How to write or paste your own caption text and time it in Premiere Pro

Step by step

1. Open the Write tab — In the Text step, click + Add text, then the ✍ Write tab.

2. Type or paste your text — One line = one subtitle. Empty lines are ignored.

3. Create the blocks — Click Create the subtitles: each line becomes a caption block, flagged ⏱ because it has no timecode yet.

4. Set the start — In Premiere Pro, move the playhead to where the caption should appear, then click ⊞ on the left of the block.

5. Set the end — Move the playhead to where it should disappear, then click ⊞ on the right of the block.

6. Fine-tune — Click a timecode you set and use ← / → to move it by one frame (Shift = 10 frames), or drag the words in the timeline under the list.

When should I type my text instead of transcribing?

The ✍ Write tab is for text that doesn’t come from a voice, or that you want to control word for word:

• A video with no voice: music, b-roll, a product demo, a timelapse.
• Text on screen: a title, a list of steps, a quote, a price, a call to action.
• A voice-over that isn’t recorded yet: prepare the captions from the script, time them later.
• Exact wording you must keep: brand names, a client-approved sentence.

If you already have a subtitle file or captions in Premiere Pro, importing is faster — see Import an SRT file or your Premiere captions. If someone speaks, AI transcription times every word for you.

How to write your captions

1. In the 2 Text step, click + Add text, then the ✍ Write tab.
2. Type or paste your text. The reminder above the field says it: One line = one subtitle. Timecodes are set afterwards (see the crosses in the list).
3. Click Create the subtitles. The message N subtitle(s) created. Now set the timecodes (crosses in the list). appears and your blocks show up in the Text step.

Good to know while you type:

• Empty lines are skipped, and extra spaces are cleaned up.
• What you type is kept if you switch to another tab before clicking Create the subtitles.
• Arabic or Hebrew lines are typed and aligned right to left, even mixed with left-to-right lines.

Why it matters: one line per caption means you decide exactly what appears together on screen. No re-cutting a sentence that broke in the wrong place — the block is the line you wrote.

How to time each caption

Each block has two ⊞ crosses: the one on the left sets the start, the one on the right sets the end. Both use the position of the Premiere Pro playhead.

1. In the Premiere Pro timeline (or the Program monitor), place the playhead where the first caption should appear.
2. In the panel, click the left ⊞ of the block (Set the START at the playhead).
3. Move the playhead to where the caption should disappear and click the right ⊞ (Set the END at the playhead).
4. Repeat for each highlighted block.

Once a cross is set, it shows the timecode. To adjust it:

• Click the timecode: the playhead jumps there, then ← / → move it by one frame (Shift = 10 frames). The small ‹ › buttons on each side do the same with the mouse.
• Drag in the timeline under the list: each word is a segment whose boundaries you can drag — see Edit lines, blocks and timecodes.

The panel keeps your captions in order and tells you when a value doesn’t fit: The end must be after the start., This timecode falls before the previous subtitle ends (crossing). Set it later., or This timecode falls after the next subtitle starts (crossing). Set it earlier.

Inside a timed block, the words are spread over its duration in proportion to their length. Drag their boundaries in the timeline if a word should appear earlier or later.

Tip: play your sequence and stop on each new sentence: set the start of the block, let it play, stop, set the end. With the panel docked next to the Program monitor, it goes quickly.

What does the ⏱ alert mean?

Blocks without a start and an end are highlighted, and an alert sits at the top of the list: ⏱ N blocks missing timecodes — Place the playhead in Premiere, then click ⊞ (start) and ⊞ (end) on the highlighted blocks. Click it to jump to the first block left to time.

Until every block is timed:

• generation refuses with Missing or invalid timecodes: subtitle(s) N. Set the start AND end of each block before generating.;
• the timeline under the list shows only the blocks already timed (Set timecodes to see your blocks here when none are);
• an SRT export leaves the untimed blocks out and tells you how many.

How do I change my text later?

For a typo or one word, click the word in the list and type — see Edit lines, blocks and timecodes.

To rework the whole text, go back to + Add text › ✍ Write: the field already holds your lines. Edit them and click Create the subtitles again. Lines whose text hasn’t changed keep their timecodes; new or changed lines need to be timed. Recreating the blocks also resets the settings you made word by word (style, placement, animation, sound), so do it before fine-tuning the layout.

Note: your typed text and an imported or transcribed text live side by side. Importing a file or transcribing doesn’t erase what you typed, and typing doesn’t erase an import: switching from one to the other loses nothing. Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z undoes a Create the subtitles.

What’s next?

Your typed captions work like any others: pick a style in Choose a preset, place the words in Layout, then generate them on the timeline. They don’t follow later cuts in your edit (only transcribed words do — see Captions that follow your edits), so time them once the edit is locked.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add animated captions to a video with no voice in Premiere Pro?

Use the ✍ Write tab of Subkick Caption: in the Text step, click + Add text › ✍ Write, type one line per caption and click Create the subtitles. Then set each caption's start and end at the playhead with the ⊞ buttons, and generate them like any other captions.

How do I set caption timing by hand in Subkick Caption?

Move the Premiere Pro playhead to where a caption starts and click ⊞ on the left of its block, then to where it ends and click ⊞ on the right. Click a timecode you set and press ← or → to adjust it by one frame, or Shift with the arrow for 10 frames.

Does typing my own text use transcription credits?

No. Writing or pasting your text in Subkick Caption is free on every plan, Free included. Only AI transcription uses credits.

Why does Subkick Caption say some blocks are missing timecodes?

Typed lines have no timing until you set it. Subkick Caption highlights them and shows ⏱ N blocks missing timecodes at the top of the list; click the alert to jump to the first one. Generation needs a start and an end on every block.

Can I prepare captions before the voice-over is recorded?

Yes. Type the script in the ✍ Write tab of Subkick Caption to prepare the blocks, then time them once the voice is in your sequence. If the recorded voice follows the script, AI transcription gives you word-level timing in one go.