How to Edit SRT Files in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve & CapCut

Why Edit SRT Files in a Video Editor?

An SRT file gives you perfectly timed subtitles — but sometimes you need to tweak them before publishing. Maybe a word was misheard by the AI, a sentence needs rephrasing for clarity, or you want to adjust timing so subtitles don't overlap with a lower-third graphic. While you can always edit an SRT in a plain text editor, doing it inside your video editor lets you see changes in real time against the actual video — no guesswork, no re-importing.

This guide covers the three most popular video editors used by creators in 2026: Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and CapCut. Each handles SRT files differently, so we will walk through the full workflow for each — from importing the file to editing text and timing, to exporting the final video with burned-in subtitles.

How to Get an SRT File

Before editing, you need an SRT file. The fastest way is to use an AI transcription tool like Captain Transcribe: upload your video, choose your language, and download the generated SRT in under a minute. You can also choose between three subtitle styles — Standard (full sentences for YouTube), Short (1-3 words for TikTok/Reels), or Word-by-word (karaoke effect) — so your SRT is already formatted the way you want before you even open your editor.

If you already have an SRT file from another source, make sure it follows the correct SRT format: numbered entries, timestamps with commas (not periods), and UTF-8 encoding. A malformed SRT will cause import errors in most editors.

Editing SRT Files in Adobe Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro has native SRT support since version 22.1.1, making it one of the most capable editors for subtitle work.

Step 1: Import the SRT File

Go to File → Import (or press Ctrl+I / Cmd+I) and select your .srt file. Premiere imports it as a Captions track in your Project panel. Drag it onto your timeline — it will appear as a dedicated captions track above your video tracks.

Step 2: Edit Subtitle Text

Double-click any caption block on the timeline to open the Essential Graphics panel (or use the Captions panel under Window → Captions). You can edit the text directly — fix typos, rephrase sentences, or split long subtitles into shorter ones. Each caption block shows its start time, end time, and text.

Step 3: Adjust Timing

Drag the edges of any caption block on the timeline to change its start or end time. You can also click a caption in the Captions panel and type exact timestamps. For bulk adjustments, select multiple captions and use right-click → Ripple Edit to shift them all at once.

Step 4: Style Your Subtitles

In the Essential Graphics panel, you can change font, size, color, background, and position. Premiere lets you create a caption style preset and apply it to all captions at once — useful for maintaining a consistent look across your video.

Step 5: Export

You have two options for export:

• Burned-in (hardcoded): Go to Export → check "Burn Captions Into Video" under the Captions tab. The subtitles become part of the video file — visible on every platform regardless of player support.
• Sidecar file: Under the Captions tab, choose "Create Sidecar File" and select SRT format. This exports a separate .srt file alongside your video, which you can upload to YouTube, TikTok, or other platforms that accept subtitle files.

Editing SRT Files in DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve (free version included) has a powerful subtitle workflow — and it is completely free.

Step 1: Import the SRT File

Go to File → Import → Subtitle and select your .srt file. Resolve creates a new subtitle track on your timeline with all the captions placed at their correct timestamps. Alternatively, you can drag the SRT file directly from your file manager onto the timeline.

Step 2: Edit Subtitle Text

Click on any subtitle block on the timeline — the text appears in the Inspector panel on the right side. Edit the text directly in the Inspector. You can also use the dedicated Subtitle Editor found in the top menu: Workspace → Subtitles. This shows a scrollable list of all your subtitles with their timestamps — faster than clicking through the timeline for bulk edits.

Step 3: Adjust Timing

Drag the edges of subtitle blocks on the timeline to resize them, or type exact in/out points in the Inspector. Resolve also lets you nudge subtitles frame-by-frame using keyboard shortcuts, which is invaluable for precise sync.

Step 4: Style Your Subtitles

In the Inspector, expand the Style section. You can change font family, size, color, outline, shadow, and background. Resolve supports per-subtitle styling, so you can highlight a specific speaker's lines with a different color. You can also save styles as presets for reuse across projects.

