How to Create ANIMATED Subtitles! (Premiere Pro Tutorial)
Education
Introduction
Have you ever wondered how some of the biggest creators in the world create their subtitles? In this article, I will show you exactly how to do it. We'll cover how to auto transcribe text, create presets, and animate them in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Auto Transcribing Your Text
Before we do anything, we want to auto transcribe our text using a really cool tool in Adobe Premiere Pro. This tool converts your audio into text and matches the words you say with the corresponding timestamp. Here are the steps to use it:
Access the Tool:
- Go to Sequence and then Auto Transcribe Sequence.
- Or, go to Window and select Text.
Transcription Options:
- Select languages.
- Choose the audio track you want to target.
Correcting the Transcript:
- Under Transcript, you'll see the timestamp with the corresponding text.
- If needed, double-click to edit the text directly.
Creating Subtitles
Once you're done making adjustments, click the CC icon. You'll see several options:
Subtitle Options:
- Choose between one or two lines of subtitles.
- Set the minimum and maximum length of a subtitle.
- Select from a preset that you’ve made.
Creating the Captions Track:
- After pressing Create, a new track will appear on your timeline – this is your captions track.
- You can modify each caption by clicking on it.
Modifying Captions:
- Go to Window > Essential Graphics > Edit to change placement, color, fonts, etc.
- To apply changes to the entire caption track, either highlight the entire track or create a new style and apply it.
Customizing Styles
Creating your own style involves several steps:
Setting Up Styles:
- Select a font.
- Choose a zone for pinning it to a specific video position.
- Typically, for subtitles, the bottom middle zone is used.
- Adjust vertical and horizontal positions.
Adding Visual Effects:
- Use a black stroke (e.g., 27) for text borders.
- Add a slight shadow for depth.
Saving Styles:
- Go to Track Style, create a new style, and save it.
- Note: These styles are saved within the project and will need to be recreated for new projects.
Animating Subtitles
One limitation of using the captions track is that you cannot animate these text layers directly. However, you can use text layers to achieve this:
Creating Text Layers:
- Use the type tool to create a placeholder text.
- Use the razor tool (press
C
) to make cuts corresponding with the captions.
Transferring Captions:
- Copy and paste text from the transcript into the new text layers.
Animating Text Layers:
- Set keyframes on the first and last frames for scale or position changes.
- Adjust the anchor point for each text to line up animations.
Pop-Up Animation:
- In Effect Controls, set keyframes for scale changes (e.g., 100% to 120% and back).
- Right-click keyframes and select Easy Ease In for smoother animations.
- Copy and paste keyframes for all other text layers and adjust their timing.
Conclusion
If you don't want to spend time creating presets, many preset packs are available for download. You can also check out more of my Adobe Premiere Pro tutorials to become a better video editor.
Keywords
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Auto transcribe
- Subtitles
- Essential Graphics
- Animate text
- Keyframes
- Presets
FAQs
Q1: How accurate is the auto transcription in Adobe Premiere Pro? A1: The auto transcription is about 80-90% accurate, but you can edit any mistakes manually.
Q2: How can I save custom style presets for subtitles? A2: You can save custom styles by creating them under Track Style. However, these styles are saved only within the project.
Q3: Why can’t I animate subtitles directly in the captions track? A3: Subtitles in the captions track are not on a video track, so they cannot be animated. The workaround is to create text layers and manually animate them.
Q4: What are some common settings for YouTube subtitles? A4: Common settings include a black stroke for the text border and a slight shadow to add depth.
Q5: Where can I find preset packs for subtitle styles and animations? A5: You can find many preset packs available online; some creators bundle these presets for easy use.