Use the subtitle file as a starting point, then edit it into a document somebody can understand without playing the film. Join fragmented sentences, identify speakers, retain meaningful non-speech sounds and add clearly marked visual information where needed. A raw SRT with timestamps is useful to a player but often awkward as a family reading copy.
W3C's transcript guidance distinguishes basic and descriptive transcripts. The latter can include necessary visual information as well as the audio record.
Decide what the document is for
A word-for-word record of real vows, a readable transcript of a finished film and a creative story booklet are different deliverables. Name the one you are preparing. A story booklet can include new prose, but new prose should not appear inside quotation marks as though a family member said it.
Agree who may receive the text. A private recording becoming searchable text can expose names, locations and intimate promises in a new way. A family keepsake does not automatically authorize public publication.
For an AI film, distinguish approved fictional dialogue from original ceremony speech. Preserve that distinction even if both appear in the same final video.
Convert captions into paragraphs
Remove technical cue numbers and unnecessary end times from the reading copy. Combine subtitle fragments into sensible sentences and paragraphs while preserving their order and meaning. Keep occasional timestamps only when they help a reader find a significant passage.
Label speakers when the voices are not obvious in text. Include relevant sounds such as a shared laugh or an audience response when they change how a line is understood. Do not transcribe every incidental rustle.
Adobe's transcript-export guide documents separate text-export options in Premiere. Exporting text is a convenience, not evidence that automatic transcription got the words or names right.
Add visual context without inventing it
Read the document with the picture hidden. If “Here it is” refers to an object never named in speech, a short bracketed visual note may be necessary. Important on-screen text may also need to appear in the document.
Keep editorial description visibly separate from spoken words. Use factual descriptions such as “[A ring box opens.]” rather than guessing that a character feels overwhelmed. Do not add an unseen action to make a confusing generated shot sound correct.
If the picture changes during revisions, recheck these notes. A transcript describing an old version can mislead even while its speech remains accurate.
A fictional excerpt for a reading copy
A planned film contains a proposal question, a laugh and a visible ring reveal. Its reading document might group the spoken question under the speaker's name, place “[They laugh.]” on the next line, and add a separate visual note identifying the opened box.
This fictional editorial example illustrates presentation; it does not quote real vows or claim a transcription test. If a recorded word is uncertain, ask the speaker or mark the uncertainty instead of silently choosing the most romantic phrase.
Proofread against sound and picture
Review speech against the actual final audio, then check visual notes against the final picture. Ask the couple to approve names, private details and any uncertain phrase. Maintain an editable copy and the exact video version it describes.
A relative should be able to identify who speaks, what happened and which text is an editorial addition without opening the movie. That is a more useful acceptance test than whether a TXT file was exported successfully.
Use Imagild Film Studio for the visual project and a suitable external editor for the reading document. Timed subtitles can remain separate for playback; the transcript serves a different reading task.