Final Cut Pro won’t import your .vtt captions
Final Cut Pro won’t import VTT captions
Seen in: Final Cut Pro
What is actually wrong
Final Cut Pro’s caption import (File > Import > Captions) supports three formats: iTT, SRT and SCC. WebVTT is not one of them, so the file is greyed out in the import dialog or refused. The cues are fine; the container is the wrong one.
Fix it here: VTT to SRT
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Conversions …
Drop EDL, SRT, VTT, .prtranscript, or transcript files
Any caption, transcript or timeline file: CutConvert picks the converter and shows what survives · up to 100 KB per file
The fix, step by step
Convert the VTT to SRT
Drop the .vtt into the converter. It writes standard SRT with the same timing and line breaks.
Optionally convert the SRT to iTT
If you want captions with position and style that Final Cut can edit, run the SRT through the SRT to iTT converter at your project frame rate.
Import into Final Cut Pro
Select the project, choose File > Import > Captions, pick the SRT or iTT, and set the caption language and where the first caption should land.
Which caption formats Final Cut Pro reads
Since caption support arrived in the 10.4 releases, Final Cut Pro imports closed captions in three formats: iTunes Timed Text (.itt), SubRip (.srt) and Scenarist (.scc). Each becomes a caption role in the project. WebVTT, SBV, ASS, DFXP and plain text are not on the list. When you choose File > Import > Captions, files in other formats are simply greyed out.
SRT or iTT: which to convert to
- SRT is the fast path. It carries timing and text. Final Cut treats the imported SRT captions as a single style and you adjust it in the Inspector. If all you need is captions on the timeline, convert VTT to SRT and import.
- iTT carries position, style and per-caption formatting, and it is what Apple’s delivery specs ask for. If the VTT had positioning cues you care about, or the deliverable is iTT anyway, convert VTT to SRT here and then SRT to iTT at your project’s frame rate. iTT uses frame-based timecode, so the frame rate matters.
What changes on the way
Timing is kept to the millisecond in the SRT, and snapped to the nearest frame in iTT (never more than half a frame). Voice tags become a name prefix in the text. VTT colour classes and positioning are dropped in SRT and can be partially represented in iTT as region placement.
Titles instead of captions
If you wanted the subtitles as editable titles on the primary storyline rather than as a caption role, that is a different destination: the SRT to FCPXML converter writes a title per cue that you import as a project. The guide on adding subtitles in Final Cut Pro walks through both routes.
No upload
The VTT is parsed and rewritten in your browser. Files never leave your machine, which matters when the captions describe a cut that is not public yet.
FAQ
- Does Final Cut Pro import .vtt at all?
- No. The caption importer accepts iTT, SRT and SCC only. Convert the VTT first.
- Should I choose SRT or iTT?
- SRT if you just need the captions in the project. iTT if you need positioning or are delivering to Apple, which specifies iTT.
- How do I get subtitles as titles, not captions?
- Convert SRT to FCPXML and import it as a project. Each cue becomes a title clip you can restyle.