YouTube Chapters & Timestamp Generator
Paste notes or editor markers, get a chapter list YouTube accepts.
Paste notes or open a file. It is read on this device.
For your description
YouTube’s chapter rules
Rules from YouTube Help — Video Chapters.
Chapters
| # | Starts | Title | Length |
|---|
About the YouTube Chapters & Timestamp Generator
Paste your chapter notes — or the markers exported from your editor — and get a list ready for the video description: 00:00 Intro, 01:15 Prep the vegetables… The generator reads typed lists in almost any layout (timestamps at the start or end, in brackets, after list numbers), Audacity label files, DaVinci Resolve “Timeline Markers to EDL” exports, Premiere Pro marker CSVs and WebVTT or SRT chapter files.
Times are normalised (m:ss, h:mm:ss, editor timecodes), sorted and rounded to whole seconds; you can shift every time by an offset after trimming the start of the video, subtract a 01:00:00:00 timeline start, and add a 00:00 chapter if it is missing. The list is then checked against the rules in YouTube’s help: the first timestamp starts with 00:00, there are at least three timestamps in ascending order, and every chapter is at least 10 seconds long.
How to use it
- Paste your notes or marker export into the box, or open the file (.txt, .edl, .csv or .vtt). The format is detected for you.
- If you trimmed the start of the video, enter the shift — for example
-0:15moves every chapter 15 seconds earlier. - For editor exports, keep Timeline starts at 01:00:00:00 ticked if your timeline starts at one hour (common in DaVinci Resolve and broadcast work).
- Enter the video length to check the last chapter too, and read the checks: each rule shows a pass, a problem or what is missing.
- Copy the list and paste it into your video description.
Examples
Chapters: 0:00 Intro [1:15] - Prep the vegetables 1. Cook & serve — 4:02 - Taste test (6:30)
00:00 Intro 01:15 Prep the vegetables 04:02 Cook & serve 06:30 Taste test
Brackets, dashes, list numbers and timestamps at the end of a line are all understood; the “Chapters:” heading is skipped.
001 001 V C 01:01:15:12 01:01:15:13 01:01:15:12 01:01:15:13 |C:ResolveColorBlue |M:Prep the vegetables |D:1
01:15 Prep the vegetables
The record-in timecode is the marker’s place on the timeline. With the 01:00:00:00 timeline start subtracted, 01:01:15:12 becomes 01:15 (frames are dropped).
0:00 Cold open 0:10 Intro 0:40 Main part 5:00 Outro (shift: -0:15)
00:00 Intro 00:25 Main part 04:45 Outro
The cold open was cut entirely, so it is removed; the intro now starts the video at 00:00.
Common uses
- Writing chapters for a tutorial, podcast or long-form video description.
- Turning editor markers into chapters without retyping every time.
- Fixing chapters that do not show on YouTube by finding the rule they break.
- Moving every timestamp after re-editing or trimming the start of a video.
YouTube’s chapter rules
YouTube’s Video Chapters help page lists the requirements for chapters added in the description:
- The first timestamp starts with 00:00.
- There are at least three timestamps, in ascending order.
- Every chapter is at least 10 seconds long.
The same page says chapters may not be available if the channel has active strikes or the video may be inappropriate for some viewers, and that chapters you add override automatic chapters. Descriptions are limited to 5,000 characters (YouTube Help), so a very long chapter list leaves less room for the rest.
Editor exports it reads
- DaVinci Resolve: Timelines → Export → Timeline Markers to EDL. Each marker is a one-frame event followed by a line such as
|C:ResolveColorBlue |M:Intro |D:1; the marker name becomes the chapter title. - Premiere Pro: markers exported as a CSV file — tab-separated, starting with Marker Name, Description, In, Out. The marker name is used, or the description when the name is empty.
- Audacity: File → Export Other → Export Labels. Each line is start time, end time and label, separated by tabs; lines starting with a backslash (the extended format’s frequency ranges) are ignored.
- WebVTT and SRT: cues such as
00:01:30.000 --> 00:05:00.000(SRT writes00:01:30,000) followed by the title; the start of each cue becomes a chapter, so use a chapters file rather than full subtitles. - Typed lists: one chapter per line, with the time at the start (
0:00 Intro,[0:00] Intro,0:00 - 1:30 Intro) or at the end (Intro 0:00,Intro (0:00)). Times can bem:ss,h:mm:ss, with decimals, or like1h2m3s.
Timecodes and timeline starts
Editors label time as hours:minutes:seconds:frames, and many timelines start at 01:00:00:00 rather than zero (common in DaVinci Resolve and broadcast work), so a marker 1 minute 15 seconds into the video reads 01:01:15:00. When every marker is past the one-hour mark, the generator offers to subtract it. Frames are always below one second and YouTube timestamps are whole seconds, so frames are dropped. Non-drop-frame timecode at 23.976, 29.97 or 59.94 fps runs 0.1% slower than the clock (about 3.6 seconds per hour); tick the correction for long videos edited at those rates.
Limitations
- The rules checked are the ones YouTube documents; YouTube can still decide not to show chapters (for example on channels with active strikes).
- Times are rounded down to whole seconds, as YouTube timestamps are.
- Only the Resolve, Premiere, Audacity, WebVTT and SRT layouts described above are read as editor files; anything else is read as a typed list.
- The last chapter can only be checked against the 10-second rule when you enter the video length.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my YouTube chapters not showing?
Check the three rules YouTube lists: the first timestamp must be 00:00, there must be at least three timestamps in ascending order, and every chapter must be at least 10 seconds long — the checks show which one fails. YouTube also says chapters may not be available on channels with active strikes or for content that may be inappropriate for some viewers.
Should I write 0:00 or 00:00?
YouTube’s help page says the first timestamp starts with 00:00, so the generator writes 00:00 by default. The shorter 0:00 style is offered under Time format, but YouTube’s page does not mention it — if your chapters do not appear, switch back to 00:00. Every line uses the same style.
How do I export markers from DaVinci Resolve?
Use Timelines → Export → Timeline Markers to EDL to save the markers as an .edl file, then open it here. The marker names become the chapter titles.
Can I shift all timestamps at once?
Yes. Enter a shift such as -0:15 (15 seconds earlier) or +1:00 (a minute later). Chapters pushed before 0:00 are handled for you: the one that was cut in half starts at 00:00 and any that were cut entirely are removed.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Files are read in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. The page also works offline once it has loaded.