Premiere Pro Captions for YouTube Shorts
Premiere Pro captions for YouTube Shorts: export vertical videos with animated captions in seconds, so the timeline stays clean.
Create an account to generate and export your captions.
The timeline gets crowded
In Premiere you splice clips, add music and color‑grade. Adding a caption track means dragging another layer, syncing it, and tweaking every line. It eats the time you could spend on the edit itself.
Sycamore lets you upload the same MP4 you export from Premiere, get a word‑level transcript, choose a style and position, then export a new MP4 with captions burned in. No extra track, no keyframes.
Common caption mistakes for Shorts
Placing captions at the bottom where YouTube’s “Shorts” label sits.
Put captions at the top or center so the label stays visible.
Using a font size that looks fine on 16:9 but is tiny on 9:16.
Adjust words per line and choose a bold style; the preview shows the vertical result.
Leaving the default white color on a bright background.
Pick a highlight color that contrasts with your footage for readability.
Animated styles that fit Shorts
Mozi
Beast
Word Pop
Staircase
Add captions in four quick steps
Export from Premiere
Render your edit as MP4 (9:16, 16:9 or 1:1).
Upload to Sycamore
Drop the MP4 into the editor. The transcript appears with word timing.
Pick style and position
Choose a template, set top/center/bottom, adjust colors if needed.
Export back to MP4
Download the captioned video and re‑import to Premiere or upload directly to YouTube Shorts.
Calculate speaking time
Use the Speaking Time Calculator to see how long your narration runs and keep it under YouTube Shorts’ 60‑second limit.
Before you upload your Short
- Captions sit clear of the Shorts label
- Words per line fit the vertical frame
- Highlight color contrasts with the background
- Transcript is error‑free
- Video length is ≤60 seconds
- Exported MP4 plays back with captions
Caption your next Short
Frequently
Asked Questions
How do I add animated captions to a YouTube Short made in Premiere Pro?
Export the edit as MP4, upload it to Sycamore, pick a caption template, set top/center/bottom, then export the new MP4 with captions burned in.
Can I keep the captions out of Premiere’s timeline?
Yes. Sycamore adds captions in the exported file, so you don’t need an extra track or keyframes in Premiere.
What positions are available for captions on Shorts?
You can place captions at the top, center or bottom. Choose the spot that stays clear of YouTube’s label and any on‑screen graphics.
Do I need to edit the transcript for each word?
Only click words that are wrong. The timing stays, so you fix mistakes without re‑syncing.
Does Sycamore work with vertical video sizes?
It supports 9:16, 16:9 and 1:1. Export your vertical edit and the captions will match the frame.