Adobe Premiere Pro is a video editing software. Premiere Pro provides many options for video editing, including working with video, audio, color correction, effects, masks, transitions, titles, and more. You can do a lot with video editing, but the key is knowing exactly how to do it.
So, it’s time to answer the common, painful, easy, and not-so-common questions that video editors have. It is good that questions arise because it means the development of the editor.
Why are there so many questions about working in Premiere Pro?
There are no special reasons. The work of a video editor in any software will raise many questions. Beginners always have a lot of questions, because nothing is known yet. You need to know how the program works, what functions it can perform, and which ones it cannot. You need to learn the basic theory of video editing. Experienced people will also have questions, because there is a need for complex techniques. Over time, the editor begins to understand his capabilities and the requests become more and more complex.
10 questions about Premiere Pro
In this article, I will answer ten of the most painful, demanding and common questions that sooner or later arise in the editor when working with video. I have heard these questions more than once from beginners and sometimes from editors who have been working for a long time.
Drawing on my own experience, including a path filled with trial and error and analysis of completed work, I will tell you in detail about each question. So, after this article, everyone can open Premiere Pro and realize that now they can do much more!
Question 1. How to cut in Premiere Pro
This is the first question every editor who starts editing video for the first time has. From this, we can conclude that “razor” is the main tool in Premiere Pro—and this is the absolute truth!
The primary point of video editing is to remove all the excess and arrange the frames in a certain order to create a story. And the “razor” tool will help us with the first task. To apply it, you need to click on the “Razor” on the toolbar or select it using the shortcut Ctrl + X (Windows) / Cmd + X (Mac).
After that, the same “Razor” you selected will appear on the timeline instead of the mouse icon. To cut a frame in half, you just need to point to the place where the frame should be split and click the left mouse button. Everything is very simple!
The “razor” tool can be placed on any of your shortcut combinations. This can be done in the hotkey settings in Premiere Pro.
Question 2. How to split a clip in Premiere Pro
Continue to delve into the previous question. We already know that slitting footage is a key process in video editing. We already know that you can split the frame using the “Razor” tool. But in Premiere Pro there is another way to split frames. Wow, that’s news!
Besides the razor tool, Premiere Pro has another tool that can cut footage. This tool is called “Add Edit” and works a little differently and doesn’t require the use of a mouse (or almost none).
To cut a frame using the “Add Edit” tool, the time course must be located where you want to cut. Then press Ctrl + K (Windows)/ Cmd + K (Mac) on your keyboard. The frame should be cut exactly at that point.
I recommend using two tools depending on the situation but prefer “Add Edit” when selecting materials because it is faster and more convenient to work with it. It would be ideal if you set these tools to more convenient hotkeys.
Question 3. How to add transitions in Premiere Pro
To add transitions in Premiere Pro, you first need to know where they are. You can find them in the “Effects” tab, in the folder “Video transitions”. This folder contains all the standard transitions that Premiere Pro has. There are enough of them to diversify the editing of videos.
To use any of the existing transitions, select it and drag it onto your timeline. It is necessary to place the transition between two frames, where a transition should be. Or place it at the beginning or end of one frame if it should be a frame fade. In this case, there should not be another frame next to this frame on the side where the transition should be.
In Premiere Pro, by default, there is a hotkey for applying the transition – Ctrl + D (Windows) / Cmd + D (Mac). To apply it, select one or more frames and perform a key combination. The “Cross Dissolve” transition will be applied as it is set to this by default. Both the transition itself and the keyboard shortcut in Premiere Pro can be customized to your liking.
If desired, you can create your own or download ready-made transition presets. Fortunately, Premiere Pro makes this possible. And that means there are no limits to your creativity!
Question 4. How to fade in/fade out video in Premiere Pro
This is a continuation of the previous question, but in more detail in a specific situation. Fade in/fade out is the most common transition in video. It can be seen both in commercials and in films or TV series. A simple and effective transition that has maintained its popularity for many years.
The meaning of the transition effect from black or to a black screen can be interpreted in different ways. It all depends on the message the editor wants to convey. The duration of the transition can be from a few seconds to a few milliseconds. And because of this, this effect will never look boring.
