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Cre8 Studios LLC
Participant
October 2, 2024
Question

Embed date/time stamp on video?

  • October 2, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 955 views

I shoot legal videos that need the accurate date/time burned into the footage. Is there a way to do this in PP? I'm not talking about timecode. I need running date/time stamp!

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2 replies

Participating Frequently
October 2, 2024

While this isn't a one-click option in Premiere, the following may be a good workaround for you.
Step 1: For your video capture, before you record, set your camera to free-run, time-of-day timecode & sync it up with a clock (that is, if it is 10AM set your camera to 10:00:00:00, if it is 2PM - 14:00:00:00). That way, the timecode in your clips will accurately reflect when it was recorded in 24-hour time.
Step 2: Import your footage into Premiere, and manually enter the date of recording into the "Description" field in your project bin.
Step 3: Add an adjustment layer on top of your footage in the timeline. Apply the "Metadata & Timecode Burn-in" effect. Set "Line 1" to display Source Timecode. That is your accurate "24-hour" time. Set "Line 2" to display Description. This will display the date you have manually entered into the Description box in your bin. Make sure both lines have Source Track set to Top Clip (that is the default behavior).

 


Legally, I don't know if that is an acceptable solution, since it can absolutely be faked. If you need the metadata indellibly burned-in to the footage you will have to do so at the source -- most if not all cameras have an option to burn-in metadata (date & time) such that it cannot be removed.

Good luck!

Community Expert
October 2, 2024

I'm sorry to say that this is not a feature available in Premiere. IThe date/time stamp is usually recorded with the hardware that shot the video.