Run three independent checks
Toggle captions, inspect the player’s track list, and compare a frame in a second player. A listed language track that can be disabled is soft.
If no active track exists and the words remain, they are burned in. Project files can provide the strongest evidence when the text layer is still editable.
Want to test an authorized clip?
Open the new dashboard and choose the relevant cleanup tool.
Choose the least destructive workflow
Remove or disable a soft track without touching the image. For hardcoded text, prefer a clean master or project export, then consider localized reconstruction.
Preserve subtitle files, transcripts, speaker labels, and accessibility cues before any change.
Avoid common misdiagnoses
Player controls, platform captions, and browser overlays are not part of the downloaded video. A bitmap subtitle track may look like image text but can still be selectable.
Test the actual file that will be edited; a streamed version and a downloaded version may use different caption methods.
Document the finished edit
Keep the untouched source, the mask or decision notes, and the approved export together. Record why the edit was authorized, which time ranges changed, and which source-first options were checked. For this page, the intended task is: Informational diagnostic: determine whether subtitles require track removal or pixel reconstruction.
Before delivery, verify duration, aspect ratio, audio sync, and every repaired boundary in the actual viewing environment. Note that Wipe AI accepts MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, and MKV, then exports H.264 MP4 up to 1080p. It processes one video at a time, results depend on motion and background complexity, and the output may be re-encoded.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The container name does not prove that visible text is burned in.
If text remains with all tracks off, it is probably hardcoded; verify in another player.
Not necessarily. Bitmap subtitles can exist as selectable tracks.
It may be required for accessibility, localization, or accurate replacement captions.
- Can MP4 contain soft subtitles?
- What if the player lists no track?
- Is a bitmap subtitle always hardcoded?
- Why preserve the transcript?
How the workflow works
Start with the original project when it is available. If reconstruction is needed, use the smallest area and shortest time range that contains the visible element.
What affects quality?
Camera movement, compression, scene cuts, detailed textures and subjects crossing the selected area all affect temporal consistency.
When should you use another method?
A clean re-export, source edit, crop, tracked patch or clean-plate composite may be more accurate depending on the shot.
AI reconstruction creates a plausible replacement from visible context. It does not recover pixels that were never visible in the source.
Frequently asked questions.
Can MP4 contain soft subtitles?
Yes. The container name does not prove that visible text is burned in.
What if the player lists no track?
If text remains with all tracks off, it is probably hardcoded; verify in another player.
Is a bitmap subtitle always hardcoded?
Not necessarily. Bitmap subtitles can exist as selectable tracks.
Why preserve the transcript?
It may be required for accessibility, localization, or accurate replacement captions.