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Question

How to import Caption txt file in Premiere Pro 2022

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
October 29, 2021
3 replies
45850 views

Hi there,

I have a problem with a txt file that I exported from Premiere 2022 and then I translated it. Premiere did the transcript from the video, then Premiere did the captions for me. I then exported it in txt to translate it, but I cannot import it back, and it cannot be recognized as captions. I've tried different online sites to convert it, but all of them give errors. I even tried Youtube.

After comparing the txt file with a good srt file, I see a lot of differences. The time is rendered different, the txt doesn't have numbers, and the txt has no arrows. Is there any way to fix this? or to make Premiere recognize this and convert it into captions?

I've spent hours translating that txt file, only to realize it doesn't work. It's soo frustrating.

Can anyone please help me?

R

rootdm1

Participant

I also had an issue when trying to export the captions to txt and then couldn't import them back in the same format because it only accepts srt. This Python script might help you.
https://github.com/root-dm/premiere-captions-to-srt-converter

Richard van den Boogaard

Community Expert

I can second that importing text files are not made easy inside PPro.

Sometimes, I get send over a Word document with all the transcribed captions. Even if I strip out all the original language lines and just keep the destination subtitle lines (in my case Dutch > English), there is no easy way to import this into PPro. Very frustrating.

PPro does not know how to handle Word, Word XML or even plain TXT files.

Instead of having to copy/paste over each individual line, I just wish there was a way to import said lines, to use as a starting point for creating your subtitle track.

Stan Jones

Community Expert

This is a variation on the method I described earlier in this thread.

To support what you are saying, when I last tested, a .txt file could not be imported as captions. The "Import captions from file" dialogue says .txt files are allowed, but does not show them. And if you change the extension to .srt, PR says there's a header error. Hopefully, such a feature will be added.

This is a method for creating a .srt file for import from a text file.

When you start with a Word document, be sure to "save as" a text document (.txt). Word is known for introducing invisible characters that will mess up your captions.

Edit the text file so you have just the caption text. If the captions are already in the form you want (e.g. one line per caption), it will save you time later, but it is not important to the main method.

I will describe using a free third party app, Subtitle Edit.

Open Subtitle Edit (other captioning programs may work), and Import -> Plain Text.... You get a dialog which allows setting many options. For example, you can make each line a caption, you can remove empty lines, etc. Set it to generate timcodes. You can set the duration or allow Subtitle Edit to set them automatically.

Then "save as" srt and import that to PR.

An alternative is to bring the video into Subtitle Edit and adjust timecodes, etc there before bringing into PR.

Stan

Richard van den Boogaard

Community Expert

Thanks. But once you start advising using third party subtitling solutions as a way to import plain text as a starting point for doing captions inside PPro, it kind of reminds me of putting a horse behind the carriage.

Stan Jones

Community Expert

See my post here and if you're on Mac @Andreas Kiel's post right after:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro-discussions/bulk-subtitle-import-new-2021-15-text-workflow/m-p/11943415#M339234

Stan

T

tzvetanp51427916Author

Known Participant

Hi Stan,

Thank you for your reply. The problem is that my txt file has already timing... So the program adds another timer on top which doesn't match the time it was before...

Any other solution?

Stan Jones

Community Expert

Yes, I see. The better method would have been to export the captions as .srt, then the timecode formatting would have been okay.

But you can fix this. Your "edited" version, like the export, has 3 problems to be in the srt format. 1) There is no subtitle number (the 1, 2, 3, 4 above). 2) There is only a dash, not a double dash plus arrow. 3) The timecode has frames, not milliseconds.

The fix is in two parts.

First, fix the dash. In a text program (not word processing; invisible characters will be a problem), replace the "dash" with "dash dash arrow." "Save as" .txt.

Then open that txt file in the free Subtitle Edit (other captioning programs may work) which, on importing the txt file as if it is an srt, adds the caption number and reformats as milliseconds.

Then "save as" srt and import that to PR.

I did test whether the "dash replaced by arrow" file could be imported to PR directly. A .txt file cannot be imported as captions. The "Import captions from file" dialogue says .txt files are allowed, but does not show them. And if you change the extension to .srt, PR says there's a header error.

Let us know if this does not work and we'll troubleshoot.

Stan

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