Version captions and video exports together so corrections stay attached

A corrected subtitle file is useful only if the receiving workflow knows which video it belongs to. Similar names and a last-modified date are weak substitutes for a deliberate version relationship.

Make the decision explicit

Assign a stable identity to the accepted video output and a separate revision to the captions. Store the association when a caption version is reviewed. If the picture or audio changes, check whether prior timings still apply. Keep earlier accepted versions instead of rewriting their evidence to point at whatever is current.

A worked example

For a fictional handoff, video A lasts four minutes and captions A2 correct one spelling error. Later, video B adds a six-second introduction. Captions A2 are still a valid correction for video A, but not automatically for B. The package should say video A plus captions A2, or a newly reviewed pairing for B, rather than simply latest.mp4 and latest.srt.

Review before handoff

Inspect opening, middle and final cues on the delivered pair. A timing summary can show suspicious gaps or an unexpected final caption time, but cannot determine the actual video duration. Record the version relationship and a digest where appropriate. Versioning does not judge the language; it prevents a known correction from being attached to the wrong artifact.

Put the idea to work

Read render manifest and use the related free workflow tool for its stated, limited task. Neither link replaces the review described above.

Reference and editorial notes

• W3C: WebVTT

References checked October 29, 2026. Numerical and fictional scenarios are illustrative unless explicitly identified otherwise. The cover is an original Topicut explanatory diagram, not a product screenshot or a measurement.