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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Make sure your text is white
Start with captions that already sit on your timeline, for example ones you made with the automatic transcription. Check that the text colour is white. The effect depends on it: blend modes react to brightness, so white text gives the strongest result, while dark or coloured text will barely change.
Step 2: Upgrade your captions to graphics
Captions in Premiere Pro are locked, which means you cannot add effects to them. To change that, click the captions in the timeline to select them, then open Graphics and Titles in the top menu bar and choose Upgrade Caption to Graphic.
Premiere now replaces your caption track with pink text layers, one for each caption, on regular video tracks above your footage. These layers can take effects and keyframes like any other graphic, which is exactly what you need.
Step 3: Change the blend mode to Exclusion
Click the first text layer to select it and open Effect Controls. Scroll down to the Opacity section. Open the Blend Mode dropdown, which says Normal, and choose Exclusion.
The white text now inverts the colours of the video underneath it, which gives the see-through, blended look you see on TikTok. You can also try other blend modes from the same list, such as Difference, for a different look. Play with them until you find a style you like.
Step 4: Copy the effect to all the other text layers
You do not have to repeat this for every caption. With the first text layer selected, click the Opacity effect name in Effect Controls so it is highlighted, then press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on a Mac) to copy it.
Next, select all the remaining text layers in the timeline. Drag a selection box around them or click them while holding Shift. Then press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac) to paste the effect onto all of them in one go.
Step 5: Play it back and check the result
Press the Spacebar and watch your captions. Every line now has the same blended TikTok look. If a certain word is hard to read on a busy part of the video, select that layer and pick a different blend mode, or move the text to a calmer area of the frame.
Tips
- Keep the font big and bold. Blend modes work best on thick letters, because thin text almost disappears.
- Check light and dark shots. Exclusion looks different on bright and dark backgrounds, so scrub through the whole clip before you export.
- Combine it with animation. Add a typing effect from our typewriter text tutorial for even more movement.
FAQ
Why can't I add effects to my captions in Premiere Pro?
Standard captions are locked to the caption track. Use Graphics and Titles > Upgrade Caption to Graphic to turn them into normal text layers that accept effects.
Which blend mode is best for TikTok text?
The video uses Exclusion, which blends white text into the picture. Difference and Overlay are good alternatives if you want another style.
Does the effect work with coloured text?
It works best with white text. Coloured text combines with the footage in unpredictable ways, so for a clean result keep the text white.
Want even more caption styles? Browse the Ultimate Text Preset Pack for ready-made text animations that work in any project.
