There are certain mandatory elements in creating video content. Be it a movie or an amateur YouTube video. I mean the video series and the sound series (voice, music and other additional sounds). We will talk about music and other noises later. Now let’s focus on the video and the voice in it.
It is very rare to find a video where a person is speaking, but we do not hear the sound. This is either a mistake of the editor or his ingenious technique. In all other cases, we hear what the person is saying when their mouth moves in the frame. If you are creating video content, you should understand that in most cases the audio is recorded separately and the video is recorded separately. That is, the camera is responsible for video (that is, image quality), microphones, recorders and other recording devices – sound.
During post-production, the editor will receive two separate folders with materials: video and sound. And it all needs to be synchronized during editing.
But how do you do that if you’re using Premiere Pro? There are several ways to do this!
Method 1: Synchronizing video and audio “with your own hands”
The most affordable and easiest way to synchronize video and audio is to do it yourself. For this you need:
Step 1: Look at the sound of video and audio files on the timeline.
Step 2: Find the same area
Step 3: Move one of the files so that these areas are on the same level
And ready! You have synced your content!
Often, for this method of synchronizing video and audio, claps are used during filming. That is, after turning on the camera and the recorder, clap your hands and then the recording begins.
PROS:
- Simple and accessible to everyone
- No additional features or plugins are required
- Not very time-consuming
CONS:
- if there is a large number of materials, then the efficiency drops and takes too much time
Method 2: Synchronizing video and audio using the Synchronize feature
If you don’t want to synchronize manually for a long time or simply don’t want to, you can use the automatic way of synchronizing video and audio, which is available in Premiere Pro. This method automatically synchronizes all materials on the timeline without creating additional files or sequences. For this you need:
Step 1: Move all video and audio files that need to be synchronized to the timeline
Step 2: Right click and select “Synchronize”
Step 3: In the window that appears, select the “Аudio” synchronization point and click “OK”
Step 4: Then you need to wait for the program to execute the command.
And ready! All your videos and audio are synchronized.
PROS:
- performs all synchronization automatically
- you can synchronize several materials at the same time
CONS:
- may take a long time
- may not perform synchronization exactly, so it will be necessary to correct it manually
Method 3: Synchronizing video and audio using the Merge Clips feature
The Merge Clips is a great technique to use if you want to replace audio from a video with separately recorded audio or simply synchronize only audio files. In this method, you specify that a single audio file is the primary audio source. Therefore, the sound of the video will be used only for synchronization and will be deleted later.
For synchronizing you need:
Step 1: In the project window, select ONE video and one or more audio to sync
Step 2: Right-click and select “Merge Clips”
Step 3: In the window that appears, select the “audio” synchronization point
Step 4: Tick “Remove Audio from AV Clip” if we want to replace the video sound with a separate audio file and click “OK”
A new file will then appear in the project window. This is our synchronized video with audio.
PROS:
- independently changes the sound from the video to a separate audio file
- quickly synchronizes video and audio
- only audio can be synchronized
CONS:
- you can synchronize only one video file with audio
- not suitable for projects with a lot of materials
Pro method: Use PluralEyes for synchronizing video and audio
If you are a professional or plan to become one, it is important to remember the speed of work. Projects with a lot of materials take a long time to sync. It takes too long to sit and wait for your Premiere Pro to analyze and sync everything. There is a special program for this that will synchronize video and audio while you work on the project! All you have to do is:
Step 1: Transfer your materials to the timeline
Step 2: Create an xml file with your materials
Step 3: Import the xml file into PluralEyes
Step 4: Click the “synchronize” button.
After PluralEyes is done, save the new xml file and import it into Premiere Pro. And everything is ready! Then only installation.
An important nuance
The sequence should have the highest frame rate that your materials have. If your videos are shot at 25 frames per second, the sequence should be 25 frames. If you deliver videos shot at 30 and 60 frames per second, change the sequence setting to 60 frames per second.
Conclusion
Synchronization of video and audio materials sometimes takes an extremely long time. Therefore, you should know all possible methods of synchronization to choose the most effective one. The accuracy and efficiency of the stabilization will save a lot of precious time when working on the project. And for a video editor, every second is worth its weight in gold when it comes to deadlines.
Whatever method you choose to synchronize your materials, you should remember about quality. Correctly synchronized video and audio is the first step toward creating a successful project. Next, don’t forget to worry about everything else: sound quality, image quality, color, stabilization, and more.