Feb 15, 2025

Pictory 2025: smoother timeline, auto chapters, better captions

We ran the February 2025 build on three scenarios: 8-min YouTube video, 60s shorts, and a 4-min product tutorial. Here’s what changed, the settings to copy, and the fastest captions workflow.

What’s new

• Smoother timeline: less lag when cutting and reordering scenes.
• Auto chapters: generates section titles + timecodes in one click.
• Captions: better line breaks and alignment on short scenes.
• Exports: 4K on higher plans, optional separated audio.

Quick tests

• 8-min video: chapters relevant 8/10; tweaked 2 titles.
• 60s short: captions didn’t overflow; one word rephrased to fit 2 lines.
• 4-min tutorial: 4K export OK; separated audio useful for mixing.

Settings to copy

1. Turn on auto chapters, then rename any titles that are too long.
2. Captions: max 42 characters/line, high-contrast font.
3. Export 1080p for review, 4K only for the final version.

Who this update is for

If you repurpose articles, newsletters or product docs into videos, the smoother timeline is the biggest win: you spend less time trimming and reordering scenes. Auto chapters are especially useful for tutorials and reviews because you can publish YouTube timecodes, improve navigation, and help viewers jump straight to the part they need.

For shorts and ads, the caption improvements matter more than they sound. Cleaner line breaks keep text readable on small screens and reduce manual edits. A simple rule: keep captions to one idea per line, avoid long terms at the end of a line, and always review the first 5 seconds because that’s where most drop-offs happen.

2-minute checklist

• Export a draft with burned-in captions to validate readability, then generate an SRT for final polish.
• When chapters are auto-generated, shorten titles to 3–5 words so they don’t truncate on mobile.
• If you use 4K, keep your footage sources consistent; mixed quality makes upscaling look uneven.

Faster captions workflow

Generate the video in Pictory, then polish captions in a dedicated tool. We use this caption tool to check sync, produce SRT, and export a CapCut-ready version.

FAQ

• Can I edit chapters? Yes, rename and move timecodes.
• Is 4K on all plans? No, only higher tiers.
• Do captions support multiple languages? Yes, but double-check line breaks for DE/ES.

Need faster captions? Check VideoCaptionStudio.

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