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Import and export SRT files in Premiere Pro

Import: File > Import the .srt, then drag it from the Project panel onto the timeline; Premiere builds a caption track from it. Export: in the export dialog's Captions tab, choose Create Sidecar File and pick SRT.

Importing

Premiere accepts .srt, .vtt, .scc, .mcc and a few others. After import the file sits in the Project panel like a clip. Drop it on the timeline above your video and it becomes a caption track using the Subtitle format.

Fixing an offset

If the imported captions are early or late by a constant amount, select all captions on the track and drag them together. If the drift grows over time, the .srt was made for a different frame rate or a trimmed version of the video; re-export it from the source or re-transcribe in Premiere.

Styling an imported .srt

Same as any caption track: style one caption in Properties and save it as a Track Style.

Exporting an .srt

Open the export dialog, go to Captions, choose Create Sidecar File, and set the format to SRT. The file lands next to the video. Upload it to YouTube under Subtitles, or hand it to a translator.

SRT and animated captions

SRT stores caption text and time ranges, including single-word entries when authored that way. It does not store graphic animation. Keep a native caption track as well when you need both animated graphics and a separate caption file.