Now let’s return to the technical implementation of this transition. In Premiere Pro, there are two ways to make a fade in/fade out video effect.
The first method. Using a preset
Premiere Pro has a ready fade in/fade out preset. To find it, open the “Video transitions” folder, which is located in the “Effects” tab. We are looking for a preset called “Dip to Black”. We need him. Move it to the edge of the frame, where you need to make a fade in/fade out effect. To shorten or lengthen it, you need to drag the edge of the effect to the left or right.
The second method. Using black video
This method is a bit longer and more complicated but has its advantages. The black layer is more mobile and detailed in the settings. For example, you want the video to be smooth at first, and then quickly transition to black video. It is impossible to do this with a preset, because all the settings are already set there and you cannot change them (only the duration of the effect itself). But with black video, it is very easy to do this by using keyframes.
To create a fade in/fade out effect using a black layer, you must first create a black video. In the “Project” window, click on “New Item” in the lower right corner. A list will appear, where you need to choose Black Video. Then drag it to the timeline and place it on top of the frame in the place where the effect should be.
By default, the black video has a duration of 5 seconds, and this can be changed by shortening or lengthening the frame on the timeline like a normal frame.
Now let’s create a fade in/fade out effect. To perform the transition, set two key points in the “Opacity” parameter. This option is in the “Effects Controls” tab when you select a black video. One key point should be 100% (this is a completely black frame), the other – 0% (the black frame is completely absent). Where the percentage will be depends on what the effect should be: fade in (from 0 to 100) or fade out video (from 100 to 0).
To change the smoothness of the transition, select a key frame and right-click on it. A pop-up window will appear with the settings you can apply to this keyframe.
Question 5. How to add an adjustment layer in Premiere Pro
Beginners often ask me what an “adjustment layer” is and why it is needed. It’s time to tell all about it!
Adjustment layer is an empty layer, with which you can do any manipulations, as with any frame. Do not confuse it with “black video”. When you put an adjustment layer on top of any other frame, nothing happens until you start using some manipulation on it.
The function of the adjustment layer is to help the video editor during work and reduce the load on the video sequence you are working with. For example, adjustment layer can be used for color correction. There is no need to apply general settings to each frame. It is enough to put an adjustment layer on top of the entire video and apply basic color correction on it. And already on the frames themselves, you can make more detailed adjustments that will apply directly to the frame (correct the white balance, level the exposure, etc.).
To move an adjustment layer on the timeline, you must first create it. To do this, in the “Project” window, in the lower right corner, you need to click on “New Item” (it looks like folded paper). In the pop-up list, select “adjustment layer”. By default, it is created with the same parameters as in the sequence in which you work. Click “ok”.
The created adjustment layer will appear in the elements on the “Project” tab. Now it can be dragged to the timeline and used in editing.
The adjustment layer is an important tool during video editing. With experience comes an understanding of how valuable it is.
Question 6. How to undo in Premiere Pro
When we are concentrating on something, we can accidentally click somewhere in the wrong place. You need to immediately undo the action and continue working. Premiere Pro has an undo feature. It would be strange if it were absent.
To cancel the last action, go to the “Edit” tab in the upper left corner. There is an “Undo” command immediately in a pop-up window. Time-respecting editors use the shortcut Ctrl + Z (Windows)/ Cmd + Z (Mac).
Now let’s consider a slightly more complicated situation. We worked and did not notice that we did something wrong. We need to revert everything to the way it was. Fortunately, in Premiere Pro you can successively undo the last actions. Limit – 32 last changes made in the project. That is, you can undo the last action 32 times until you return what you need. In this case, I recommend copying the timeline or a certain section on the timeline and then using the “Undo” command. This will save you a little extra time for reactions.
And what to do if the mistake was made earlier and the limit of 32 actions is not enough? Here are a few options:
Option one
Do everything again yourself. Long, unnecessary, and most importantly – wrong.
Option two
Cancel all changes at once, made since the last time the project was saved. To do this, select “File” and then “Revert” in the pop-up window. Be careful, this will delete any changes you made and would like to keep after your last save.
