Captions: I don't see my subtitles appear in preview (Premiere Pro 14.9 and earlier)

[eviw42253382]

Hello,

I get stuck with subtitles. I know how to make subtitles in Premiere, by using Captions. I know how to Create, Insert and adjust them. But I just don't see them appearing in the preview screen, the "Reference" screen. I tried changing position, color, the type (Pop-on, Roll-up 2 lines,...)

Remarkably, I can export them into a separate SRT file and this way I can use the exported media. But it would be nice to see them in Preview.

Is there anyone out there that can help me please?

[sherriec97574218]

Hi - My subtitles aren't appearing, and I have already checked "enabled" in the settings and I selected "Open Subtitles." Still no subtitles. What else can I try?

[Stan Jones]

Open Subtitles are not the same as Open Captions. Are you sure you want Open Subtitles?

[sherriec97574218]

I didn't have an option for open captions, only subtitles. I got the text to show up by changing to 608 CC1. So that's another problem: that's the only one that will work and I don't want closed captions. But now that I got them to show up, I can't change the background color or font type or size. The font type and size aren't there. The background color button appears to be there but nothing happens when I click it. I can only change the text color. See screen shot. Also I already tried resetting layout under workspaces.

[Stan Jones]

Closed captions (e.g. 608) do not have as many formatting options as  Open Captions; nor do Open Subtitles.

In the Project Panel, right click on the Open Subtitle stream (or the Closed Caption for that matter). Select Modify -> Captions. Change the stream to Open Captions.

[sherriec97574218]

Brilliant! That worked to change the font and opacity. (Thanks!) But now the caption is in the middle of my video and it isn't scrolling, so not all the text is showing. And I don't have the option to change the style (scroll, pop up, etc). AND, now when I go to modify in the project panel, caption stream settings are grayed out.

[Stan Jones]

Rollup, popon, etc are closed caption only settings. So you can use closed caption and have them with many fewer style settings, or you can use Open Captions and have the style settings, but fixed position captions only.

You can change any of the caption formats in PR to Open Caption; you cannot change Open Caption to anything else.

The workaround is to export the open captions to .srt, convert outside PR to the type you want (e.g. closed 608 using Subtitle Edit or similar), then import as the new type.

There are a variety of reasons for using one type of caption or another. What is your end purpose? For example, burned in (and not able to be turned off) or not burned in.

[sherriec97574218]

I don't care if I have closed or open captions. All I want is text on the bottom of my video, without a black box around it and in a large enough font that it can actually be read. 🙂 I plan to upload my video to my Youtube channel. Maybe I should just do the captions there?

[Stan Jones]

They do provide an option to edit the captions. But I think you can start with what you have. Let us know what you think is the best way when you're done. There are many users interested.

YouTube requires a sidecar file, and closed vs open does not matter to them. They allow you to turn them off and on, and they may, or may not, support formatting that you do in PR.

So experiment: export a short section video (no captions in the video export) with a few captions set up as closed caption 708 or 608, and format them in various ways. Export as sidecar. Then convert to Open Caption and format additionally as you wish. Export as sidecar .srt. Then compare what YouTube does with them.

I think that the youtube format will be a 2 to 4 line roll up format, even if you export from PR as single line. Not sure about that. One of the reasons to test.

My tests have been too limited to be helpful. Let us know how you fare.

[philipt1146149]

fvking adobe what the fvck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  closed captions not showing up and no effect controls.   ADDRESS THIS NOW.

[Paul Garnsey]

Yay!!! Thanks

[shannafuld]

I was just about to give up when I saw this. You solved my problem. Thanks so much!!

[Peter A Lund]

Hey, 

i had the same problem last year. 

can someone of the more exceperienced Users explain 

why the software behaves like this? 
why do we have to enable a feature, that once applied is not showing up? 

if we make a "title" , we don't have to enable the" title"

in a submenu.

if we create an adjustmentlayer  we don't have to activate it. 

I can understand that it may be helpful to deactivate the captions but this is possible with the layer. 

so even if the captions can be activated or deactivated , what would your first thought be ? 

should the be activated or not? 

what do you think ? 

[Stan Jones]

pavl,

One tip, that I did not know for some time. The PR Program window Button Editor allows you to add a Closed Caption On/Off Toggle to the displayed buttons. It  looks like the image below.

Adobe could have done some of this differently; ultimately, it is a preference that depends on what kind of captioning work you do. Much of today's work is for sidecar files where the platform (Youtube etc) determines how they are turned on or off. Or the use is for burned in captions. In either event, you can use Open Captions and not worry about the oddities of Closed Captions. Open Captions are always "on" in PR, so the status of Closed Captions is not even noticed. (Except for the bugs that result in Open Captions not displaying, but that is another story!)

