SRT vs LRC: Which Lyric File Format Should You Use?

Published: 2026-09-30

Timed lyrics come in two common formats: SRT, the classic video subtitle format, and LRC, the lyric format used by music players and karaoke apps. Both work for lyric videos, but they store timing differently. Here is how they compare and when to use each.

The LRC format

LRC files put a timestamp in square brackets in front of each lyric line:

[ti:Topaz Summer Sky]
[ar:Artist Name]
[00:12.40]Under the summer sky we ran
[00:16.05]Chasing the light until the end
[00:19.90]

• The time is [minutes:seconds.hundredths].
• There is only a start time. A line stays until the next timestamp. An empty timestamped line is used to clear the screen.
• Optional header tags such as [ti:] (title), [ar:] (artist) and [offset:] carry metadata.
• An "enhanced" LRC variant adds per-word timestamps like <00:12.80> for karaoke-style highlighting. LyricsFlow MVMaker uses line timestamps, so remove per-word tags before loading such a file.

The SRT format

1
00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,900
Under the summer sky we ran

• Each block has a start and an end time with millisecond precision.
• Gaps between lines are explicit: the screen is empty between one block's end and the next block's start.
• Blocks may overlap, which allows two lines at once.

Side-by-side comparison

Which one is better for lyric videos?

SRT is usually the better choice for lyric videos because the end time matters: it decides when the exit animation plays and lets you leave deliberate gaps during instrumental parts. It also handles overlapping lines for duets and backing vocals.

LRC is perfectly fine if you already have one — for example from a karaoke app or your music player's lyric library. When LyricsFlow MVMaker loads an LRC file, each line ends where the next line starts, but never stays longer than 6 seconds, so lyrics don't hang on screen through a long instrumental break. The [offset:] tag is applied automatically and metadata tags are ignored. After loading, you can adjust any end time in the Phrase Inspector.

Converting between the two

• LRC → SRT: use each line's timestamp as the start and the next line's timestamp as the end, then shorten lines that precede long pauses. If you only need the video, you can skip conversion entirely and load the LRC directly into LyricsFlow MVMaker.
• SRT → LRC: keep only the start times, convert them to [mm:ss.xx], and insert an empty timestamped line wherever there is a gap.
• Many subtitle editors can open one format and save as the other.

Encoding matters for both

Whichever format you use, save it as UTF-8. Older LRC files from some regions were saved as Shift_JIS, GBK or Big5 and will show broken characters in modern tools. Open them in a text editor that can detect the encoding and re-save as UTF-8.

Want to create a file from scratch? Follow How to make an SRT lyrics file.