Captions font and grammar altering on export

Report · May 14, 2025

Hi there,

I've created some cpations for a film, using the CC 608 option, (as that's what's required). I embed them when exporting.

I import them in to the project and drag on to the timeline and the font and grammar has altered? See attached pics.

They are created using Arial, but display as Monaco font. It has also changed the 3 dots to a white square.

Obviously I just want them to be how they look when I created them.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Phil

Report · May 14, 2025

I wonder if this thread in the AE forum has a similar solution:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/after-effects-discussions/after-effects-font-changes-appearance/td-p/...

Report · May 14, 2025

Delete the Media Cache and Media Cache files:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro/faq-how-to-clear-your-media-cache-in-30-seconds-in-premi...

If that doesn't work, try resetting the preferences:
https://helpx.adobe.com/in/premiere-pro/using/reset-preferences.html

Report · May 14, 2025

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestions, but neither of those (Media Cache and resetting preferences) have solved the issue.

Regards,

Phil

Report · May 14, 2025

Very simply, the 608 encode doesn't support a wide range of fonts. 608 standards were developed for analog TV's so the amount of information that can be stored is limited. Try it again, but use the CEA-708 standard instead. 708 allows a wider range of fonts, colors, positions, etc.

Report · May 14, 2025

@MWS Media,

Closed caption 608 do NOT specify any font. The font to be used is determined by the end user's settings. Notice in PR Properties panel that it is called "Display font," meaning the font it will display in PR, not what the viewer options or choice will be. Try using a monospace font like Courier instead, so you see more what the user will see.

It is true that 708 captions allow for a wider range of formatting, but if you are required to provide 608 captions that is not an option. A common option now is 608 + 708.

The white block is probably a unicode character for ellipsis, but I have no idea why this conversion occurred. What type of file are you embedding in?

Stan

Report · May 14, 2025

Hi there,

Thanks for responding.

So I think I got that the display font comes down to the user settings, as such. But I can't understand then why importing the clip back in to the project is switching the font to something else?

I, the user, have not set the display settings to be Monaco, so that bit is definitely confusing me. I then opened the clip in a different computer running Premiere and it was exactly the same.

I even retyped the captions out fresh using arial font, still the same.

I've tried 607, 708, both embedding as scc and srt files and they all produced the dsame results - the font displays in Monaco.

The client requires .scc files for subtitles, hence why I need to use 608 (which I only found out through googling).

I've never really done captions before so I'm amazed it's this complicated and confusing!

I will try again this morning using Courier and see if that makes a difference.

Regards,

Phil

Report · May 15, 2025

@MWS Media,

I can't explain it. When I exported .scc and imported as 608, it set the display as Lucida Condensed. I thought it might be the preference for missing font or something, but that is not it.

The main point is that it doesn't matter: it will appear for the client as their default for 608.

Of course, that's assuming they know what they need.

> I've never really done captions before so I'm amazed it's this complicated and confusing!

Yes very confusing!

Stan

Report · May 15, 2025

Ok, thanks for your help anyway mate. Fingers crossed it all just works out when the client receives it then...

Report · May 15, 2025

This morning I found a video of someone on YT explaining how to do captioons using 608. And he was creating them for broadcast, so basically exactly what I need. And although I was doing them correctly already, his video did show that when he imported them back in to the project, it displayed incorrectly - and he didn't even mention it. So hopefully it's not an issue at all.

Just seems odd that PP displays them in a way that isn't how they were created. I don't write software code, but if I did that's not how I'd have it work lol

Report · May 15, 2025

@MWS Media,

Let us know how this works out.

> Just seems odd that PP displays them in a way that isn't how they were created.

True. Here I suspect it is because there is nothing saving that information in the file, so there's nothing to read it back. It is obviously possible if it coming back into the same project.

Then sometimes there are oddities that do matter, and that is truly frustrating.

Stan

Report · May 30, 2025

Im having the same issue. Is there a solution?

Report · May 31, 2025

No. I don't understand it. To me it makes little to no sense that you can have captions in a project using a certain font. Then export the file, with the captions, then bring that ProRes file back in to THE SAME PROJECT, and it display the captions in a totally different font?

But apparently, that's just it how it works. The person displaying the captions selects the font in whatever software they are using, because the font isn't part of the data that's saved - that bit makes sense.