Textbox Handles and Wrapping in Graphics

[Petrula]

Premiere Pro Version 13.0.2

Windows 10 Pro

In Graphics, the Text tool can create a textbox in two very different ways.

I will call them Textbox Click and Textbox Drag.

Specifically, resizing the textbox handles behave differently.

Moreover, word wrap works differently.

This does not appear to be documented.

I have a few question after describing several observations.

Let's create both types of textboxes.

In the Tools panel, select text tool.

*** Textbox Click

In the Program panel, click and start typing text.

*** Textbox Drag

In the Program panel, drag out a text area to the size you want.

Then start typing.

In Tools panel, select Selection Tool (V).

*** Textbox Click

Select the Textbox Click Textbox you created.

Drag a bottom handle.

Notice how it scales the entire textbox including the text.

In fact, any Textbox handle you drag will scale the entire textbox.

Even though the text is larger, if you look at the actual text font size it is still the same.

If you add more text, the textbox grows to the right - it does not word wrap.

You must type a Return to have text go to the next line and lengthen the textbox downward.

Hence, the textbox changes the box dimension to fit the text.

*** Textbox Drag

Select the Textbox Drag Textbox you created.

Drag a bottom handle.

Notice how the bottom segment of the textbox moves down.

The text remains the same size.

If you add more text, it word wraps.

Hence, adding text does not change the textbox dimension so the text will wrap.

You must manually change the textbox width and height.

*** Summary of Behavior

*** Textbox Click

Adjusts textbox dimension to fit added text.

Does not word wrap.

Must type a Return to have text go to the next line and lengthen the textbox height downward.

Since textbox always fits text, no overflow text issue.

Handles scale textbox and text without changing font size.

All handles scale Textbox.

*** Textbox Drag

Word wraps since width and height dimension are fixed.

You can manually change the Textbox width and height

via the handles, and word wrap will wrap text to new textbox dimensions.

Overflow text is not visible.

Handles selectively change width or height without changing scale.

*** Questions

Can one change an existing Textbox Click to Textbox Drag? Or vice versa?

How can one tell looking at the Graphics panel whether a textbox is Textbox Click or Textbox Drag?

Thanks in advance.

[R Neil Haugen]

I think this is a good question for jstrawn​ if he's available. I know it does as you have deduced, but the why/wherefore is not in my ken.

Neil

[jstrawn · Accepted solution]

Your observations all look correct to me. Internally, we call those two types of text layers Text On a Point (TOP) and Text In a Box (TIB).

Here is the official Adobe documentation for it:
Create titles and motion graphics with the Graphics workspace in Premiere Pro. --> (Bullet pt 2) Click the Program Monitor where you want to position your text, and start typing. A single click creates text on a point, while a click drag creates text in a box, which allows the text to wrap automatically within the border of the box. This behavior is the same as the Area text tool in the legacy Titler.

As for your questions...

Can one change an existing Textbox Click to Textbox Drag? Or vice versa?
No, You cannot convert a TOP to TIB or vice versa after creating your text layer.

How can one tell looking at the Graphics panel whether a textbox is Textbox Click or Textbox Drag?

Just by looking, there really is no way to tell the difference. You have to drag a corner of the box in the Program Mon in order to know for sure. If it's a TOP, the text will re-scale. If It's a TIB, the text will reflow inside the box.

[Petrula]

jstrawn

Thank you for the thorough explanation. John

[jonathanb51952184]

I'm having an issue right now in Premier Pro 2022 where I create a TIB and if I change the box size, the font size changes too. I've tried many differnt approaches and it always seems to come out the same. I haven't figured out how to circumvent this.

[Stan Jones]

This is working for me in PR 2022. Select the type tool, left click in program monitor, hold, and drag. Release and type. Switch to the arrow tool, and change the box size. The font does not change.

Is that what you are doing?

Stan