Quick Start

From download to first subtitles in under two minutes.

1. Complete the setup wizard

First launch opens a setup wizard:

• Step 1 · Transcription engine: SenseVoice is preselected (bundled and ready — just click Next). Switch to Whisper if you need 99 languages or word-level timestamps, then pick a tier to download.
• Step 2 · AI model: download the Qwen3 translation model; the wizard recommends a tier by RAM (8 GB → 4B, 16 GB → 8B, 32 GB → 14B). You can skip and download later in Settings.

2. Drop in a video

Drag a video or audio file into the window (or use the import button). Transcription starts immediately — subtitles stream in while it runs, so you can start watching right away.

Drop multiple files at once and Subcast runs them as a batch: it finishes transcription and core subtitle output across the batch first, so you can inspect individual videos sooner; translation, summaries and other enhancements continue afterward.

URL import works too: paste a link and the local yt-dlp sidecar fetches it.

3. Translate / summarize

• Translate: pick a target language in the player; the local Qwen3 model translates, then you can switch between original / translated / bilingual subtitles instantly;
• Summarize: one-click AI summary with clickable chapter markers.

4. Export

Export mono-lingual or bilingual subtitles as VTT / SRT / TXT in one click.