How to add captions in Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro has two main ways to add captions: the Captions panel for manual captioning, and Speech to Text for automatic generation. The fastest route depends on whether you want to type captions yourself or let Premiere analyze your audio track and create them. Both methods place captions on your timeline as a separate track, which you can then edit, style, and export.

The manual method takes longer but gives you complete control over timing and wording. The automatic method is faster but requires you to review and correct what the software generates, since it misses context and mishears similar-sounding words. Most editors use automatic captions as a starting point, then fix errors by hand.

Key Takeaways

  • Premiere Pro's Speech to Text feature can generate captions automatically from your audio, but you should review the results for accuracy before finalizing.
  • The Captions panel lets you type captions manually and set their exact timing, useful for dialogue you want to phrase a specific way.
  • Captions live on their own track in your timeline, separate from video and audio, so you can edit them without affecting the footage.
  • You can change caption appearance (font, size, color, background) through the Caption Formatting panel before you export.
  • Exporting captions requires choosing a format like SRT or CEA 608 depending on where the video will be used.

Using Speech to Text for automatic captions

Open your sequence in Premiere Pro and make sure the audio track you want to caption is visible. Go to File > Captions > Speech to Text. Premiere will scan the audio and create a new captions track below your video. The process can take several minutes depending on the length of your footage.

Once the captions appear on your timeline, click into the captions track to review them. Premiere displays the text in the Captions panel on the right side of your screen. Read through the entire sequence and look for words that are wrong or out of sync with the audio. Common mistakes include mishearing names, technical terms, or words that sound similar (like "their" vs. "there"). Click on any caption to select it, then type the correction directly into the Captions panel.

If a caption is out of sync with the audio, you can drag it left or right on the timeline to adjust its timing. Double-click the caption to open timing controls where you can set the exact frame where it starts and stops. This is especially useful if Premiere split a sentence across two captions in an awkward place.

Adding captions manually with the Captions panel

If you prefer to type captions yourself or need to add captions to footage with no dialogue, open the Captions panel by going to Window > Captions. Make sure you have a captions track on your timeline. If you don't have one, right-click on the track header area and select New Caption Track.

Position your playhead where you want the first caption to start. In the Captions panel, click the plus icon to create a new caption. Type your text into the field that appears. The caption will start at your playhead position and last for a default duration (usually five seconds). To change how long the caption stays on screen, drag the right edge of the caption on the timeline, or use the timing fields in the Captions panel to set exact start and end times.

Continue adding captions by moving your playhead to the next position and clicking the plus icon again. Premiere will automatically place the new caption after the previous one with no gap, so you can adjust timing later if needed. This method is slower than Speech to Text but useful when you need captions for music, sound effects, or when automatic transcription fails.

Editing caption timing and text

Once your captions are on the timeline, you can adjust them in two ways. On the timeline itself, click and drag a caption to move it left or right, or drag its edges to make it longer or shorter. In the Captions panel, select a caption and use the start and end time fields to set exact timing down to the frame.

To change the text of a caption, click on it in the Captions panel and edit the text directly. If you need to split one caption into two or merge two captions into one, you can delete and recreate them, or use the Captions panel to adjust the timing so captions start and stop where you want them. There is no split or merge function, so manual adjustment is the only option.

If you have many captions to fix, the Find and Replace function can help. Go to Edit > Find and Replace and search for a word or phrase that appears in multiple captions. This is useful if Premiere consistently mishears a name or technical term throughout your footage.

Styling captions to match your project

Premiere Pro lets you change how captions look before you export. Select your captions track and open the Caption Formatting panel (go to Window > Caption Formatting if it is not visible). Here you can change the font, size, color, and background of all captions on that track at once.

Common choices are white text on a black background (easiest to read), or black text on a white or semi-transparent background. You can also add a border around the text or change the font to match your project's style. These changes apply to all captions on the track, so if you want different styling for different captions, you will need to create separate caption tracks.

Keep in mind that some caption formats (like CEA 608, used for broadcast television) have limited styling options. If you plan to export to a specific format, check what that format supports before spending time on styling that will not carry over.

Exporting captions from your sequence

When your captions are finished, you can export them as a separate file or embed them in your video. To export captions only, go to File > Export > Media. In the Export Settings window, click the Captions tab and choose your format. Common formats include SRT (SubRip, used for most online video platforms), VTT (WebVTT, used for web video), and CEA 608 (used for broadcast and cable television).

SRT is the most widely compatible format and works with YouTube, Vimeo, and most video players. If you are uploading to a specific platform, check what format it accepts before exporting. Some platforms prefer VTT, while others accept SRT but display it differently.

If you want captions burned into the video itself (so they appear as part of the image rather than as a separate track), you will need to export your sequence as a video file with captions embedded. This is less flexible because viewers cannot turn captions off, but it ensures captions will display the same way on any device. To do this, export your sequence as a video file and make sure the captions track is visible before you export.

Common problems and how to fix them

If Speech to Text produces captions that are badly out of sync with the audio, check whether your audio track has gaps or silence at the beginning. Premiere uses the audio to determine timing, so if the audio does not start at the beginning of your sequence, the captions may be offset. Delete the captions and try again after trimming silence from the start of your audio.

If captions are missing from part of your footage, the audio in that section may be too quiet or too distorted for Premiere to recognize. You can add those captions manually using the Captions panel. If the entire sequence produces no captions, make sure your audio track is selected and unmuted before you run Speech to Text.

If you export captions but they do not appear in your video player, check that you exported them in the correct format for that player. SRT files work with most platforms, but some require VTT or a specific caption format. You may also need to upload the caption file separately rather than embedding it in the video file itself — check your platform's documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Speech to Text on multiple audio tracks at once?

No, Speech to Text works on one audio track at a time. If you have dialogue on multiple tracks, run Speech to Text separately for each track, or mix them into a single track before captioning. You can then separate the captions later if needed.

What languages does Premiere Pro's Speech to Text support?

Speech to Text works with English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Japanese. If your audio is in a different language, you will need to caption manually or use a third-party transcription service and import the captions as an SRT file.

Can I edit captions after I export them?

Yes, if you export as SRT or VTT, you can open the caption file in any text editor and make changes. The file is plain text with timing codes, so you can fix typos or adjust timing before uploading to your video platform. Keep the timing format exactly as it is or the captions will not sync properly.

Do I need to delete captions from my timeline before exporting the video?

No, captions on a separate track will not appear in your exported video unless you explicitly embed them. If you want captions burned into the video, make sure the captions track is visible before you export. If you want captions as a separate file, export them through the Captions tab in Export Settings.

What is the difference between SRT and VTT format?

SRT is simpler and more widely compatible with older video players and platforms. VTT supports more styling options like colors and positioning. For most online use, SRT is sufficient. Use VTT only if your platform specifically requests it or if you need advanced styling that SRT does not support.