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Guide

How to add captions to podcast clips in Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve

By Updated 4 min read

To add captions to a podcast clip, import a caption file (SRT works in every major editor) or generate captions from the speech, check every line against what was said, style them to be readable on a phone, and burn them into the clip when you export it for short-form platforms. The steps differ in Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, so each is covered below.

Why caption podcast clips at all?

Many people watch social video with the sound off. In a 2019 survey of US adults commissioned by Verizon Media and Publicis Media, 69% said they watch with the sound off in public places, and 80% of people who use captions were not deaf or hard of hearing.1 In the UK, a 2023 YouGov poll found 61% of 18 to 24 year olds prefer subtitles on.2 Captions also make your clips accessible to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and make the hook readable before anyone decides to turn the sound up.

Final Cut Pro

Import a caption file

  1. Choose File > Import > Closed Captions.
  2. Pick the file: SRT (.srt), iTT (.itt) or CEA-608 (.scc).
  3. Choose a role and language, and where the captions should start.
  4. The captions appear above your clips in the timeline, where you can edit the text and timing.

Apple's guide covers the options in full.3

Generate captions automatically

Final Cut Pro can create captions from the speech in your timeline with Generate Captions. Apple says it needs a Mac with Apple silicon and currently works in US English only; it produces iTT captions.4

Burn captions in

Final Cut Pro's captions are closed captions: they travel with the file and the viewer turns them on. For Reels and TikTok you usually want open captions, drawn into the picture. When you share, choose to burn in the captions role, or convert the lines to titles if you want full control of the font and position.

Premiere Pro

Import an SRT file

Import the SRT like any other media, then drag it into your sequence. Premiere creates a captions track from it, where you can edit the text, timing and style.56

Transcribe and caption automatically

In the Text panel, choose Transcribe, check the transcript, then create captions from it. Speech to Text is included with the subscription and supports many languages.7

Burn captions in

In the export settings, under Captions, choose to burn captions into the video for short-form platforms, or export a sidecar file for YouTube.

DaVinci Resolve

Import an SRT file

Resolve imports SRT, TTML and XML subtitles, and embedded MXF and IMF subtitles. Import the file into the Media Pool and drag it onto the timeline, where it becomes a subtitle track. It can export SRT, VTT or TTML.8

Create subtitles automatically

Creating subtitles and transcriptions from audio is a feature of DaVinci Resolve Studio, the paid version, according to Blackmagic Design.9

Burn captions in

On the Deliver page, open the subtitle settings and choose to burn the subtitles into the video.

How to style captions for a phone screen

CAPTION
  • Top: account name and app controls.
  • Right: like, comment and share buttons.
  • Bottom: the post text and audio name.
  • Captions: above the bottom area and clear of the right-hand buttons.
On a vertical clip, the app's buttons and text cover the top, the bottom and the right-hand side. Keep captions in the clear area.
  • Short lines. Two to five words at a time is easier to read while watching than a full sentence.
  • Timed to the words. Each line should appear as it is spoken and leave when the next starts.
  • Bold and high contrast. A clean sans-serif in white with a dark shadow or outline reads over any background.
  • Clear of the interface. Keep captions above the bottom area of the screen and away from the right-hand buttons.
  • Checked by a person. Automatic captions get names, jargon and numbers wrong. Read every line before you post.

Captions without the typing

podswitch transcribes your episode and times captions to the words for every clip it builds, laid out separately for vertical, square and landscape. Final Cut Pro gets editable captions in the project, and every editor gets an SRT file per clip, so you can restyle and burn them in when you export.

Sources

  1. Verizon Media and Publicis Media survey of 5,616 US adults aged 18 to 54, April 2019, as reported by Streaming Media, 20 May 2019. A marketing-commissioned study. https://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/News/Online-Video-News/80-of-Video-Caption-Users-Arent-Hearing-Impaired-Finds-Verizon-131860.aspx ↩

  2. Stagetext, "YouGov survey supports Stagetext's findings", 15 March 2023. https://www.stagetext.org/news/yougov-survey-supports-stagetexts-findings/ ↩

  3. Apple, Final Cut Pro User Guide, "Import closed captions". https://support.apple.com/guide/final-cut-pro/import-closed-captions-ver4185ef95a/mac ↩

  4. Apple, Final Cut Pro User Guide, "Create closed captions". https://support.apple.com/guide/final-cut-pro/create-closed-captions-vere399dab5e/mac ↩

  5. Adobe Help, "Import a caption file from a third-party service". https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/add-text-images/insert-captions/import-caption-file-from-third-party-service.html ↩

  6. Adobe Help, "Supported file formats for captions". https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/add-text-images/insert-captions/supported-file-formats-for-captions.html ↩

  7. Adobe Help, "Auto-transcribe video using Speech to Text". https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/add-text-images/insert-captions/auto-transcribe-video-using-speech-to-text.html ↩

  8. Blackmagic Design, DaVinci Resolve Edit page. https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/edit ↩

  9. Blackmagic Design, "DaVinci Resolve 21.1 Studio and iPad Features". https://documents.blackmagicdesign.com/SupportNotes/DaVinci_Resolve_Studio_21_Features.pdf ↩

Common questions

Which caption file format should I use?

SRT works almost everywhere, including Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Final Cut Pro also imports iTT and CEA-608 files, and Resolve imports TTML and XML as well.

Can Final Cut Pro make captions automatically?

Yes. Final Cut Pro's Generate Captions creates iTT captions from speech, but Apple says it needs a Mac with Apple silicon and currently works in US English only.

Are automatic subtitles free in DaVinci Resolve?

No. Blackmagic Design lists creating subtitles and transcriptions from audio as a feature of DaVinci Resolve Studio, the paid version.

Should captions be burned in or a separate file?

Burn them in for Reels, TikTok and Shorts, where styled captions are part of the look and platform auto-captions vary. Upload a separate caption file for YouTube and LinkedIn long-form, where viewers can turn them on and off.