Premiere Color Labels Disappearing

Report · May 07, 2019

I've found a couple similar threads from several years ago that talk about this issue, but no solutions have been offered up. I'm hoping to figure out why this is happening:

When working in a Premiere timeline, my color labels are disappearing. I use colors to organize my footage, and having an entire timeline default back to the "Iris" color can be very frustrating. I can fix this only by digging into my Autosave folder and pulling up an older version of the project, and hoping I don't lose much work in the process. Even then, the labels continue to disappear randomly. My best guess so far as to when this happens is when I switch between Workspaces. However, this isn't consistent--sometimes it simply happens when all I do is click on my Project window. It can also happen when I duplicate a sequence. When it does, hundreds of color-coded clips just instantly pop back to the "Iris" color, and ruin many hours of labeling work.

Obviously the quick solution is to never use the color coding again, which I plan on doing--but my current project isn't so lucky, and I need these labels to stick.

Any suggestions on troubleshooting?

Thank you in advance!

Report · May 07, 2019

Does it happen only in the timeline? or in the project panel as well?

Try: Project Setting --> General --> check: Display the project Item name and label for all instances

Report · May 07, 2019

This is happening in my timeline, not the project panel--and it only affects the timeline that I'm currently working in, not all of the timelines in the project.

That option you mentioned does indeed affect the color labels, but unfortunately it removes them from every timeline in the project, rather than just the timeline I'm working in.

Report · May 07, 2019

It will definitely do that if you unchecked it. It has to be checked.

Please post a screenshot of: Preferences --> Sync settings

Also, try to trash preferences (Hold Alt or Option + Shift while launching Premiere)

It is possible that some setting syncing might be toggling this setting on/off automatically, trashing preferences should solve it.

Report · May 07, 2019

it was unchecked by default, but enabling the option is what removed all the labels.

Here is a screenshot of that Preferences Pane:

I've also recorded a quick video of the issue, it seems like changing my workspace and resetting it to default layout is what does it consistently.

Report · May 07, 2019

It looks like you are changing the labels from the timeline and not from the project panel.

Can you double check something? As soon as you lose the labels, can you make sure that "Display the project Item name and label for all instances" is still unchecked?

Also, consider trashing the preferences. this might solve it without the need to break our heads.

Report · May 08, 2019

Sorry, I forgot to mention--that video was recorded after I tried trashing my preferences, so the issue is still there.

And yes, I have been changing the color in my timeline, but not my project window. There are only 2 total 1-hour long clips in my timeline, and it's chopped up into hundreds of soundbites that I have color-coded.

I just checked that setting, and it stays UNchecked both before and after the color labels disappear.

Thank you for your troubleshooting efforts on this, Christian!

Report · May 08, 2019

My pleasure!

Is your Premiere up to date? this might be a bug in earlier versions.

Can you you try on a fresh project?

Report · May 06, 2024

IT'S 2024 and the problem is still there, I can't get my labels back

Report · May 29, 2024

Yup! I've been having this bug happen to me consistently when working with multicam sequences. Started to happen with the 2022 version. I recently updated to 2023 and the problem persists. Very frustrating, especially when you're depending on those labels to more efficiently navigate the timeline. Please fix this, Adobe!

Report · Sep 25, 2019

AAAAH I figured it out. I don't know what I'm accidentally doing to trigger the label reset (this is the first time this has happened to me and as far as I know all I did was drag the sequence from inside a folder to outside of it in the project manager & all my label colors in the seq were gone), BUT if you go to your history tab you'll see history notes for when you changed the labels for different clips. For me, all the past things I had done were grayed out. I clicked at the bottom of the list on my last label change and then suddenly all my labeling reappeared! Phew!

Report · Sep 02, 2020

Yup, did this, it erased all my label color changes. Loaded an auto save.

Why software people.... why.

Report · Jun 18, 2021

This is still happening. Just happened to me on a timeline from yesterday. No moving around sequences or anything like that. All of my B-roll is contained in the same bin. Only thing is I'm creating nested sequences, but clips are still seemingly randomly losing assigned colors and going back to default.

Report · Sep 20, 2021

Same. Just happened to me today. No change in updates or setting. I just opened a project from a couple of days ago and almost all (75%) of my labels were gone. Nothing else was different other than that.

Report · Dec 01, 2021

Just had it happen to me for the first time. Bins in my template no longer Mango - and you KNOW how I love mango. Went through everything and can't resolve.

Report · Sep 21, 2023

So frustrating! This has been hapening to me for so long already, at least in the last one or two years already and even updating the program. I don't understand why they haven't fixed this yet.

Report · Oct 17, 2023

I had no problems with premiere pro 2023 but back in the day with 20/21/22 version I had these label color issues... yesterday I got notification that new premiere pro has been released. I found few other bugs in 2023 and was waiting for the new release. Boom, it's premiere pro 2024 and I thought that I would have less issues just to get this annoying thing happen all time. I import videos, label them, edit them and then move on just to get back to check the others and ta da. All f*** labels gone! ADOBE FIX THIS ISSUES FOR GOD SAKE! It's 2024 and still is happening!

Report · Mar 21, 2024

This is still a problem. My label colors keep disapearing. Labels are completely unusable at this point.

Report · Mar 25, 2024

Confirmed, just had it happen to me as well.

Report · May 30, 2024

I found a workaround for this one.. just check this box: "Show Source Clip Name and Label"

Report · Jun 18, 2024

That doesn't solve this problem. My entire timeline changed to blue and yellow. All of my custom labels are gone but still there in the Label Prefs. Think it happened when I changed my workspace or brought in an Adobe Stock font MOGRT.

Report · Jun 25, 2024

You will have to color them again with this option enabled