Syncscribe Help

User Guide · Last updated: March 2026

1. Quick Start

Syncscribe is an on-device audio/video transcription and subtitle tool. All processing happens on your device—no internet required.

1. Add files: In the "Transcribe" tab, add local audio/video files or download via URL.
2. Start processing: Select the recognition language and tap "Start Processing" to transcribe.
3. Edit & clip: After transcription, tap a result to open "Smart Player" for editing subtitles, selecting clips, and one-tap clipping.
4. Export: Export subtitle files or video with burned-in subtitles.

2. Transcription

2.1 Adding Files

• Local import: Tap "Add Audio" or "Add Video" to select files. Supports MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, MOV, MKV, and other common formats.
• URL download: Paste an http or https link in the input field and tap download. Useful for fetching files from the web.

2.2 Recognition Language

• Auto-detect: Best for mixed-language content or when the language is uncertain.
• Specify language: If content is primarily one language (e.g., Chinese, English, Japanese), selecting it improves accuracy.

2.3 Recognition Model

Transcription uses the high-accuracy recognition model only; the app no longer offers multiple model tiers to switch. On first use or after an update, follow on-screen prompts if a model download is required. Keep the app in the foreground while the model loads.

Check "Profile" to see when the model is ready before transcribing.

2.4 Batch Processing

With multiple files added, "Start Processing" transcribes all pending files in sequence. Already-transcribed files are skipped.

3. Smart Player (Subtitles, Translation, Clips, Export)

After transcription, tap a result to open "Smart Player" with these panels:

3.1 Subtitles

Two views:

• Sentences: Displays by sentence with timestamps. Tap a timestamp to jump and play; tap "Edit" to correct recognition errors.
• Words: Displays by word for fine-grained editing. Same jump and edit support.

Add to clips: Check the box before each row to add that sentence/word's time range to the "Clips" panel for later export.

3.2 Translation

• Uses Apple's on-device translation. Download target language packs in System Settings → General → Translation Languages.
• Choose original/translated display mode for side-by-side viewing.
• If translation fails or times out, tap "Help" for troubleshooting or check language packs and on-device mode in system settings.

3.3 Clips

One-tap clip: Automatically selects "climax" and "hook" segments from all videos and concatenates them into a promo short.

• Climax: High-energy, dialogue-dense segments.
• Hook: Opening or closing suspense that draws viewers in.
• Enable "Consider storyline" to select by "opening–development–climax" for coherent clips.
• "Run on current episode": Only auto-selects for the current episode. "One-tap clip (all videos)": Runs on all episodes.

Manual selection: In the "Subtitles" panel, check sentences or words to add desired segments to the clip list.

Clip preview:

• Each clip has an icon: ▶ not started, ⏸ playing, ⏹ ended.
• Tap to play/pause/replay that clip.
• "Preview all": Plays all selected clips in order and stops when done—does not continue with the rest of the source video.
• Tap × to remove unwanted clips.

3.4 Export

Export presets: Default, vertical compact, vertical standard, vertical extended, horizontal short. Choose based on your target platform.

Frame processing: Optionally blur a corner (e.g., top-right) to hide watermarks, or select "None".

Embed subtitles: When checked, exported video will have subtitles burned in. Uncheck for video-only export.

Export processed video: Choose save location and export. Only processes locally imported video. Ensure you have rights to the content.

4. Exporting Subtitle Files

In the "Export" panel you can export subtitles separately. Supported formats:

• TXT: Plain text, no timestamps.
• SRT: Common format, compatible with most players and editors.
• VTT: Web-friendly format.
• ASS: Supports styling and effects.

You can choose sentence-level or word-level timestamps.

5. FAQ

Transcription fails or no result?

• Check that the file format is supported (MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, MOV, etc.).
• If using Apple speech recognition, ensure microphone and speech recognition permissions are granted.
• Confirm the recognition model is ready (see status in "Profile"); if it is still downloading or loading, wait and try again.

Translation unavailable or times out?

• Go to System Settings → General → Translation Languages and download the target language pack.
• Enable "On-device mode" for local translation.
• First translation may be slow—please wait.

Exported video has no subtitles?

• Ensure "Embed subtitles" is checked in the clips panel.
• If corner blur is selected and subtitles are not embedded, the export will be video-only.

Preview keeps playing after the last clip?

Normally, "Preview all" stops when the last selected clip ends. If it continues, try tapping "Preview all" again to restart.

URL download fails?

• Ensure the link starts with http or https.
• Some sites use anti-hotlinking and may block direct downloads.

6. Feedback & Support

For questions or suggestions, contact us via in-app "User Support & Feedback" or GitHub repository Issues.