Step 5: Export

• Burned-in: On the Deliver page, check "Export Subtitle" and select "Burn into video." The subtitles are rendered as part of the video.
• Sidecar file: Select "Export as separate file" and choose SRT. Resolve exports a clean SRT file with your edits preserved.

Editing SRT Files in CapCut

CapCut is the go-to editor for short-form content creators — TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts. Its SRT workflow is simpler but effective.

Step 1: Import the SRT File

Open your project, then click Text → Import Subtitles in the left panel. Select your .srt file. CapCut places each subtitle entry as a separate text clip on the text track, synced to the original timestamps. On the mobile app, tap the Text tool and look for "Import SRT" or "Auto captions" then choose the file import option.

Step 2: Edit Subtitle Text

Click any subtitle block on the timeline — the text editor opens on the right. Edit the text, and the changes are reflected immediately in the preview. CapCut also supports batch editing: select multiple subtitle clips and change font, size, or color for all of them at once.

Step 3: Adjust Timing

Drag subtitle clips on the timeline to reposition them. Drag edges to change duration. CapCut snaps subtitles to other clips and audio waveforms, making it easy to align text with speech visually.

Step 4: Style Your Subtitles

CapCut excels here with dozens of preset subtitle templates — animated, highlighted, karaoke-style. Select a template and apply it to all subtitles at once. You can also customize font, color, outline, shadow, animation, and position manually. For TikTok and Reels, the short subtitle style with bold animations tends to perform best.

Step 5: Export

CapCut always exports with subtitles burned in (hardcoded into the video). There is no sidecar SRT export option — if you need a separate SRT file, keep your original or re-generate one from Captain Transcribe.

Quick Comparison: SRT Editing Across Editors

What Are the Most Common SRT Editing Mistakes?

Whether you are editing in a text editor or a video editor, watch out for these frequent issues:

• Comma vs period in timestamps: SRT files use commas (00:00:01,500). If you accidentally type a period, some players will reject the file or display incorrect timing. The VTT format uses periods — do not mix them up.
• Overlapping timestamps: If subtitle entry 3 ends at 00:00:10,000 but entry 4 starts at 00:00:09,500, both will display simultaneously. Most video editors will flag this, but text editors won't.
• Missing blank lines: Each SRT entry must be separated by a blank line. If you accidentally delete one, the parser will merge two entries and the timing breaks.
• Wrong encoding: SRT files should be saved in UTF-8. If you save with a different encoding, accented characters (é, ü, ñ) may display as garbled text.
• Subtitles too long: Keep each subtitle under 2 lines and under 42 characters per line. Longer text gets cut off or becomes too small to read on mobile devices.

Generating SRT Files with Captain Transcribe

Captain Transcribe generates SRT files automatically from any audio or video file in over 29 languages. The AI produces accurately timed subtitles that you can download and import directly into Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or CapCut. Choose from three subtitle styles:

• Standard — Full sentences, ideal for YouTube and professional content.
• Short — 1-3 words per subtitle, perfect for TikTok and Reels.
• Word-by-word — Karaoke-style timing for creative effects.

The generated SRT is clean, properly formatted, and ready to import. If you need the web-native format instead, you can download a VTT file from the same transcription — no need to re-process.

Starting at €2.99/month, it is the fastest way to go from raw footage to edited subtitles in your video editor.

Key Takeaways

• Edit SRT inside your video editor — see changes in real time against the actual video.
• Premiere, Resolve, and CapCut all import SRT — each with native support and full text editing.
• CapCut only exports burned-in subtitles — keep your original SRT if you need the file later.
• Use UTF-8 encoding and commas in timestamps — the two most common SRT formatting mistakes.
• AI-generated SRT files save hours of work — generate, import, fine-tune, and export in minutes.

Related Articles

• What is an SRT File? Complete Guide to the SRT Format
• SRT vs VTT: Which Subtitle Format Should You Use?
• Free Transcription Tools: Honest Comparison
• How to Add Subtitles to TikTok Videos
• How to Add Subtitles to YouTube Videos
• Best AI Transcription Tools in 2026
• How to Get More Accurate Transcriptions
• How to Transcribe a Podcast Episode