Issue with Importing Subtitle Files in Newer Versions of Premiere Pro

​@kumar_1908,

Let’s first assume that you have a clip with srt that matches it - the clip source time code is what the srt uses. Before importing the srt, add the clip to a sequence and go to the Text panel/Captions tab. Click “Import captions from file” and select the srt. 

In the popup, pick Source Timecode. If the srt does not match the clip timecode, set the playhead to the timecode of the first subtitle, and pick Playhead position. This should handle the sync for you. In case you don’t have a method, remember that the srt uses millseconds, not frames. So, for example, if the first srt timecode is 00:00:01,201, you must convert the millseconds to frames. If the clip is 29.97, that is 29.97 * (210 /1000) = 6.2937. My tests suggest that PR drops the decimal, so time 00:00:01;06. (I exported my test srt from PR. It was a constant frame rate 29.97df clip, and the first time code of 1;06 would be (6/29.97) * 1000 = 200.200. The it created the first srt at 200 milliseconds. In a variable framerate sample, when I bring the srt back to PR, the srt starts 1 frame early.)

If your clip/sequence in PR does not match the srt, then yes, you must sync them up. I set the playhead to the position of the first subtitle, select all the subtitles on the caption track, then drag till it snaps on the playhead. You can use track forward select for that.

If there is any drift in the srt compared to the actual clip, that is another issue…. And getting the starting timecode matched up does not fix it. Post back if that is also an issue.

Importing srts to the project, and then adding them to a sequence, can create confusion. They do NOT have a framerate in PR, but they will show 30fps in the project panel. Ignore this.

Stan

Hi kumar_1908,

Welcome to the community! Have you tried using the Track Select Forward Tool to select all the clips on the subtitle track & then moving the selection to sync with the timeline? 

Thanks,
Sumeet

​@kumar_1908,

Newer vs previous as in pre-2021 when the new caption workflow was introduced? Previously, captions were a video tracks item. Now they are a special type of track, and they come come in as individual captions in a track. But you can select all and sync up.

If that is not it, what type of subtitle file, what version of PR, and how are you importing?

Stan

Continue in your first thread: Issue with Importing Subtitle Files in Newer Versions of Premiere Pro | Community

Dear Adobe Support Team,

I am facing a major issue while importing subtitle files into the Premiere Pro timeline in the newer versions.

In the previous versions of Premiere Pro, when I imported a subtitle file, it appeared as a single file/track on the timeline. This made it very easy to sync the subtitles with the entire video timeline.

However, in the newer versions, the same subtitle file is being split into multiple subtitle clips on the timeline. Because of this, syncing the subtitles with the full timeline has become extremely difficult and time-consuming. It is almost impossible to move or adjust all the subtitle parts together smoothly.

This change has reduced usability and accessibility compared to the previous versions. The earlier workflow was much better and more practical for editors. I would like to understand why this change was implemented, as it feels like the testing or product team may not have considered real user workflow properly.

Please confirm whether this is a bug, a changed feature, or a setting that can be adjusted. Also, kindly let me know if there is a way to import subtitle files as a single track or single timeline item, like in the older versions of Premiere Pro.

I request Adobe to review this issue seriously and restore or provide an option for the previous subtitle import behavior, as the current method is creating major workflow problems.

Thank you.