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Auto captions in Premiere Pro with Speech to Text

Premiere Pro makes auto captions in two stages: Speech to Text creates a transcript, then Create captions turns that transcript into timed subtitles. Automatic transcription is included with Premiere. Creating the transcript does not place visible text on the video by itself.

Generate auto captions in four steps

1. Transcribe the sequence. Open Window > Text, go to Transcript, and transcribe if no transcript exists yet. Choose the spoken language and the dialogue audio. Download the language pack if Premiere asks for it.
2. Create the caption track. Go to Captions and select Create captions from transcript. Pick Subtitle for ordinary subtitles, set the line length and timing preferences, and create the captions.
3. Proofread and style. Check names, numbers, and punctuation. Select a caption clip and use Window > Properties to style it; save a Track Style for a consistent appearance.
4. Choose the export. In Export > Captions, burn the text into the video or create a separate caption file. Leaving the option on None produces video without the caption track.

For a slower walkthrough with styling and delivery choices, follow how to add captions in Premiere Pro.

Improve automatic caption accuracy

Use the cleanest dialogue available. If your project separates speech from music, select the dialogue source instead of relying on a busy mix. Choose the correct spoken language, then review words the model may not recognize, such as people's names and product names.

Fixing the transcript before creating captions reduces repeated corrections. Still play through the generated caption track: accurate words can have awkward line breaks or timing after an edit. See how to adjust caption timing.

Why did auto captions produce no visible text?

• The transcript exists but no caption clips appear: create captions from the transcript.
• The caption clips exist but the preview is blank: enable the caption track's eye icon and check the playhead position.
• The preview works but the export is blank: check Export > Captions instead of transcribing again.
• Transcription is unavailable or fails: check the selected audio, language pack, and Speech to Text troubleshooting steps.

The missing-caption checklist separates preview problems from export problems.

Auto captions one word at a time

In current versions, expand Captioning Preferences in the Create Captions dialog and select Layout > Single Word. If your version lacks that option, check its available layouts. The word-by-word caption guide explains the difference between showing one word and highlighting it within a line.

When an animated caption plugin helps

Native captions are a useful choice for subtitles and sidecar files. If you want karaoke highlights, pill backgrounds, bounce animations, and editable graphics from a repeatable preset, consider Captions Gen's animated caption styles. It transcribes locally with Whisper and builds graphics on the Premiere timeline.

Keep a native caption track as well when your delivery needs an SRT file. Graphics are part of the picture, not a substitute for a selectable caption file. Compare the native and graphics workflows before choosing.

References: Adobe's caption workflow and Single Word layout.