Adobe started with Closed Captions because that is what was need for TV video. And, just as with TV display of Closed Captions, you have to be able to turn them on and off and select which stream you are using.  My guess is most of today's editors want to start with Closed Captions not displaying, but it is a preference.

Stan

[Peter A Lund]

Hi Stan, 

that maybe a valide explanation. 

Thanxs for sharing 

The Prblem with this is, that as Premiere has a ton of issues with not displaing 

things correctly and sometimes even disappearing clips or proxies, this feature

is a riddle for the user that test this feature in the beginning. 

And if so: Then I would think, that the first note on "Caption" should be:

Hey User, be aware ou need to "activate" them. 

Heres the tutorial for captions (hu from 2013 7 years old) 

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/how-to/premierepro-closed-captions-cc.html

and from 2018 

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/how-to/subtitles.html

what I would love to see! 

what you can do with captions that is not the traditional way of using it. 

So I hope this is helpfull for people that use the first time open or colsed catpions. 

kind regards 

Peter 

[Stan Jones]

All true!

Stan

[jenniferailint]

Hello. I was editing my video and I cannot see my Open captions on Preview monitor. I already follow the instruction by Youtube and other Adobe support Community's other post. Can Anyone help me ? I already check the settings icon and it already enabled with CEA708 Service One. I already check almost (I think) everything that adobe mentioned. Can you help me please 🙂 

ps. I use Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017 

[Stan Jones]

Jennifer,

Please post a screenshot of your Caption Panel, your Timeline, and the Program Monitor.

Stan

[Rinx91]

Hi, Stan
i make Open Caption , but I  Can see my caption preview but the problem is
the caption preview only stuck in paragraph one i type.

so until the end of the video the caption preview wont change.
just the same paragraph from the begining until the end...
what can i do to fix it ? please help....
Picture attached 

[Stan Jones]

As a test, create a new test sequence with just one video on track 1. Add your captions. Do they work correctly?

If not, create a new, test 708 caption stream. Add to the new test sequence in place of your captions. Drag out the end of the new test caption stream and add 2 more captions. Do these work?

Some users get problems with captions that disappear; other users have captions that do not update when changes are made. The latter problem can look like yours. Two workarounds are save project, close, reopen. Or exist PR and reopen.

Stan

[Rinx91]

Hi thanks for replying,
so i already try caption with new sequence but its the same.. only first sentence of caption show up.
and then i try to make with 708 CEA ( with closed caption setting Enabled already)
and then there is no caption preview at all 😨 im shock...
already close the program, open it again, even restart my pc, but it wont change..
whats wrong...😫

[Stan Jones]

Sorry; I got confused. You're not using closed captions. I should have told you to create a new Open Captions stream and test that. Open Captions require no enabling or setting caption type for them to show. You should not have the problem you are seeing when you first create the captions. What is the [0.55%] after the caption name in the timeline? Stan

[Rinx91]

well im not sure what is [0.55%] but it show up after i drag out the open caption to the end of footage.
btw finaly the open caption is back to normal...what i do is simply delete it from timeline,
and drag it again from the material tab to timeline...
cant believe its that simple 😅
thanks Stan,😉

[Stan Jones]

That is good! It does not mean the problem won't recur, so notice anything that gets odd. Did the .55% come back? I can't get it to happen, and I don't recall what setting might result in that showing. BTW, do not "duplicate" caption streams. That is one thing that I can show consistently results in problems. Stan

[JessM2021]

Hey guys, 

I have read through this stream and still can't seem to find what's wrong with my captions not appearing. I've imported my captions as a .srt file and added above my video on my sequence but they aren't appearing on my preview screen. I want the captions to be embedded in the video (i.e. visible at all times). Have included a screenshot of my import settings. 

[Stan Jones]

Note: you are in PR 2020 or earlier. There is a major change in captions in 2021. That is not your problem, just alerting anyone else following  along...

From your screenshots, we cannot tell what type caption stream you have. You did not check the box to "override file settings" to import the srt as closed caption 708. But since they are not showing, they are probably not Open Captions.

You show us that you have enabled closed captions, but you do not show us what type you have enabled (in the settings).

You say "I want the captions to be embedded in the video (i.e. visible at all times)." The ones that show all the time are "burned in." Embedded means that the user on a TV can turn them on or off. You can burn in Closed Captions or Open Captions, but Open Captions allows a lot more freedom in formatting.

As I noted, you do not have the "override file settings" checked, but if you did, you have a PAL timebase (25) but NTSC otherwise.

Stan