Closed captions in Premiere Pro

Closed captions in Premiere Pro are created the same way as subtitles, with the format set to CEA-608 or CEA-708 in the Create captions dialog. The difference is what happens after: styling is limited to what the standard allows, and export embeds the captions as data or writes a sidecar file.

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608 or 708?

CEA-608 is the older standard with basic styling and channel limits. CEA-708 is the modern digital standard with more styling options and multiple services. If your delivery spec doesn't say, 708 is the safer default; many deliverables ask for both.

Creating them

Transcribe the sequence, click Create captions, choose the closed caption format, and set the line length the spec requires (32 characters is the common 608 limit). Premiere enforces the standard's rules as you edit, so a line that is too long gets flagged.

Styling limits

You can set position, a small set of colors, and background boxes. You cannot use custom fonts. That's by design; the viewer's device renders the captions with its own font.

Exporting

In the export dialog's Captions tab, choose Create Sidecar File (.scc for 608, .mcc or .xml for 708 depending on the spec) or embed the captions in the video stream where the format allows it. Burn-in is available too, but it defeats the point of closed captions.

Checking your output

Import the exported file back into a new Premiere project and enable CC in the Program Monitor. If captions show, the file is valid.