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Why Captions Are Not Syncing in Final Cut Pro

Direct solutions for fixing out-of-sync captions, imported SRT timing errors, and drifting subtitles in Final Cut Pro.

Captions are not syncing in Final Cut Pro primarily due to incorrect SRT file timecodes, mismatched frame rates, or accidental timeline nudging.

Here are the direct methods to fix caption sync issues in Final Cut Pro.

How do you fix SRT timecode drift?

If you import an .srt file and the captions slowly drift out of sync over several minutes, the frame rate of the SRT file does not match your timeline frame rate (e.g., 23.98 fps vs 24 fps).

To fix SRT timecode drift:

  1. Open your project timeline and select it in the Browser.
  2. Check the Info Inspector to confirm the exact frame rate (e.g., 29.97p).
  3. If the SRT was created in an external transcription tool using a different frame rate, re-export the SRT from that tool using the exact frame rate of your Final Cut Pro timeline.
  4. Re-import the corrected SRT file into Final Cut Pro (File > Import > Captions).

How do you fix an accidentally nudged caption block?

If one specific caption block is out of sync but the rest are fine, you may have accidentally bumped it while editing the video beneath it.

To fix a nudged caption block:

  1. Select the out-of-sync caption block above the timeline.
  2. Use the comma (,) and period (.) keys to nudge the caption block left or right by exactly one frame at a time until the text perfectly matches the spoken dialogue.
  3. If the caption is too long or too short, drag the edges of the purple block to trim or extend its duration to match the audio waveform.

How do you fix absolute vs relative timecode on import?

If all imported captions are bunched up at the beginning of the timeline instead of spreading out over the video, the insertion mode was incorrect.

To fix relative timecode imports:

  1. Delete the bunched-up captions from the timeline.
  2. Go to File > Import > Captions.
  3. Select your .srt or .itt file.
  4. Under the Insertion Time option, ensure Absolute is selected (which uses the exact timecodes in the file) instead of Relative to Timeline Start.