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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Understand why captions will not take effects
When you generate captions with the Text panel or import a subtitle file, they land on their own caption track at the top of the timeline. A caption track is a special type of track. You can edit the text and the timing, but you cannot drop an effect or a preset onto a caption clip. That is why animation seems impossible at first.
The workaround is to convert the captions into graphics. Once they are graphics, they behave like any other text layer in your timeline.
Step 2: Select all of the captions in the timeline
Click the first caption on the caption track, then hold Shift and click the last one. You can also drag a selection box around the whole track. The easiest way is to click once on any caption and press Ctrl+A (Cmd+A on Mac) while the timeline is active, but then you also select your other clips, so check that only the captions are highlighted. In the screenshot they turn orange once selected.
Step 3: Upgrade the captions to graphics
With the captions selected, open the Graphics and Titles menu at the top of the screen and click Upgrade Caption to Graphic. Premiere converts the whole caption track in one go.
You will notice two things. The captions change colour in the timeline, and a new row of graphic clips appears on a video track above your footage. These pink clips are your subtitles, and each one is now a normal graphic layer. The original caption track stays in place, so you can hide it or delete it if you do not need it.
Step 4: Apply a preset or effect to all of them
Select all of the new graphic layers at once, the same way as before. Then apply any preset or effect from the Effects panel by dragging it onto the selection. Because every clip is selected, the animation lands on every subtitle in one move. The video uses a pop-in style preset, but a fade, a slide, a blur or a bounce will all work.
Faster with BetterFX: skip the Effects panel. Press your BetterFX shortcut, type the first letters of Gaussian Blur and press Enter to apply it to the selected clip. Get BetterFX
Play it back to check the timing. Each subtitle now pops in on its own, and that is the entire effect. If you want a different style, you can change the font, size and colour of the graphic layers in the Essential Graphics panel.
Tips
- Do the conversion last. Once captions are graphics, editing the wording is slower, so finish your spelling and timing before you upgrade them.
- Keep the original track. Leave the caption track in the project, muted or hidden, in case you need to export subtitles later.
- Combine with text effects. Subtitles that type on look great too, see our typewriter text effect tutorial.
FAQ
Why can't I add effects to captions in Premiere Pro?
Captions live on a special caption track that does not accept effects or presets. Convert them with Graphics and Titles > Upgrade Caption to Graphic and they become normal graphic clips.
Can I animate all my subtitles at once?
Yes. After upgrading the captions, select every graphic layer and drag a preset or effect onto the selection. It is applied to each clip at the same time.
Can I undo Upgrade Caption to Graphic?
You can press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) straight after the upgrade. This is also why it helps to keep a copy of your caption track or your project before you convert.
Want ready-made animations for your subtitles? Grab the Ultimate Text Preset Pack and drag a style straight onto your graphic layers.
