Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the strongest video editing tools available in the market.
If you are a beginner in video editing or just starting with Premiere Pro, the interface and many features that it has may look overwhelming. But don’t worry, there is a guide that will help you master the basics with some essential tips and tricks to get your started.
Becoming Familiar with Interface
There are several panels that you see when you first open Premiere Pro. The most significant ones for beginners include;
Project Panel: This is where all your media (videos, images, audio) resides.
Timeline Panel: Where clips are assembled to create videos.
Source Monitor: This is where you can preview clips before they go on the timeline or trim them down if need be.
Program Monitor: Look here for view of your edited video.
Take time exploring these panels as they can be rearranged by clicking and dragging to fit your workflow.
Media Importing
To begin editing, you must import your media files such as these:
Click File > Import or use shortcut Ctrl + I (Cmd + I on Mac OS X).
Select files and click Open.
In Project Panel, your files will appear. By right-clicking inside Project Panel and selecting New Bin, you can organize your media into folders called bins.
Create a New Sequence
This is where sequences come in; this is how we join our different clips together to make a final video file. To create a new sequence:
Right-click inside Project Panel then select New Item > Sequence.
Choose a preset that matches your video settings (like 1080p for HD videos).
You also have another way of doing this without going through so much trouble; simply drag any clip onto ‘New Item’ button at bottom side of Project Panel on far left corner to have sequence automatically created that matches those settings of the clip dragged thereon directly.
Adding Clips to the Timeline
To add clips to your sequence:
Drag them from the Project Panel to the Timeline Panel.
Source Monitor can be used to preview and trim clips before adding them. In your keyboard, set in and out points by pressing I and O respectively, then drag clip from Source Monitor to Timeline.
Basic Editing Tools
Here are some basic tools you’ll be using most of the time:
Selection Tool (V): It allows you select and also move clips.
Razor Tool (C): It is used for chopping clips into shorter ones.
Ripple Edit Tool (B): These are used when trimming but making sure that any space left between clips should be automatically closed up.
You can find these tools on toolbar or use shortcuts shown in brackets.
Transition Effects
They provide smoothness between cuts in video. Here is how you apply a transition:
Visit Effects Panel and look for Video Transitions folder.
Drag a transition (like Cross Dissolve) onto cut between two clips in Timeline.
Titles & Text
To add text to your video:
Go to File > New > Legacy Title or use shortcut Ctrl + T (Cmd + T on Mac OS).
A new window will open where you can design your text.
Simply drag it from Project Panel down to Timeline.
Basic Color Correction
For your video to look best, some color correction might be necessary:
In the timeline, choose a clip,
Then go to Color Workspace(Window > Workspaces > Color).
Use Lumetri Color panel where settings such as Exposure, Contrast, Saturation among others may be easily adjusted.
Send away your video. After you have completed editing, sending away the video is the next thing:
File > Export > Media or Ctrl + M (Cmd + M on Mac).
You can choose any format you want (usually for web videos H.264 is utilized).
Go ahead and click Export to send away.
By following these essential tips and tricks, you’ll quickly become comfortable with Adobe Premiere Pro and start creating impressive videos. Keep practicing and exploring new features to continue improving your editing skills. Happy editing!