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elegant_Glitter7398
Inspiring
June 3, 2025
Question

Caption/Subtitle Cut Editing Issue

  • June 3, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 477 views

I'm editing a video in Premiere Pro using captions created in Vrew. After importing the captions, I'm doing additional cut editing.

I've enabled "Selection Follows Playhead" so that when I press the spacebar to pause during playback, the clip under the playhead gets selected automatically.

However, this behavior doesn't seem to apply to captions—they are not selected when the playhead stops on them. Because of this, I have to manually switch to the Razor Tool (C), cut each caption one by one, and then go back to the Selection Tool (V), which slows down my workflow.

Is there any way to make captions behave like regular video clips in this case? I'd really appreciate any advice or workaround!

1 reply

Stan Jones
Community Expert
Stan JonesCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 4, 2025

@elegant_Glitter7398,

 

I agree that selection follows playhead does NOT select the caption whether targeted or not and whether playing from timeline or caption tab.

 

If you do not need selection follows playhead for other reasons, just turn it off, and with neither video/audio clips nor caption selected, use Ctrl+K to Razor cut.

 

If you need selection follows playhead, assign a keyboard shortcut to "Split caption segment under playhead." I use Ctrl+Alt+Y. This shortcut works in the timeline without regard to whether the caption is selected or targeted. When you stop play, just hit the shortcut (caption is cut at playhead) and then Ctrl+K (V/A is cut).

 

When the playhead is close to the beginning or end of a caption segment, it may cut at another point (probably the default halfway point). But there's other editing needed: when a caption is split, the entire text is in both split segments.

 

Stan

 

 

 

    Stan Jones
    Community Expert
    Stan JonesCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 5, 2025

    Correction to my post:

     

    Related to another thread, I completed some testing and discovered that "Split caption segment under playhead" does not work as I thought it did.

    https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro-ideas/selecting-a-caption-in-the-captions-tab-of-the-text-panel-also-selects-clips-on-the-timeline/idc-p/15357138#M21131

     

    I clarified: "After posting [here], I discovered that even though the shortcut “Split Caption Segment Under Playhead” is an Application level shortcut, it does not “cut” (a la Ctrl+K) but “splits” as it would using the split button in the Captions tab. If the Text panel is closed, this shortcut does not operate at all. If the Text panel is open, it works in the timeline, but does not work in the Captions tab. When selecting a caption in the Captions tab, the playhead is set in the timeline at the first frame of the caption. And the “split” button in the Captions tab, splits the caption in the middle. If the playhead is set in the timeline at any point over the caption, it is still split in the middle. Ctrl+K cuts it at the playhead position. I have recommended using this shortcut for some workflows, but it does not operate as I thought it did."

     

    If you require selection follows playhead, the workaround I suggested still works. Both halves have the full caption text, and you are going to have to edit the text. But you must extend the caption to fit as you wish.

     

    Stan

     

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