Option three
Open the Auto-Save project (you can find it in the Premiere Auto-Save folder on your computer) and copy the area that you mistakenly deleted or made incorrect manipulations there. Premiere Pro allows you to copy material between projects, so bringing something from previously saved versions won’t be a difficult task.
There is a special “History” window to track all actions taken. It can be found under the “Window” menu in the upper left corner.
Question 7. How to mute a clip in Premiere Pro
Another common question I hear from new video editors. They want to hide a certain frame, and then show it again. Is there anything in Premiere Pro for this? Answer – yes!
To mute any file on the timeline, select the file and right-click on it. In the pop-up window, uncheck the “Enable” command. The file will immediately be dimmed on the timeline and will not be displayed in the playback monitor To return everything, return the check mark by performing the same actions or use the command “Undo”.
To mute the entire track on the timeline, you need to click on “Toggle Track Output” (looks like the eye), which is on the panel to the left of the timeline. If the eye is crossed out, it means the track is mute.
Question 8. How to unnest in Premiere Pro
First, let’s talk a little about how to nest files. Select the files you want to nest, right-click on them, and select “Nest…”. Done!
Now let’s return to our question. A difficult task for a video editor, because Premiere Pro still lacks proper functionality for working with nests. After visiting many forums and exploring various options, I concluded that the simplest method is the best. This is to copy everything that is on the nest and paste it on the timeline instead.
Let me explain why. First, it makes it possible to continue making changes to the nest itself. Second, if you do something wrong later, you can always go back to nest and copy everything over.
Working with nests is difficult and requires a lot of attention and concentration. Incorrect actions can destroy many hours of work and you will have to do everything from the beginning. It is not uncommon for video editors to get confused with nests because of the mess in their work. Therefore, if you are a beginner and want to start working with nests, be sure to proceed thoughtfully and consistently.
Question 9. How to delete a project in Premiere Pro
Often in the work of a video editor, there are projects that you want to forget like a bad dream. Sad realities and a good reason to explain how to delete a project in Premiere Pro.
You don’t need to do anything special to delete a project in Premiere Pro. Just go to the package where your project is located. Select the project files and subfolders that Premiere Pro creates after creating the project and move them to the Trash. After that, clean the trash.
If you don’t know where the project files are, then go to Premiere Pro, and hover over the project you want to delete. The location where your project is located will appear. We find and delete. Or open the project and click the right mouse button in the Project window. Find “Show in Explorer” (Windows)/”Reveal in Finder” (Mac). We delete the files.
You can also delete cached files that usually take up a lot of space on your computer. This can be done both before and after the deleted project. Because all cached files will be deleted (that is, all projects that created cache files). But don’t panic, all cached files will be recreated when you reopen the project.
Let’s go back to deleting Media Cache files. To do this, select the Premiere Pro tab in the upper left corner. Find it in the Settings list… Then select Media Cache. In the window that pops up, we find the Delete button, next to which there will be the inscription “Remove Media Cache Files”. Wait for the removal process to complete and you’re done.
Question 10. How to reset Premiere Pro
There are situations when it becomes necessary to reset Premiere Pro. Often this occurs due to some malfunctions or lags. It is better to reset everything to factory data than to understand what the problem is. Believe me, I know it for sure.
To reset Premiere Pro, you need to open Premiere Pro. Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Window)/Cmd+Option+Shift (Mac) when the Start window is running. A confirmation popup will appear. We confirm and wait for the end of the process. Done!
The question “How to reset Premiere Pro layout” also often arises. To do this, follow the sequence Window – Workspaces – Reset to Saved Layout.
Bonus question. Why is Premiere Pro lagging
A very painful and long-suffering question that sooner or later arises for every video editor working with Premiere Pro software. This is especially true for Premiere Pro.
To answer this question, I studied the problem from the inside, contacted the developers, and researched many forums. I even delved into philosophy to find the truth there. Unfortunately, no one could give me a clear answer. Everything is constantly checked, and tested, but it does not get better.
With sympathy and pain in my heart, I can only say that life is cruel and unfair. The lags were, are and will be with us as long as we edit the video. Or until we learn how to fix all the existing lags. And this is a more definitive and effective way.
I won’t list all the lags here; there will be a separate article for that.