LinkedIn auto captions
Free and built in, in 10 languages. Review them before you post: names and product words are often wrong. On a scheduled post you can only review them after it goes live.
Takes LinkedIn video
LinkedIn video specs, and how to make one.
The numbers come from LinkedIn's own help pages. Then the part the specs leave out: which ratio to pick, how to add captions, and a routine that takes you from a script to a posted video on a Mac.
3 s – 15 minlength
up to 5 GBfile size
1:2.4 – 2.4:1any ratio
MP4format
The specs
Every LinkedIn video limit, in one table.
For a normal post from your profile. Ads have their own page. The right column is what Takes gives you, so you can check it fits.
| LinkedIn post | What Takes makes | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3 s to 15 min (2 s minimum from the phone app) | The parts you keep, with the pauses cut |
| File size | 75 KB to 5 GB | A 1–2 minute talking video is far below 5 GB |
| Aspect ratio | Anything from 1:2.4 (tall) to 2.4:1 (wide) | 9:16 framed on your face, or the wide 16:9, or any ratio you ask for |
| Resolution | 256×144 to 4096×2304 | Full size from your camera |
| Frame rate | 10 to 60 fps | Inside the range |
| Bit rate | 192 kbps to 30 Mbps | Inside the range |
| Format | MP4, MOV, AVI, WEBM, MKV, WMV, MPEG and more | MP4 |
| Captions | Auto captions in 10 languages, or an .srt file (desktop) | Burned in, in your style, or an .srt file |
| Thumbnail | Ads: JPG or PNG, up to 2 MB, same ratio as the video | A first frame on your face, and thumbnails if you ask |
Sources: LinkedIn Help, video sharing, auto captions and closed captions; LinkedIn video ad specs for the thumbnail. Checked 8 October 2026.
Vertical or horizontal?
For a face, go tall.
LinkedIn takes any ratio, so the question is what people see. At the same width, a 9:16 video fills more than three times as much of an iPhone screen as a 16:9 one. The LinkedIn phone app also has a full-screen vertical video player, and in 2025 LinkedIn brought vertical video to the web.
The rule: a person talking → 4:5 or 9:16. A screen, a slide or a demo → 16:9. Takes makes the 9:16 version from your take and keeps your face in the frame.
Captions
Three ways to add captions.
LinkedIn can make captions for you, you can upload a caption file, or the captions can be part of the video. Here is what each way does well.
Your own .srt file
Exact words, and viewers can turn them off. You add the file on desktop when you post. Ask Takes for one and it writes the .srt from the words of the final cut.
Burned into the video
Always on, in your font and colors, and they work on every app you post to. You cannot turn them off. This is what Takes does by default.
How to make one
From a script to a posted video, in one app.
This is the real Takes app. You write, you read, you ask. Takes does the cutting, the captions, the 9:16 version and the post draft.
- Write the scriptOr ask Takes to draft it from an idea, with a sketch for each shot.
- Record with the prompterThe teleprompter scrolls with your voice. Star the take you keep.
- Ask for the cut"Cut my keeper into a vertical short. Keep it tight, no silences."
- Check itLeave a note on the frame if something is off. Takes fixes it and saves a new version.
- Post itThe LinkedIn post draft shows as it will look in the feed. Upload the MP4 and paste the text.
3:18raw take
8 minto the first cut
1:24first cut
0timeline drags
Marvin's LinkedIn video from October 1, 2026. The full story, step by step.
Before you post
A one-minute check.
Ready to post?LinkedIn video
- 4:5 or 9:16 for a faceratio
- Between 3 s and 15 minlength
- Captions onburned in or .srt
- First frame: your face + the topicthumbnail
- MP4, under 5 GBfile
- A first line that makes people stoppost text
Postupload the MP4, paste the text
LinkedIn says video is growing: uploads were up 36% and video views up 36% on the year before, it told TechCrunch in February 2025. More video also means more to scroll past, so the first second and the first line of the post do most of the work.
Takes writes the post next to the video, with a few opening lines to pick from, and shows it as it will look in the feed.
Get started
One line in Terminal.
It installs Takes, ffmpeg and Claude Code, signs you in and opens the app. No Docker, no build. Run it again to update.
NeedsApple silicon, macOS 15+, and a paid Claude plan (Pro or Max) for the AI parts.
Rather click?Download the .dmg, then click Finish setup in the sidebar.
Free and openMIT licensed. Read the code on GitHub.
Questions
LinkedIn video questions.
What size should a LinkedIn video be?
LinkedIn accepts 256×144 up to 4096×2304 pixels, 75 KB up to 5 GB. For a talking-head post, 1080×1350 (4:5) or 1080×1920 (9:16) is a good size: sharp on a phone and far below the limits.
What is the best aspect ratio for a LinkedIn video?
LinkedIn takes any ratio from 1:2.4 to 2.4:1. Pick 4:5 or 9:16 for a person talking: on a phone, the video fills more of the screen. Pick 16:9 for a screen recording or a slide, where the content is wide.
How long can a LinkedIn video be?
From 3 seconds (2 seconds from the mobile app) up to 15 minutes, says LinkedIn's help page. Ads have other limits.
How long should a LinkedIn video be?
LinkedIn gives no best length. Make it as long as the idea needs and cut every pause. A talking-head post with one idea is often under 2 minutes: Marvin's real video on this page went from a 3:18 take to a 1:24 first cut.
Should a LinkedIn video be vertical or horizontal?
Vertical (9:16) or 4:5 for a face, because it fills the phone screen and the LinkedIn phone app has a full-screen vertical video player. Horizontal (16:9) for screens and slides.
How do I add captions or subtitles to a LinkedIn video?
Three ways. LinkedIn's auto captions (10 languages, you can review and edit them). An .srt file, which you add on desktop when you post. Or captions burned into the video, which show on every app and cannot be turned off. Takes can do the last two.
Does LinkedIn add captions by itself?
Yes. LinkedIn makes auto captions in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Indonesian, Turkish, Arabic and Dutch. You can add them at once or review them first. On a scheduled post you can review them only after it goes live.
What file format does LinkedIn want?
MP4 is the safe pick. LinkedIn also takes MOV, AVI, WEBM, MKV, WMV and MPEG files, at 10 to 60 frames a second.
What size is a LinkedIn video thumbnail?
LinkedIn's ad specs ask for a JPG or PNG, up to 2 MB, in the same ratio as the video. That is a good rule for posts too. Many viewers only see the first frame, so start on your face, with the topic in a few words.
How do I make a LinkedIn video on a Mac?
With Takes for Mac, which is free and open source: write the script, read it off a teleprompter that follows your voice, ask Takes for the cut, captions and the 9:16 version, and get the LinkedIn post draft next to it. Then upload the MP4 to LinkedIn.
Who wrote this page?
The maker of Takes, so read it with that in mind. Every LinkedIn number comes from LinkedIn's own help and ad pages, checked on 8 October 2026.
More about Takes
One app, from script to post.
Takes homeStoryboard, record, edit and post, in one app.
Vertical video9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, on a Mac.
TeleprompterRead your script while the camera records.
Edit videos with Claude CodeStep by step, with a real video and the commands.
CapCut alternativeFree for Mac, no watermark, no upload.
Descript alternativeEdit by text or by asking, side by side.