai/subtitle-ocr", json.dumps(payload).encode())
task = body.get("data", body)
if not task.get("id"):
raise RuntimeError("Submission response did not contain a prediction id")
result_url = task.get("urls", {}).get("get") or f"https://api.wavespeed.ai/api/v3/predictions/{task['id']}/result"
# 2. Poll until the prediction finishes.
while True:
result_body = request_json(result_url)
result = result_body.get("data", result_body)
status = result.get("status")
if status == "completed":
print(result.get("outputs", []))
break
if status in {"failed", "cancelled", "timeout"}:
raise RuntimeError(result)
if status not in {"created", "processing"}:
raise RuntimeError(f"Unexpected status: {status}")
time.sleep(2)Subtitle Ocr is a WaveSpeedAI model for AI inference, exposed as a REST API on WaveSpeedAI. WaveSpeedAI Subtitle OCR is a fast AI subtitle extraction model that extracts subtitles from videos and returns an SRT file URL. Ready-to-use REST inference API for OCR-based subtitle extraction, video caption recovery, subtitle generation, content localization, accessibility workflows, social media videos, and professional video processing with simple integration, no coldstarts, and affordable pricing. You can call it programmatically or try it from the playground above.
POST your input parameters to the model's REST endpoint (shown in the API tab of this playground) with your WaveSpeedAI API key in the Authorization header. Submission returns a prediction ID. Poll the result endpoint starting around every 2 seconds, increase the interval for long-running tasks, and stop on any terminal status. The playground generates production-oriented Python, JavaScript, and cURL examples with timeouts, transient-error handling, and safe GET retries. Full request/response shape is documented at https://wavespeed.ai/docs/docs-api/wavespeed-ai/subtitle-ocr.
Subtitle Ocr starts at $0.16 per run. That figure is the base price — the final charge scales with the parameters you set in the form (output size, length, count, references, or whatever knobs this model exposes), so a higher-quality or larger output costs more than a minimal one. The exact cost for your current input is shown live next to the Generate button before you submit, and the actual per-call charge is recorded on the prediction afterwards.
Key inputs: `video`. The full JSON schema (types, defaults, allowed values) is rendered above the Generate button and mirrored in the API reference at https://wavespeed.ai/docs/docs-api/wavespeed-ai/subtitle-ocr.
Sign up for a free WaveSpeedAI account to claim starter credits, copy your API key from /accesskey, then call the endpoint shown in the API tab of the playground. The playground also auto-generates a code sample in Python, JavaScript, or cURL for the parameters you've set.
Commercial usage rights depend on the model's license, set by its provider (WaveSpeedAI). The license summary appears on the model card above; see WaveSpeedAI's Terms of Service for platform-level conditions.