Working With Closed Captions and Transcriptions in Premiere: A Beginner's Guide

Want to make your content more accessible? We're going to show you how to add captions and transcriptions in Premiere.

Is there anything more glamorous than the look of professional-quality, daytime TV-style closed captioning? How do the big dogs even do it?

If you, too, would like your audience to feel as though they're watching your project over the din of a crowded Podunk sports bar, Premiere has several tools that you can use. Adding captions and even creating a speech-to-text transcription takes little effort.

How to Add Captions in Premiere

For shorter productions and unscripted work, transcribing your own captions by hand doesn't take much time at all.

To begin, switch over to the Captions workspace from the workspace options above.

In the Text panel, click Create new caption track. You can also use the shortcut [Ctrl + Alt + A] or [Opt + Cmd + A].

Choose a track Format and Style. Hit OK.

Back in the Timeline panel, you'll see a new track above what's already there.

Now, add some footage. Line the playhead up with the waveform of somebody speaking.

In the Text panel, hit the plus icon to create a new caption, or use the shortcut [Ctrl + Alt + C] or [Opt + Cmd + C].

Double-click into the text field provided and transcribe what's being said.

Continue adding lines until the entire sequence has been captioned.

As you add each new caption, you can trim it in the Timeline panel, keeping it on-screen for just the right amount of time.

Changing the look of your closed captioning is easy—you can create new styles for your subtitles or choose from many professional-looking templates using the Essential Graphics panel.

How to Export Captions in Premiere

Aside from simply burning them into your final peel-out, you're also able to export your captions as a separate sidecar file when you render the entire project.

You'll be given the option when you Export your project. Scroll down in Premiere's Export Settings until you reach the tabbed menu that includes all of your Caption settings.

You can choose a closed captions burn-in, the aforementioned sidecar file, or simply leave your captions behind on the cutting room floor.

As far as sidecar file types are concerned, Premiere will assign you one of several appropriate companion options:

• For regular subtitles: SRT or STL
• For OP47, EBU subtitles, or Teletext: XML, STL, or SRT
• For CEA-608: SCC, MCC, STL, or SRT
• For CEA-708: SCC, MCC, or SRT

The Embedded option may be tempting, but it is forbidden unless you happen to be working for your local television broadcast station. One day...

How to Import Captions in Premiere

Another option in the Text panel is to import captions from an external file. Anything that you export using the above method can be brought into another project, just like you've created them the first time.

We're going to create a new project and import the captions that we've just created. To begin, click on the Import captions from file button in the Text panel. Find your closed captions in the destination folder. Select the file that you need and hit Open.

You'll once again be asked to specify the Caption Format that you prefer. You can choose a Style and your desired Start Point as well. Hit OK.

There they are, pristine and just as we remember them. Sometimes, it really is too easy.

How to Use Transcriptions in Premiere: Speech-to-Text

You also have the ability to auto-transcribe your sequence, all without typing a single word. Premiere is able to analyze the audio in your Timeline and come up with captions automatically, saving you the hassle.

Is this speech-to-text feature legit? We wanted to give it a try, just to see if it actually works.

To take advantage of this intriguing feature, hit the Transcribe sequence button in the Text panel.

You'll be given a chance to modify a few settings before the process begins.

This takes a few moments. The anticipation is palpable.

Here, you can see that Premiere's auto-transcription has successfully transcribed this Dove commercial that was playing on YouTube when this video was shot.

This is a muddy, low-quality DSLR audio bed, so the fact that this speech-to-text tool was sophisticated enough to break through the garble is honestly sort of impressive. If your own project was produced with even a modicum of dignity, this feature might be one to remember for later on.

Why Add Captions to Your Project?

There are plenty of reasons to include captions and subtitles in a video project, especially if you plan on eventually exhibiting your work. Let's have a look at some of them:

• Captions provide an accessibility consideration to those who are hard of hearing.
• Captions make it so that people can watch what you've made without the sound on. Potential viewers are much less likely to scroll past you on YouTube if they get a glimpse of what you have to say via closed captions in the thumbnail.
• Subtitles translate your work into other languages, enabling a broader audience to enjoy what you've created.
• The transcription of your work is indexed and Google-able SEO fodder. This is especially the case when you share your work on sites like Instagram and YouTube. Including your transcript is better than relying on caption-bots to do the work for you, and you'll be sure that they aren't getting anything wrong.

Aside from the reasons listed here, it should go without saying that you should always ensure what's being communicated throughout the course of your project is clear and easy to understand, no matter what type of video you're creating.

Closed Captions in Premiere: Show, Don't Tell

In our new world of remote work and teleconferencing, the precision of thought is vital—in fact, many services outside of media production have pushed out captioning services in light of this necessity, Zoom most certainly included.

Laying it all out on-screen makes each idea being expressed explicitly clear. Premiere is one great tool to use if you would like to provide this service for your own viewership.

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