Starting Your First Project: A Guide to the Stra.ai Dashboard
Starting Your First Project: A Guide to the Stra.ai Dashboard
The first time you open Stra.ai, everything you need is already in front of you. There is no complicated onboarding flow, no lengthy setup wizard. This guide walks you through the dashboard step by step so you can go from zero to a processing project in under five minutes
What you will see when you log in
When you land on the Stra.ai dashboard after you click the “Try for free” button, the top left navigation gives you the two core tools right away: AI Dubbing and AI Subtitles. These are your two starting points for every project.
Everything else on the dashboard (your project history and account settings ) lives around those two entry points. Before you click anything, take 30 seconds to get oriented.
Not sure which tool to pick? There is a full breakdown in the comparison guide.
Step 1 — Choose your tool from the left sidebar
Click either AI Subtitles or AI Dubbing in the left sidebar. This selection determines which type of project the Create button will open. You can switch between them at any time.
If you are a first-time user and genuinely unsure which one fits your project, the short answer is: pick AI Subtitles if you want a translated caption file, pick AI Dubbing if you want a new voiceover track. The comparison guide goes deeper if you need it.
Step 2 — Hit Create and upload your video
Once you have selected your tool from the left sidebar, click the Create button in the upper right corner. A project setup popup will open.
The popup looks slightly different depending on which tool you chose.
If you chose AI Subtitles, you will see: file upload (drag and drop or browse), source language, target language, optional SRT file upload for original and translated subtitles, translation prompt with style presets, and a live credit estimate on the right.
If you chose AI Dubbing, you will see all of the above plus three extra options: a YouTube URL input field alongside the file upload, an audio separation toggle, a voice model selector, and a "generate translation first" toggle which runs the full translation and outputs subtitles only, skipping voice generation entirely. Useful if you want to review and edit the script before committing to a full dub.
Step 3 — Configure your settings
Regardless of which tool you are using, these core fields work the same way:
Source language is the spoken language in your original video. Use Auto Detect if you are not sure.
Target language is the language you want to translate into. Stra.ai supports 30+ languages.
Translation prompt is optional but worth using if tone and style matter for your content. Choose from the built-in presets ( Live Sports Commentary, Casual Drama/Show Style, Formal News Report, Teen/Gen Z Style, Child Friendly , or write your own custom prompt.)
If you are using AI Dubbing and want to localize a YouTube video, paste the URL directly into the YouTube input field instead of uploading a file.
Step 4 — Check your credits before you confirm
On the right side of the popup you will see a live credit estimate before you commit to anything. This shows the cost of the project and your remaining balance. Subtitles cost 20 credits per minute of video — roughly 1,200 credits per hour. Review this before clicking Create. If your balance is too low the project will not complete.
Step 5 — Open your project
When processing is complete, your project appears in the project list on the dashboard. Click it to open the editor.
If you are working with AI Subtitles, your next stop is the subtitle editor guide.
If you are working with AI Dubbing, your next stop is the dubbing editor guide.
What to do next
Full subtitle editing workflow → AI Subtitles Overview
Full dubbing workflow → AI Dubbing Overview
Better translation quality → The Power of Custom Prompts
Video won't upload → Common Upload Errors
→ Continue here: Choosing Your Path — AI Dubbing vs. AI Subtitles
